Aren't They All the Same? an Exploratory Study Examining the Variation in Religiosity and Other Characteristics Among Open 12-Step Groups

Background and Purpose: 

The purpose of the present study is to examine the level of religiosity and other characteristics of open 12-step groups that took place in three Midwestern states.  Membership in 12-Step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has reached the tens of millions with AA boasting 115,000 active groups worldwide.  The ubiquity of these groups has provided the opportunity for individuals with addictions to obtain social support so essential for maintaining sobriety. 

Twelve-step groups have been long-identified with spirituality and religion.  Though many find the focus on spirituality to be highly beneficial, others find that the focus does not fit into their worldview.  This represents an important barrier for many who might otherwise benefit from 12-step groups.  Even though non-spiritually focused self-help groups have proliferated in recent years, the ubiquity of 12-step groups makes their examination compelling.

Methods:  

Data for this project were based on observations of open 12-Step groups made between 2013 and 2018.  During this time, 87 unique open 12-step groups were identified.  Because of the observational nature of the study, religiosity was measured by recording the number of religious references stated during the meeting.  Data on religiosity were categorized as being low (0 to 3 religious references), medium (4 to 9) and high (10 or more). 

Results

Overall, the sample in the present study was predominantly white, male and working class with women and people of color making up about 35% and 28% of attendees respectively.  Age of attendees within each group varied considerably.  Though the average age was about 44, attendees at the same group ranged in age from early 20s to early 70s.  In terms of religiosity, the mean number of religious references was 12.3 ranging from zero to 52.  Also, even though most might view 12-step groups as being rather religious, 21% were observed as having a low level of religiosity.  Furthermore, the data suggest that the location of the group might influence the level of religiosity.  For instance, the mean number of religious references at groups held at churches and other religious facilities was 14.8 compared to 9.4 for non-religious locations.  This difference approached significance (p = .06).

Conclusions and Implications: 

The above results suggest that even though all 12-step programs work from the same steps, traditions, and general group format, they appear to vary considerably, especially in terms of the level of religiosity.  Though some groups appear to place a great deal of emphasis on religion, a substantial portion of groups in this study did not.  Implications of these results suggest that 12-step groups may be an option for non-religious people seeking help with maintaining sobriety.  In addition, because groups taking place at non-religious locations appeared to have a somewhat lower level of religiosity, social workers should consider making referrals to groups at these locations for their non-religious clients. Finally, because of key variations from one group to the next, it would behoove the social work practitioner to provide their individual clients with referrals to at least three different open groups.