{"title":"Benefits of Alcoholics Anonymous affiliation among meeting attendees in Romania: a mixed methods approach.","authors":"Adriana Lavinia Bulumac, Florin Lazăr","doi":"10.1080/00952990.2025.2509106","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Background:</i> While alcohol use disorder is a significant social problem in Romania, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) affiliation is scarce despite proven benefits.<i>Objectives:</i> To identify differences between highly and low/nonaffiliated individuals and AA affiliation' associated benefits.<i>Methods:</i> A mixed-method research employed in Romania (<i>n</i> = 24,12 males,12 females; length of sobriety in days, M highly affiliated = 3406, M low/nonaffiliated = 220) comprised measures of organizational commitment, spirituality, well-being, mental health, and addiction and in-depth interviews. T-tests and thematic analysis were used.<i>Results:</i> Quantitative findings showed significant differences in affective organizational commitment (d = 1.1, <i>p</i> = .01), number of completed AA Steps (d = 2.5, <i>p</i> < .005), positive religious coping (d = 1.1, <i>p</i> = .01), anxiety (d = - .9, <i>p</i> = .03), craving (d = - 2, <i>p</i> < .005), commitment to sobriety (d = 1.4, <i>p</i> = .005), confidence on staying sober (d = 1.4, <i>p</i> = .005), abstinence self-efficacy (temptation: d = 1.6, <i>p</i> = .001; confidence: d = .9, <i>p</i> = .03) and desire for abstinence (overall: d = 1.3, <i>p</i> = .004; intention: d = 1.4, <i>p</i> = .002; attitude: d = 1.1, <i>p</i> = .01; subjective norm: d = .9, <i>p</i> = .03; perceived control: d = 1.4, <i>p</i> = .002). Interview data revealed two main themes: Characteristics of highly affiliated individuals and Characteristics of low/nonaffiliated individuals.<i>Conclusion:</i> Highly affiliated individuals are more likely to maintain sobriety, obtain spiritual benefits, improve their mental health, and become committed to recovery. Low/nonaffiliated individuals can still receive some benefits from attending AA meetings.</p>","PeriodicalId":48957,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2025.2509106","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: While alcohol use disorder is a significant social problem in Romania, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) affiliation is scarce despite proven benefits.Objectives: To identify differences between highly and low/nonaffiliated individuals and AA affiliation' associated benefits.Methods: A mixed-method research employed in Romania (n = 24,12 males,12 females; length of sobriety in days, M highly affiliated = 3406, M low/nonaffiliated = 220) comprised measures of organizational commitment, spirituality, well-being, mental health, and addiction and in-depth interviews. T-tests and thematic analysis were used.Results: Quantitative findings showed significant differences in affective organizational commitment (d = 1.1, p = .01), number of completed AA Steps (d = 2.5, p < .005), positive religious coping (d = 1.1, p = .01), anxiety (d = - .9, p = .03), craving (d = - 2, p < .005), commitment to sobriety (d = 1.4, p = .005), confidence on staying sober (d = 1.4, p = .005), abstinence self-efficacy (temptation: d = 1.6, p = .001; confidence: d = .9, p = .03) and desire for abstinence (overall: d = 1.3, p = .004; intention: d = 1.4, p = .002; attitude: d = 1.1, p = .01; subjective norm: d = .9, p = .03; perceived control: d = 1.4, p = .002). Interview data revealed two main themes: Characteristics of highly affiliated individuals and Characteristics of low/nonaffiliated individuals.Conclusion: Highly affiliated individuals are more likely to maintain sobriety, obtain spiritual benefits, improve their mental health, and become committed to recovery. Low/nonaffiliated individuals can still receive some benefits from attending AA meetings.
期刊介绍：
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (AJDAA) is an international journal published six times per year and provides an important and stimulating venue for the exchange of ideas between the researchers working in diverse areas, including public policy, epidemiology, neurobiology, and the treatment of addictive disorders. AJDAA includes a wide range of translational research, covering preclinical and clinical aspects of the field. AJDAA covers these topics with focused data presentations and authoritative reviews of timely developments in our field. Manuscripts exploring addictions other than substance use disorders are encouraged. Reviews and Perspectives of emerging fields are given priority consideration.
Areas of particular interest include: public health policy; novel research methodologies; human and animal pharmacology; human translational studies, including neuroimaging; pharmacological and behavioral treatments; new modalities of care; molecular and family genetic studies; medicinal use of substances traditionally considered substances of abuse.
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