Modernity and Fundamentalism dance to new facts about AA from the Great Britain 2020 Membership Survey

With or Without God: the latest Alcoholics Anonymous Membership Survey from Great Britain identifies how many members are religious vs. secular.

Episode 69 of Rebellion Dogs Radio looks at our more enlightened understanding of AA members, at least a significant sample size surveyed this decade. The findings from the Great Britain 2020 AA Membership Survey + English Speaking Central Europe meetings have shared their experience and their understanding of how AA works for them. We look, more broadly, not only at this modernism movement that includes measurable assessment of AA members and AA life today, but we look at how progress is happening in AA. We look at AA maturity in the context of fundamentalism AND modernity, in AA. It is worth viewing both sides: what are the payoffs for those who embrace a strict orthodoxy and why and what do we need to change to better reach more of those who come to us with alcohol or other substance use disorder.

Download or read a PDF transcript of Episode 69 of Rebellion Dogs Radio with links

Every five years the Great Britain General Service Conferences surveys members to:

carry the message to professionals, and
help inform the General Service Conference for future decision making.

In 2020 members in Great Britain and English speaking Europe were asked: "Do you believe in a higher power?"

Those who answered "yes" were asked: "Is your higher power religious or secular?"

35% of members hold a religious belief about higher power.
65% of members hold a secular belief about higher power.

From there we ask how this might "inform the General Service Conference for future decision making," and how AA is doing overall in the first two decades of Century 21 in balancing the need to modernize AA and the resistance to change felt by fundamentalist AAs.