There’s little I can disagree with in a recent Time article titled Battling Addiction: Are 12 Steps Too Many? 12 step recovery plans are not the only path to sobriety. Cognitive behavioral therapy and other secular psychotherapy treatments are also very viable options. Some drugs have shown promise like naltrexone and even though adding virtually unproven baclofen in the “serious” category is a stretch, there is a whole host of other drugs out there that may prove to be effective as tools in recovery.
It’s what has been left out of the article that I feel is important. 12 step programs for the most part are convenient, numerous, and… free! No prescription needed. No advanced degree therapist necessary. No asking time off for appointments during working hours. And best of all, no money is required. AA, NA, and other 12 step programs have plenty of detractors but no one can deny the fact that they are almost universally available. Sure there might be more effective treatments out there, but it doesn’t really matter if they are not accessible.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Found your website by accident but thoroughly enjoying it. It seems to be a thinking person’s zone, totally cool. I’ve added my Web log on the off chance you would like to share it. Although I’m based in Toronto, I would have thought it would be applicable where ever professional couselling ethics are being abused.
regards, bruce
Another great thing about 12 step programs is that there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to be involved. Some people never work the steps and others never get a sponsor. Some jump right in and zip through the steps right off the bat, and others work them again and again. Some go to meetings just to be reminded they are not alone, nor are they crazy. Others go to share and explore what’s on their minds and in their hearts. As the 12 step meeting closing reads, “…take what you like and leave the rest.”