This firsthand study of actual case histories "looks at a conversion experience in relation to the life pattern of the alcoholic and sets a pattern of research that can be assimilated into the practice of the Christian ministry." - Wayne E. Oates, on back cover. In interviews with twenty alcoholics, this author asks the questions: What does Christian experience mean to an alcoholic? What are the dynamics of his experience? and, What is the role of the church in the life of the alcoholic? Discussing four categories of conversion, he shows how the individual moves out of his diffused or negative identity into a clear positive identity as a responsible person and a child of God. The author provides a "total man" frame of reference within which to build a model of the alcoholic experience. He points out how the church can effectively fulfill its role of the Christian community in the recovery from alcoholism by providing lay alcohol education and alcoholic rehabilitation. - Back cover.