“Drinkers will be rescued by recovered drinkers only.” Vie Libre or the emergence of a working-class movement of former alcoholics (France, 1950s-1980s) – Anatole Le Bras

This article examines the creation and development of the Vie Libre movement of recovered alcoholics, from its founding in 1953 to the early 1980s. Using unpublished archives and the movement’s publications, it shows that the development of Vie Libre was inextricably linked to the emergence of a new therapeutic approach to alcoholism, reclaimed by former alcoholics. It then examines the way in which integration into the group and activism were seen as ways of working towards the cure and social advancement of alcoholics. Finally, it shows that Vie Libre, a working-class and politicised movement, was a unique attempt to give former drinkers an existence as a social group and an active political force. This article thus seeks to contribute to the history of both the French anti-alcohol movement and the mobilisation of patients.