The 14th SCRA Biennial Conference, June 26-29, 2013 at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida

Danshu-d [The Way of Abstinence]:

Reincorporating spiritualism into a Japanese self-help organization for alcoholics

Tomofumi Oka, PhD, Sophia University, Tokyo Richard Chenhall, PhD, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
Introduction Methods
In this study, we employed ethnographic methods. Since the end of 2006, we made participant observations of regular local meetings and nationwide and regionwide meetings, and conducted conversational and semi-structured interviews with their leaders, members, and the families of the members (Chenhall & Oka, 2009; Oka, 2011). We also examined documents included in newsletters and booklets published by the national headquarters and several local groups. We repeatedly ensured that our findings were member validated by asking the leaders and members to examine our hypothesis.

Dan

Eradicating Liquor

Shu

D
Way

In Japan, there is a nationwide self-help organization for alcoholics called Danshukai [abstinence group], which was established over half a century ago. This organization comprises approximately nine thousand members all over Japanalmost double the number of Alcoholics Anonymous members in Japan. Their ideology substantially differs from that of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), although it had been influenced by AA. The purpose of this paper is to describe their conceptual development in their history and a cultural-spiritual model of alcohol abstinence, the Way of Abstinence, that is part of Danshukais recovery discourse.

Japan Temperance Union

Japanese culture Zen Buddhism

Changes in Society
Complicated problems of alcoholics

Findings and discussion

Danshukai was started after the model of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the 1950s. Up until the 1970s in Japan, there were very few medical services available to alcoholics, and Danshukai was effectively the sole resource for those who suffered from alcoholism. In the 1980s and the 1990s, more medical professionals became interested in alcoholism, and with their help Danshukai members learnt to view their addiction through a medical lens. Consequently, the organizations members began to consider themselves as medically ill. While AA had a spiritualist component that resisted the influence of medicalization, Danshukai eschewed spiritualism, seeing it as a foreign, Christian concept. Its understanding of recovery became purely medical in nature, which has led to the view that alcoholics can be cured without the accompanying transformation of selfhood. Danshukai has consequently lost some of its influence as a social movement. However, in the 21st century some Danshukai leaders have realized the limitations of the medical model. New members from the younger generations often have various personal difficulties in addition to alcoholism, and therefore do not fit the medical recovery model. Our suggestion is that Danshukai should reincorporate traditional Japanese spiritualism into their concept of recovery, specifically Danshu-do (The Way of Abstinence), which is greatly influenced by Zen Buddhism.

Danshukai

Danshu-d

Alcoholics Anonymous Christian culture Mecial concepts Pop psychology

Medicalization of alcoholism

References
Chenhall, R. D., & Oka, T. (2009). An initial view of self-help groups for Japanese alcoholics: Danshukai in its historical, social, and cultural contexts. International Journal of Self-Help and Self Care, 5(2), 111 - 152 Christensen, P. (2010). Struggles with sobriety: Alcoholics Anonymous membership in Japan. Ethnology, 49(1), 45-60. Davey, H. E. (2007). The Japanese way of the artist : Three complete works on the classic tradition. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. Oka, T. (2013). Danshu-no-michi, The Way of Abstinence: Japanese cultural-spiritual model of alcohol abstinence developed by alcoholics self-help groups. Sophia University Studies in Social Services, 37, 5-30.

Acknowlegements
This research was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) # 23530756 from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. We would like to acknowledge and give thanks to Zendanren and Danshukai members for their cooperation in our research. Correspondence concerning this poster should be addressed to Tomofumi Oka. Email: t-oka@sophia.ac.jp