The problem of alcoholism is viewed as a major social problem, one that has an impact not only on the individual affected and not only on his or her family but on society as a whole. Alcoholism has been examined from a number of different perspectives in an attempt to explain its etiology or its consequences. The prevailing perspective is the medical model, which holds that alcoholism is a disease, which also means that it can be treated through medical means. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an organization that makes use of a theory of self-help to enable alcoholics to take control of their own lives and to learn to change their behavior, following a disease theory of alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous stands outside the medical model in that it does not offer a "cure" and indeed holds that the individual will always be an alcoholic. What the alcoholic can be is an alcoholic who does not drink. AA addresses the behavior by means of a Twelve Step program and is deemed an intervention rather than a treatment. In AA as in other treatment programs, differences can be noted between the way men and women relate to alcohol, respond to social pressures, and respond to treatment.
The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous was Bill W., pronounced a hopeless alcoholic in 1934 at Towns Hospital in New York. He continued to drink and during this time met an old school friend and drinking partner, Eddy T., who had recently joined the Oxford Group Movement, also known as the First Century Christian Fellowship. The latter is an organization founded in 1921 by Dr. Frank Buchman, and it is essentially an evangelistic organization devoted to combating the forces of materialism. Buchman and his followers developed a five-step course of action known as the five "C's": confidence, confession, conviction, conversion, and continuance. Members would gather together in private homes or hotels for what were called "house parties." Buchman believed that rea...