Hi Amy, thanks for your enquiry. I am not sure what the purpose of your study is but it occurs to me that it might be worth taking into account the following. AA is not an organisation in the usual sense. It does not control or regulate its members or groups in how they go about carrying the message of hope to the still suffering alcoholic. While it is specifically for alcoholics only, it does not traditionally exclude anyone who says/thinks they have a drinking problem, self diagnosis is sufficient to be a member.
AA comprises several million individuals and probably over 100,000 groups around the world. While each group ought to carry the AA message, they are entirely autonomous in how they go about this. Any two or three acloholics gathered together for the purpose of sobriety may call themselves an AA group provided that, as a group they have no other affiliation.
For these reasons it should be understood that, in practical terms, an individual who joins AA really joins an AA group and their experience will depend on how that group conducts its affairs.
In my current lifestyle I am able to visit different groups all around the country and I am happy to say that most are effectively carrying our message of hope and newcomers are well looked after. Occasionally I run across dysfunctional groups that seem to be sidetracked from our primary purpose and newcomers are not so well cared for.
My point is that all groups are different and your research would need to include a large number in order to get any meaningful results from your study.
I was just thinking that anyone who would take this survey, just for a free cup of joe - wouldn't give the surveyor a very good sample.
My suggestion to her would be to just ask for some help in a friendly way - and let those who are willing to help assist you in your research/study do so because they see that we as a group have nothing against our fellow human family trying to help the alcoholic, even those who think no study could ever truly benefit anything seriously.
Amy - you should be aware that you can attend any open AA speaker meetings. In our area, that is where 100's off AA's gather to listen to another AA's program and how it's working for them. You can find open AA speaker meetings on the internet in almost any town. Just a thought.
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
If she spent a few hours here on this board reviewing past and present posts, she'd have all the info she'd ever need for any type study of AA ... Why can't people see that ... just open your eyes and read ... there are hours of sharing here to read for any topic you could ever think of in AA ...
Got questions??? ... the answers are here for you if your willing to work for it and READ ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Too funny.....the lure of free coffee for a bunch of "us". LOL And such a credible, well-presented, full disclosure post about said "study". If this is how today's students are being taught to do even non-scientific surveys on target populations, somebody is not getting their tuition's worth.
