Spirituality in Alcoholics
Anonymous: A Valuable
Adjunct to Psychiatric
Services Marc Galanter,
M.D. Alcoholics Anonymous
(AA) is described as a
spiritual fellowship by many
of its members, but its
spiritual orientation needs
to be better understood by
clinicians and researchers.
Spirituality is a latent
construct, one that is
inferred from multiple
component dimensions,
such as social psychology,
neurophysiology, and
treatment outcome
research. Mechanisms
related to its role in
promotion of recovery in
AA are discussed from the
perspective of these
findings, along with related
options for professionally
grounded treatment, such
as Twelve- Step
Facilitation. This discussion
illustrates the importance
of further research on AA
and spirituality and of
