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.
Our musical feature (Pictured Above) is a Toronto/NYC trio called ON, with their new song "Underdog."
Here are some links to items quoted and discussed..
A Newcomer Ask - second most read leaflet/pamphlet in all of AA originating in Great Britain
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/Members/2020-Survey
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/Professionals/Interesting-Statistics
The 2020 Great Britain Membership survey
YouGov 2020 survey of religiosity in Britain
Ernie Kurtz seven step program for research and reporting
Search back issues for group and member estimates (generally in Summer Issue each year of Box 459)
World Health Organization facts about alcohol
148 country comparison of religious adherence
American belief in God through the years
New York State Bill ensuring the right to irreligious drug/alcohol treatment
The most recent USA/Canada membership survey
Listen to "Overhaul?" from the December 2009 AA Grapevine
Generous Orthodoxy and AA with Jackie B from Varieties of Secular Experiences 2021
Fanaticism is a disease like alcoholism (Psychology Today)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fundamentalism
AA Efficacy from 1955 Bill Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, p. XX
Updated language in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (p. 66, and p. 117)
Rebellion Dogs favorite reading:
David Best, (2019) Pathways to Recovery and Desistance: the role of the social contagion of hope, Bristol, Policy Press
Marya Hornbacher (2011) Waiting: A Nonbeliever's Higher Power
William Schaberg (2019) Writing the Big Book: The Creation of AA
Bill Wilson's three years on know-how, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85