‘If you were to try and understand 12-step culture just by looking at what was written in the 1930s, you’re not going to really understand what 12-step culture is,’ says ethnographer Wendy Dossett.

According to recent estimates, over two million people are currently in recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) worldwide. This includes about 1.5 million people in the U.S. and over 500,000 people ...