Spirituality in Everyday Life: Experiences of Gay Men of Alcoholics Anonymous

Abstract

Abstract Although gay American men are afflicted with alcoholism and other forms of chemical dependency at a much higher rate than their heterosexual brothers, many of them are experiencing fulfillment by living the spiritual way of life known as Alcoholics Anonymous. To learn how gay men of AA go about doing spirituality in everyday life, 50 gay American men were interviewed in depth. The findings of this study are presented here so that clinicians can teach their gay male clients how other gay men recovering from chemical dependency go about practicing spirituality. In everyday life, the men in this study practiced spirituality by maintaining sobriety, ridding themselves of internalized homophobia, communicating with their Higher Power (who was defined as God by the overwhelming majority of the study's participants), turning their lives and wills over to the care of God as they understood Him, performing good works (both corporal and spiritual works of mercy), meeting adult social roles, engaging in sel...