IN CHAPTER 6, I argued that Jelli-
nek's phase model of alcoholism and the A.A. model of alcoholism
are one and the same and that they are constructions or reifications
of A.A. values. Chapter 7 criticized the medical or disease model of
alcoholism and developed a relativistic interactionist definition of
alcoholism. In this chapter, I will again rely on members' accounts
to draw out some final themes from Mideastern City A.A. Addition-
ally, I will integrate some of the broader sociological literature on
problem drinking and alcoholism ¹ with the views of A.A. members.

Alcoholism as a term attached to some persons by others or by
themselves and as a theoretical construct in the sociological literature
is the product of reality construction. Depending upon a group's
value system, ² definitions regarding alcohol use, both normal and
deviant, are developed and utilized to make sense out of the world.
Some groups and societies have constructed alcoholism definitions
and meanings for some types of drinking behavior while others have
not ( Bunzel, 1940; MacAndrew and Edgerton, 1969; Heath, 1981).

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