An Evaluation by Recovered Alcoholics of Those Who Tried to Help

Abstract

The problem. It was the purpose of this study to ask recovered alcoholics for their opinions on what worked to help them achieve sobriety. Procedure. After reviewing current literature, an opinionnaire wae prepared. The opinionnaire asked the respondents, recovered alcoholics, for a rating of the Help and Understanding they reoeived from the following six groups: 1-Physicians. 2-Spouse. 3-Clergy. 4-Psychiatrists and Psychologists. 5-Members of the court, attorneys, and legal officials. 6-Recovered Alcoholios. The opinionnaire was validated by colleagues of the writer who work in the field of alcoholism treatment and by members of the Drake University faculty. The opinionnaire was presented to the members of five Alcoholics Anonymous clubs in Iowa and to twenty residents of the North Central Alooholism Research Foundation in Fort Dodge,lowa. Copies and addressed envelopes were also left in the Carroll, Fort Dodge, and Webster City referral offices of the North Central Alcoholism Research Foundation. Findings. On the basis of one hundred completed opinionnaires and the results thereof validated through F ratio tests and t-tests, it is the conclusion of this study, that of those who responded to the opinionnaire, they felt that the greatest source of Help and Understanding that they had received while drinking was from Recovered Alcoholics. The amount of Help and Understanding received from the group of Recovered Alcoholics was significantly greater than it was from each of the other five groups. In addition, no one of the other five groups was significantly more effective in Help or Understanding than any other groups out of this five.