The role of spirituality in alcohol abstinence self-efficacy amongst alcoholics anonymous members

Drugs and Alcohol Today, Ahead of Print. Purpose Previous research indicates that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can play an effective role in alcohol use disorder recovery (Kelly, Stout, Magill, Tonigan and Pagano, 2011). Acceptance of a “Higher Power” and experiencing a “spiritual awakening” are essential components of AA recovery programme (Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to identify if there are high associations in levels of spirituality and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy (AASE) measures amongst AA members. Design/methodology/approach Self-reported measures were collected from members of AA of their spiritual and religious beliefs and their everyday experiences of alcohol abstinence. Demographic information of participant’s ethnical background, age and length of AA memb ership was also obtained. Findings The analysis revealed high levels of spirituality amongst participants with a mean of 70.14 (2dp). There was no difference in participant high or low spiritual beliefs and their attitude towards alcohol abstinence. The frequency measures of spiritual activities s howed that 73.7 per cent of participants engage in private spiritual or religious activities more than once a week. Originality/value Overall the study supports previously conduced researches in the field of spirituality and AASE amongst AA members when considering other variables associated with sustained sobriety. The implications of the results of this study ...

Source: Drugs and Alcohol Today - June 11, 2018 Category: Addiction Source Type: research