Women for Sobriety

Jean Kirkpatrick attended AA meetings for three years and was unable to maintain sobriety. The methods of what is now the "New Life" program of Women for Sobriety empowered Kirkpatrick to quit drinking. Discovered through trial and error, the New Life methods are based largely on the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (particularly his essay, "Self-Reliance") and the Unity Movement of New Thought in addition to Kirkpatrick's personal experience, knowledge of sociology, and experience in AA. In her design, as in AA, WFS encourages the open and hosting sharing but focuses on improving self-esteem and reducing guilt rather than admitting powerlessness. While Kirkpatrick's program stresses spirituality as the "fundamental object of life" the solution to alcoholism is described as being within the mind of the female alcoholic, not requiring a Higher Power. Also like AA, Kirkpatrick's program encourages complete abstinence from alcohol, rather than harm reduction. ==Program==

The program is built on thirteen affirmations encouraging members to change their self-image and world view. Philosophically, these ideas are close to modernity, emphasizing self-control and rationality. As described in WFS literature, the fundamental problem of females with alcohol dependence is low self-esteem, a condition that is culturally reinforced in women more than in men, necessitating a qualitatively different treatment for women. In WFS members focus on responsibility rather than powerlessness, on self-esteem rather than humility and on thinking rather than surrender. Like AA, WFS encourages meditation and spirituality, although sobriety is not viewed as dependent on a Higher Power. To increase self-esteem, WFS encourages positive thinking and discourages negative thinking (a cause of low self-esteem). Affirmations The thirteen affirmations represent six levels of growth in which members accept the physical nature of alcoholism (affirmation one), remove negativity (affirmations two, four and nine), learn to think better of themselves (affirmations five and twelve), change their attitudes (affirmations three, six and eleven), improve their relationships (affirmations seven and ten), and change their life's priorities (affirmations eight and thirteen). Following a five- to ten-minute break, members begin the second part of the meeting. During the second part, members discuss what happened the previous week, each member is given a chance to speak and is encouraged to include at least one positive behavior or event. Discussing previous drinking experiences, "drunkalogs", is discouraged as members are asked to keep their sharing positive. Cross-talk, responding directly to the speaker, is allowed. At the meeting closing members hold hands and recite the WFS motto, "We are capable and competent, caring and compassionate, always willing to help another, bonded together in overcoming our addictions." A telephone list is distributed and members are allowed to call each other throughout the week. If someone has been hospitalized or has returned to drinking, other members will call her to offer their support. Moderators Meetings are run by moderators with at least one year of continuous sobriety who are familiar with the WFS program. Moderators must be certified by WFS headquarters in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. == Demographics ==

During the winter of 1991, Lee Ann Kaskutas conducted a survey of all WFS members, she sent surveys to each active WFS group at the time and achieved 73% response rate. The information in this section is based on her analysis of the survey results. The average WFS member is 46 years old, white, has been sober for 4.5 years, and is married with 1.8 children. About one-third of WFS members are Protestant, another third are Catholic, and about one-fifth do not have a religious affiliation. Two-thirds have attended college and more than half are employed with an average individual income of $23,700 per year (an average household income of $51,800 per year). Half of WFS members have been sober for less than two years and in WFS for a year or less. Although length of time in WFS correlated positively with self-esteem, length of time in AA did not emerge as a significant predictor of self-esteem. Attrition and prevalence WFS and AA have similar drop-out rates of new members; in about four months about half of new WFS members drop out. WFS discourages lifetime membership and reliance on meetings to maintain sobriety. In this way, the size and number of WFS meetings remain static but does not necessarily reflect a decline in the group's popularity. Forming a WFS meeting for some may be prohibitively difficult, in addition to obtaining certification and a year of sobriety, the leader has ongoing responsibility for the meeting. == Effectiveness ==

A 2018 longitudinal study compared the self-reported success of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing Secular Recovery, SMART Recovery, and Alcoholics Anonymous. After normalizing for income and other demographic factors, the study saw that Women for Sobriety was about as effective as Alcoholics Anonymous. == Criticism ==

The thirteen affirmations may be difficult for women to implement in day-to-day living, depending on their situations. For instance, women with limited financial resources may find it difficult to accept that "problems bother her only to the extent she allows them." Depressed women may find it difficult to make enthusiasm a daily exercise, or accept happiness as a habit to develop. Similarly, positive thinking affirmations have been interpreted as asking women to deny their real feelings and inhibiting recovery. The applicability of the affirmations to female alcoholic's lives may limit the appeal of the WFS program. Kirkpatrick has stated the affirmations were derived from observing her thoughts as she felt good enough to stop drinking. The intention of the affirmations is behavior modification, asking WFS members not to dwell on past problems is intended to prevent them from drinking. The purpose is not to deny the past, but not to indulge it as this is likely to cause negative thinking. By practicing affirmations and positive thinking, it is believed WFS members slowly change their habits and their thoughts become reality. ==Literature==

WFS sells several dozen books on their website, and several dozen more booklets, CDs, and related materials and regularly publish a journal Sobering Thoughts. Four books by Kirkpatrick, however, are used principally in the WFS program, the most important of which is Turnabout. • • • • == Further reading ==