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Alcoholism : Medicalization By The Masses In Post-Prohibition America, Stephen Raymond Patnode

Theses

The medicalization of America is typically presented as a top-down, doctor-driven phenomenon. I argue that in the case of alcoholism, this model leaves out the community-level social activism of individuals who were identifying themselves as members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Any description of the popularization of the disease concept of alcoholism that does not take into account the efforts of these individuals is missing a key element. My thesis attempts to incorporate these individuals into the historical narrative.

If we are to focus on the efforts of Alcoholics Anonymous in framing alcoholism as a disease, the 1930s represent a crucial turning …