MUTUAL HELP MOVEMENTS FOR ALCOHOL-PROBLEMS IN AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Mutual-help groups in the alcohol field were first organized 150 years ago, and some European groups continue from the late 19th century. Af ter the Second World War, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) began to spread in ternationally, and new national mutual help movements were founded, to some extent drawing on or reacting to the AA model. While AA is domin ant in North America and many English speaking countries, other mutual -help movements are stronger in such countries as France, Germany, Ita ly, Sweden and Japan. Several dimensions of differentiation between th e movements are discussed, including: professional or institutional sp onsorship vs, autonomous organization; the movement's religious, spiri tual or secular basis; whether family members and others are members a s well as alcoholics; whether there are external affiliations and acti vities; and patterns of internal organization and functioning.