Преживяване на алкохолизма в групите на Анонимните алкохолици: Стигма и медикализация в България
Experiencing Alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous Groups: Stigma and Medicalization in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the relationship between medicalization and stigma in the context of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups in Bulgaria. Drawing on qualitative interviews with AA members, the study examines how alcoholism is interpreted and experienced at the intersection of medical, social, and personal understandings of the condition. The analysis focuses on the dynamics of self-stigma and public stigma and on the ways individuals manage their stigmatized identity in everyday interactions. Special attention is given to the role of anonymity and collective identification within AA. The findings suggest that AA functions as a protective social space that enables members to reinterpret alcoholism as a disease, while simultaneously reinforcing certain boundaries between the community and the broader society. In this sense, the interaction between medicalization and stigma produces ambivalent effects, contributing both to the reduction and the reproduction of stigma.

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