Women, Alcoholism and AA

~ Jason Schwartz
AA meeting sign
AA meeting sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An interesting new blog has a great post on Women, Alcoholism and AA.

Admitting that I was an alcoholic has had a profound effect on my life. Most of my friends from the old days are not around anymore; they didn’t want to hear about my alcohol problem and some understood it so little that it somehow led to me being characterized as a drama queen. They’ve have been replaced with people who are willing to share all of their experience, strength and hope with me over a coffee.

But perhaps even more interesting than what the WSJ piece had to say about women and drinking is what it had to say about AA. It essentially summarizes AA as a haven for sexual harassment and abuse of women, explaining that the female population of AA is left vulnerable because they’re made to feel further victimized and powerless over their lives. Having spoken to several female members of AA, I have found the exact opposite to be true. The women I spoke to, in fact, found nothing but continued support and understanding through their battles with alcohol from both the male and female members in the program, and took pains to point out how they felt safe and nurtured. As one woman put it, “I find AA no different than any situation in life where males and females socialize. There will always be flirting and attempts at hooking up, but the vast majority of men I have met are very respectful and considerate.”

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Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

2 thoughts on “Women, Alcoholism and AA”

  1. Pingback: Thanks for the evidence | Addiction & Recovery News

  2. I am a professional and an alcoholic. When I started going to meetings I was already very good at teaching men how to treat me. I have wonderful sober male friends. Any person that I see giving anyone a hard time at a meeting hears my experience, strength and hope (like it or not).

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