Alcoholics Anonymous in Iceland: From Marginality to Mainstream Culture

A historical and comparative analysis of the Icelandic AA movement which seeks to explain its particular, and widespread success in Iceland despite formidable obstacles and paradoxical conditions. Not only is anonymity, one of AA's basic organizational principles, impossible in a society as small as Iceland, but the country's strong alcoholism treatment system has required a rethinking of AA's role, a move from being a central dynamic force in getting sober to an interactive supporting force in staying sober. Among the topics discussed in this book are the history, structure and transformation of the movement in Iceland, ad its relations and interactions with other groups, treatment programs and society as a whole.