Kaskutas L A
Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, California 94705, USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1996 May;22(2):259-80. doi: 10.3109/00952999609001658.
Women for Sobriety represents a self-help option oriented toward positive thinking and behavior modification. Formed in 1975, there are now approximately 125 active WFS groups holding weekly meetings in the United States and Canada. Using data collected from a 1991 membership survey (n = 600, response rate = 73%), this paper chronicles WFS members' pathways to recovery. We describe turning points in seeking help, things women tried at first to contain their drinking, exposure to other treatment approaches, and referrals to WFS from formal treatment programs. Only 15% of the respondents sought treatment because they had been confronted about their drinking, while physical symptoms or emotional problems represented the turning point for over half the women. Another fifth said their life had gotten out of control, and these were the ones to achieve sobriety most quickly. Almost all WFS members had sought professional help for their drinking, and three-fourths have undergone individual therapy-suggesting that WFS members are fairly open to a psychological approach such as WFS offers. WFS philosophy is based on the belief that behavior is predicated on thoughts, so the program teaches members that maintaining sobriety must involve the realization that negative emotions are destructive-and that members can control how much they allow problems to bother them. Goals of membership include abstinence, improved self-esteem, and spiritual and emotional growth. About a third of the respondents currently attend AA, and no differences in length of sobriety associated with current AA attendance were found within the WFS membership. However, women who sought professional help in response to the turning point experience but who also attended AA that year were most likely to have achieved sobriety within a year of the turning point.
“清醒女性协会”是一个以积极思考和行为矫正为导向的自助组织。该协会成立于1975年，目前在美国和加拿大约有125个活跃的分会，每周举行会议。本文利用1991年会员调查收集的数据（n = 600，回复率 = 73%），记录了“清醒女性协会”会员的康复历程。我们描述了她们寻求帮助的转折点、女性最初为控制饮酒所尝试的方法、接触其他治疗方法的情况，以及从正规治疗项目转介到“清醒女性协会”的情况。只有15%的受访者寻求治疗是因为她们的饮酒问题被人当面指出，而身体症状或情绪问题是超过一半女性的转折点。另外五分之一的人表示她们的生活已经失控，而这些人是最快实现戒酒的。几乎所有“清醒女性协会”的会员都曾因饮酒问题寻求过专业帮助，四分之三的人接受过个体治疗，这表明“清醒女性协会”的会员对该协会提供的心理治疗方法相当开放。“清醒女性协会”的理念基于这样一种信念，即行为基于思想，因此该项目教导会员，保持清醒必须认识到负面情绪具有破坏性，而且会员可以控制问题对自己的困扰程度。会员的目标包括戒酒、提高自尊以及精神和情感成长。约三分之一的受访者目前参加戒酒互助会，在“清醒女性协会”会员中，未发现目前参加戒酒互助会与戒酒时长之间存在差异。然而，那些因转折点经历而寻求专业帮助且同年也参加了戒酒互助会的女性，最有可能在转折点后的一年内实现戒酒。
