Spirituality and Attachment in Alcoholics Anonymous: A New Model for a Unicorn Construct
Abstract
As of 2021, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is estimated to have 2,000,000 members in 180 countries. Compared to state-of-the-art alcohol use disorder treatments, AA may be as, or more, effective (Walitzer et al., 2009). The extent to which AA is successful due to its spirituality versus its relationship-building emphasis, has continued to challenge researchers (Kelly, 2017). Our study sought to provide clarity to this conundrum through application of a new model of spirituality. We first conducted a scoping review of the literature to identify mechanisms of change that help explain AA’s salutary effects on abstinence. Of 2133 articles, 18 met inclusion criteria, yielding 9 mechanisms. Two mechanisms were found to be equally robust: AA-specific social networks and spirituality/religiosity. Next, a recently validated relationship-based spirituality model, the Theistic Relational Model (TRM; Davis et al., 2025), was mapped onto the AA framework. The TRM describes spirituality as a relational interplay between one’s doctrinal understanding and one’s personal experiences with a higher power, with a healthy spirituality requiring congruence between the two. The TRM sees secure human attachment as paving the way for this congruence, leading to more prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest AA may catalyze a quasi-secular relationship-based spirituality, with the doctrinal understanding stemming from the AA literature and the experiential from the development of a secure attachment to AA/members of AA. Shared beliefs and practices important for sustaining group membership, combined with increased prosocial behaviors developed through an earned secure attachment, may increase attendance, a powerful predictor of abstinence (c.f., Tonigan et al., 2013). Future research will explore whether measures of relational spirituality differ across 12-step groups. If the TRM predicts treatment success, treatment protocols could be amended to place greater emphasis on helping clients develop a secure attachment and, in turn, a quasi-secular spiritual congruence.
Start Time
15-4-2026 1:30 PM
End Time
15-4-2026 2:30 PM
Room Number
303
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Student Type
Graduate
Faculty Mentor
Meredith Ginley
Spirituality and Attachment in Alcoholics Anonymous: A New Model for a Unicorn Construct
303
As of 2021, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is estimated to have 2,000,000 members in 180 countries. Compared to state-of-the-art alcohol use disorder treatments, AA may be as, or more, effective (Walitzer et al., 2009). The extent to which AA is successful due to its spirituality versus its relationship-building emphasis, has continued to challenge researchers (Kelly, 2017). Our study sought to provide clarity to this conundrum through application of a new model of spirituality. We first conducted a scoping review of the literature to identify mechanisms of change that help explain AA’s salutary effects on abstinence. Of 2133 articles, 18 met inclusion criteria, yielding 9 mechanisms. Two mechanisms were found to be equally robust: AA-specific social networks and spirituality/religiosity. Next, a recently validated relationship-based spirituality model, the Theistic Relational Model (TRM; Davis et al., 2025), was mapped onto the AA framework. The TRM describes spirituality as a relational interplay between one’s doctrinal understanding and one’s personal experiences with a higher power, with a healthy spirituality requiring congruence between the two. The TRM sees secure human attachment as paving the way for this congruence, leading to more prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest AA may catalyze a quasi-secular relationship-based spirituality, with the doctrinal understanding stemming from the AA literature and the experiential from the development of a secure attachment to AA/members of AA. Shared beliefs and practices important for sustaining group membership, combined with increased prosocial behaviors developed through an earned secure attachment, may increase attendance, a powerful predictor of abstinence (c.f., Tonigan et al., 2013). Future research will explore whether measures of relational spirituality differ across 12-step groups. If the TRM predicts treatment success, treatment protocols could be amended to place greater emphasis on helping clients develop a secure attachment and, in turn, a quasi-secular spiritual congruence.
