Women in AA: “Sharing Experience, Strength and Hope” The Relational Nature of Spirituality

摘要

This article examines how specific practices within Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) assist women to develop an understanding of spirituality that promotes and sustains sobriety. AA's conceptualization of alcoholism as an illness that only a spiritual awakening can conquer seems outdated and irrelevant to many especially with the pharmacological advances that have been made in the addiction recovery field (Sanders, 200648. Sanders, J. M. 2006. Women and the 12 Steps of A.A. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 2(3): 3-31. [Taylor & Francis Online]View all references). Using data from a qualitative exploratory study of women's experiences in AA, this paper reports that for some women in the program it is the spirituality learned and experienced through the relationship of sponsorship that has allowed them to achieve sobriety (Sanders, 200648. Sanders, J. M. 2006. Women and the 12 Steps of A.A. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 2(3): 3-31. [Taylor & Francis Online]View all references).View full textDownload full textKeywordsAlcoholics Anonymous, recovery, spirituality, women, women's emotional developmentRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2011.567111