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When Alcoholics Are Not Anonymous
Author(s) -
Fainzang Sylvie
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
medical anthropology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-1387
pISSN - 0745-5194
DOI - 10.1525/maq.1994.8.3.02a00050
Subject(s) - anonymity , alcoholics anonymous , identity (music) , interpretation (philosophy) , psychology , social psychology , aesthetics , philosophy , computer security , computer science , clinical psychology , linguistics
Vie Libre (Free Life), a French ex‐alcoholics' association, deals with the question of identity quite differently than does Alcoholics Anonymous. Not only does Vie Libre not advocate anonymity, but it also stresses individual identity in a way that conforms to its theory of alcoholism. The analysis of a fundamental ritual created by the movement, which gives the subjects a group identity in addition to their individual identity, is examined in the light of data from other societies, allowing the reformulation of the question of anonymity. This approach clarifies the motivation behind Vie Libre's refusal of anonymity and leads to the proposal of a new interpretation of anonymity in Alcoholics Anonymous.