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  - Does Alcoholics Anonymous…
    
    Dry January has become increasingly popular, practiced by a quarter of Americans last year, and provides individuals a collegial and open path for reconsidering their alcohol consumption. For almost two million people worldwide who have committed to staying sober for a lifetime, the group known as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its 12-step plan has been a prominent lifeline. But is it the best approach for curbing alcoholism, and does it address its root causes? Those who say AA is invaluable emphasize the merits of its peer-driven, community-based approach. They also point out that membership is free, only requiring a desire to stop drinking. Opportunities for fellowship can be found nearly anywhere, even in communities with limited access to healthcare or treatment facilities. Those who say there might be a better way to sobriety argue that AA’s long-term success rates vary widely. They also note equity issues and note concerns with the program’s focus on abstinence rather than moderation. They say other therapies and interventions, such as harm reduction therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, would help those who may not succeed in the program. Now with this background and in Dry January 2025, we debate the question: Does AA Work?
    
    Friday, January 3, 2025
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Phil Bronstein

Reporter for the San Francisco Examiner

Bronstein began his journalism career in his teens as a film reviewer. He joined the San Francisco Examiner as a reporter in 1980 and, beginning in 1983, spent 10 years as a war correspondent, where he was a 1986 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work in the Philippines.

Debates Featuring Phil Bronstein

Good Riddance To Mainstream Media

With Phil Bronstein, David Carr, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, John Hockenberry, Jim VandeHei, Michael Wolff

October 27, 2009

Mainstream media is dying. The network evening news audience is in steady decline; the big three magazine publishers, Time Inc., Condé Nast and Hearst have all closed or consolidated titles; and the newspaper industry has been especially ravaged, with dailies folding across the country. Increasingly people get their news from the internet and from cable channels. Advertisers are moving on to Google and other non-traditional sources. Do these developments leave us better off? The democratization of news, in an unfiltered…

Good Riddance To Mainstream Media

Mainstream media is dying. The network evening news audience is in steady decline; the big three magazine publishers, Time Inc., Condé Nast and Hearst have all closed or consolidated titles; and the newspaper industry has…

With Phil Bronstein, David Carr, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, John Hockenberry, Jim VandeHei, Michael Wolff

October 27, 2009

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