Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA

I’ve written previous blog posts sharing my views in regards to Alcoholics Anonymous (see Why All the Hatred for Alcoholics Anonymous?). This program does help people who want to quit drinking, but it is not an approach that works for everyone. I have a great deal of respect for this fellowship, but it worries me when the program is promoted as the only real solution for drunks because it isn’t. I also dislike it when critics of the fellowship try to paint it as some type of evil brainwashing cult – it isn’t that either.

My blog posts about AA have elicited some interesting comments from both sides of the debate. One reader suggested that I read an Book called Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA. I don’t usually do book reviews on request (mostly because I’m not very good at it), but I will make an exception here because it is such an interesting topic.

Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA by A.J. Adams

The title of this book had me worried that it might be some type of skeptic/debunker hatchet job that would provide an unfair assessment of AA. Most of what passes as skepticism today doesn’t appeal that much to me– probably because some (all?) of my own beliefs would fall into their category of woo woo. The skepticism involved in Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA is of the very light variety so my initial concerns were unwarranted. In fact there were even times reading the book when I felt turning the skepticism up a notch might have been helpful.

The most interesting parts of Undrunk were when A.J. discussed his struggles with AA and his initial difficulties with understanding the program. I also felt coerced into attending my first AA meetings, and I remember what it was like to sit there waiting for the chat to end so that I could hit a bar. A.J. uses humor when talking about this period of his life, but his pain and shame is obvious without him having to spell it out. These stories are made all the more powerful because of the honesty involved.

Good Introduction to AA

A.J. does a good job of describing what it is like to be a new member of AA, and anyone who has never used the fellowship is going to gain some good insight from this book. He tackles most of the issues that newcomers are likely to face, and he is willing to share his own mistakes so that other people can learn from them. I liked the fact that A.J. was able to provide so much useful information about the group without ever going into lecture mode.

My one criticism of Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA would be A.J.’s assessment in the introduction for why people fail to take advantage of “the most effective treatment for alcoholism in the world”. He provides four reasons for this; the alcoholic has not suffered enough, their mistaken belief that AA is old fashioned, the mistaken idea that the program is too difficult, and “people either don’t know anything about AA or they don’t like what they think they know”.

I’m going to ignore the claim that AA is the most effective treatment in the world except to say that I’m not sure how this could even be ever proved. What really bothers me is the insinuation in these four options that the drunk is somehow at fault for not wanting the program. It ignores the reality that AA does not work for all alcoholics, and it is not the best solution for all alcoholics. It may be fairer to say that it is only the best program for a minority of alcoholics.

Undrunk: A Skeptics Guide to AA is going to be of most value to those who don’t know much about the fellowship and are considering it as an option. It is also an inspirational read for those who are struggling with an addiction and who are in need of some encouragement. This book was written by A.J. after being just one year sober so hopefully he will write something else further down the line. It will be interesting to see if his views change. I wish him all the best.