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Reconsideration of a 1966 theory about the interplay between predisposed personalities and drinking groups in the genesis of alcoholism is presented. Observations about both sets of variables have been sustained and reinforced during the intervening years, and a new conceptualization of the nature of drinking groups is offered. The emergent perspective fits closely with differential association theory, and is then applied to job-based alcoholism programs to demonstrate the applicability of the perspective in the reversal of alcoholic behavior.

The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous has successfully restored some 200,000 compulsive alcoholics to sobriety. Thousands more have tried to affiliate with A.A. but have failed. The movement, however, has spread through out the world and is still growing. Changes in the self-conception of members constitute the main therapeutic effect. Possession of an ability to adjust to the casual, informal group life of the fellowship characterizes those alcoholics who affiliate with A.A. in contrast with those who do not. Alcoholics Anonymous demonstrates the effectiveness of group processes in altering individual behavior. As such it indicates a technique for the treatment of degenerative diseases in general. Its success has renewed our realization that man is more than physiol ogy, that his ills can often be reduced by his involvement in face-to-face thera peutic groups.

The early history of job-based alcoholism programs can be traced to efforts to eliminate alcohol from the workplace that were prevalent into the early years of the 20th Century, and to subsequent socio-economic factors which mandated a change in long-accepted behaviors and employer policies. Numerous forces, including World War II and its impact on the labor market, led to the need for rehabilitating alcoholics in the work force, a need recognized by a number of sensitive and innovative industrial physicians. Evidence supports the conclusion, however, that without the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the dedication and almost super-human efforts of some of its members in developing and supporting the early programs, few of these programs would have survived. In an attempt to partially describe the events, forces, and individuals which were involved in the formative period of occupational alcoholism programs during the 1940's and 1950's, the authors have collected material from a variety of sources, including many first-hand accounts from persons directly concerned in early program development. It is hoped that this material will promote increasing interest in the history of job-based alcoholism programs and generate further input from sources that can contribute to knowledge about this movement which has had such a strong impact on the progress of alcoholism intervention practices.

We describe changes in the design of job-based alcoholism programs between 1972 and 1980, and discuss the influences of professional organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the National Council on Alcoholism, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Association of Labor-Management Administrators and Consultants on Alcoholism on program models. Interorganizational relations and program evolution are analyzed using a social movements perspective. Job-based programs enjoyed rapid growth, acceptance and institutionalization in the seventies. However, changes in organizational goals, practitioner orientations, and workplace strategies indicate that the modern antialcoholism movement's goals were displaced by those promoting job-based programs during this period.

This study explores the attitudes of aspiring and practicing EAP workers toward twenty EAP job tasks — ten that conform to the EAP core tasks and ten that do not. Implementation of the EAP core and noncore tasks is also examined. Findings suggest that although the EAP core tasks are widely accepted, EAP workers implement, in practice, several noncore tasks as often as some of the core tasks. These data also suggest that assisting workers with substance abuse problems continues to be a central theme in employee assistance practice.

Drug testing is an increasingly popular corporate response to substance using employees. It has, however, some significant shortcomings as a means of identifying and controlling substance use. In this article, the authors describe and discuss drug-testing policies and procedures, and conclude that drug testing became popular in the 1980s largely as a workplace response to broader cultural and governmental concerns, rather than actual increase in the prevalence of substance use. Issues related to the implementation of performance testing as an alternative to drug testing are discussed. Finally, the authors consider the areas of distinction and convergence between drug and performance testing and employee assistance programs.