Research on A.A.: Opportunities and Approaches

Miller, William

Abstract

Although Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an ubiquitous component of American treatment for alcohol problems, relatively little research on this approach has been conducted. A domestic scientific meeting is proposed to stimulate new research on AA processes and outcomes. The nominated speakers, coming from a broad range of perspectives, hold key pieces of the picture but have had little or no prior dialogue on this topic. The structure of the meeting includes prepared presentations as well as structured consensus-forming discussions, centering on four major questions: (1) Should and can AA be studied? (2) How does change occur within AA? (3) How can processes of change within AA be measured? and (4) How could studies of AA be designed? The invited speakers would bring backgrounds in psychology, medicine, history, theology, psychometrics, sociology, and anthropology, with a common focus on research. Ten younger scientists interested in AA research will also be invited to attend, selected from applicants for conference-sponsored scholarships. Participation will be by invitation only, limited to the key speakers, scholarship participants, and NIAAA personnel. Conference proceedings will be videotaped and audiotaped, and copies of tapes will be sent to the libraries of major alcohol treatment research centers. A conference monograph will be published by the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies, 500 copies of which will be disseminated free of charge to alcohol researchers. The primary goal of the proposed conference is to generate new empirical studies of AA and its contribution to recovery from alcohol problems.