Changes in Levels of Ego Strength and Spirituality of Recovering Alcoholics in AA.

This study examined the levels of ego strength and the claims of having a spiritual experience in 100 recovering alcoholics from Alcoholics Anonymous groups located in South Louisiana. The study found that greater lengths of sobriety were associated with higher ego strength scores on the following scales: Hope, Purpose, Competence, Fidelity, Care, and Wisdom. Additional findings included greater number of times in treatment was associated with higher scores on the Will, Purpose, and Fidelity scales. In addition, spirituality appeared to he involved in staying sober. Specifically, those claiming to have had multiple spiritual experiences had longer sobriety than those who had just one type of spiritual experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]