Narrating Recovery

This book invites readers into the moral and communal world of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) by bringing the lived experiences of recoverees into conversation with contemporary theological ethics. Whereas Christian accounts of addiction have often remained abstract or detached from the realities of those they describe, John J. Allen turns deliberately toward the concrete stories that shape recoverees’ moral lives. By adopting qualitative research methods, he seeks not only to analyze but to amplify the voices of a community that is frequently stigmatized and seldom heard within academic theology. Drawing on participant observation, in-depth interviews, and interdisciplinary dialogue with addiction studies, the social sciences, and Christian ethics, this study develops a grounded approach that honours the complexity of recovery as both a moral and relational practice. By learning from the practices of recovery fellowships, the Church can cultivate more compassionate, virtue-forming spaces capable of offering genuine solidarity, belonging, and comfort to those affected by addiction.