Beyond Sobriety: The Cultural Significance of Alcoholics Anonymous as a Social Movement

Abstract

With the noticeable growth of Alcoholics Anonymous since its founding in 1935 has come the tendency to regard the organization as a social movement. This article analyzes Alcoholics Anonymous as a social movement, specifically as a new social movement, and draws upon new social movement theory for the analysis. A particular strand of new social movement theory, the identity-oriented paradigm, is applied. The analysis reveals that Alcoholics Anonymous shares several key features with new social movements. Alcoholics Anonymous can be seen as a partial social movement, or a movement network submerged in civil society. Although "hidden," it serves as a distinct social and cultural force because of what it offers in addition to abstinence: an alternate interpretation of reality to that of the utilitarian/rationalist perspective, which has traditionally dominated American thought.