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Are you saying that there are no statistics that back up AA as effective? I am pretty skeptical of a claim like that.

by pfisch 8y ago

simple_phrases 8y ago
Efficacy rates are low, but so is almost every other intervention available. It works for some people. It's also completely free, which you can't say about medical intervention. Around here, detox and rehab facilities have 6 month long waiting lists and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
- pfisch 8y ago
  Are you saying rehab facilities also don't work compared to a control group? I am skeptical about that too. I'd be surprised if both rehab and AA don't have a statistically significant effect on addiction treatment.
  - simple_phrases 8y ago
    No. People tend to expect that rehab will cure addiction, and become disillusioned with the reality that addiction is a chronic illness. Relapse rates are high in chronic illnesses, like diabetes and hypertension, the latter having a relapse rate of 50%-75% according to the NIH. Addiction is no different, and its relapse rates are between 40%-60%, even with ongoing treatment. Efficacy rates will reflect this harsh (and often very expensive or deadly) truth.
cc-d 8y ago
The success rate of AA is somewhere around 5-10%. Perfectly accurate stats are hard to acquire due to the nature of the disease of addiction, and the programs themselves intentionally do not track efficacy rate (after all, a program based on religious ideology instead of actual evidence has hilariously become the defacto prescription for drug addiction in the american legal system. Why ruin a good thing?). You would achieve a similar efficacy rate by giving addicts a sugar pill and telling them it was a miracle drug that cures addiction. Also instead of taking the time to write out multiple comments expressing your doubt as to the efficacy of AA, you could've found the information you needed in a single google search.
- ux-app 8y ago
  So what's the solution?

Are you saying that there are no statistics that back up AA as effective? I am pretty skeptical of a claim like that.

by pfisch 8y ago

Are you saying that there are no statistics that back up AA as effective? I am pretty skeptical of a claim like that.

Efficacy rates are low, but so is almost every other intervention available. It works for some people. It's also completely free, which you can't say about medical intervention. Around here, detox and rehab facilities have 6 month long waiting lists and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

pfisch 8y ago
Are you saying rehab facilities also don't work compared to a control group? I am skeptical about that too. I'd be surprised if both rehab and AA don't have a statistically significant effect on addiction treatment.
- simple_phrases 8y ago
  No. People tend to expect that rehab will cure addiction, and become disillusioned with the reality that addiction is a chronic illness. Relapse rates are high in chronic illnesses, like diabetes and hypertension, the latter having a relapse rate of 50%-75% according to the NIH. Addiction is no different, and its relapse rates are between 40%-60%, even with ongoing treatment. Efficacy rates will reflect this harsh (and often very expensive or deadly) truth.

cc-d 8y ago

The success rate of AA is somewhere around 5-10%. Perfectly accurate stats are hard to acquire due to the nature of the disease of addiction, and the programs themselves intentionally do not track efficacy rate (after all, a program based on religious ideology instead of actual evidence has hilariously become the defacto prescription for drug addiction in the american legal system. Why ruin a good thing?). You would achieve a similar efficacy rate by giving addicts a sugar pill and telling them it was a miracle drug that cures addiction. Also instead of taking the time to write out multiple comments expressing your doubt as to the efficacy of AA, you could've found the information you needed in a single google search.

ux-app 8y ago
So what's the solution?