Ep 112 Does AA Make Drinking Worse?

What if it’s not the booze — but the belief system?

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we dive into Alan Marlatt’s 1973 expectancy experiment, featured in Resisting 12-Step Coercion by Stanton Peele.

This study throws a major wrench in AA’s core claim: the “physical allergy” to alcohol.

🔬 Study findings?

👉 People who thought they were drinking alcohol behaved more "drunk" — even when they weren’t.

👉 Those who were drinking but didn’t know it? No typical "alcoholic" behavior.

So… is it the alcohol or the expectation? Does AA’s ideology create a self-fulfilling prophecy that makes drinking worse?

📍 We’ll break down the study, bust the allergy myth, and explore how belief — not booze — might be the real trigger.

🪩 Get fee tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.