Sometimes useful pieces of historical evidence may be found lying around in plain sight. A case in point concerns the relationship between Alcoholics Anonymous and the disease concept of alcoholism. In 2002, Ernest Kurtz, A.A.’s distinguished academic historian, published a well-argued article asserting that the disease concept of alcoholism was not one of A.A.’s core philosophical commitments (2). Yet – as Kurtz also noted — the disease concept has been part of A.A.’s operational vernacular for a long time. Sociologist Annette R. Smith has recently suggested that the acceptance of the disease concept is a crucial step in a new A.A. member’s conversion to an alcoholic identity (3). If both Kurtz and Smith are correct–and I believe they are–then how did an idea that is not part of the group’s core philosophy nevertheless become a central element in A.A.’s actual praxis? > > > > Read More
