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The language of AA and other programs like them have failure as a built-in premise of attendance. Just by insisting on abstinence assumes that failure is the on

The language of AA and other programs like them have failure as a built-in premise of attendance. Just by insisting on abstinence assumes that failure is the only possible outcome of non-abstinence, however moderated or controlled that non-abstinence is. First and foremost obviously one has to clear themselves of physical addiction, which in most cases should be done with professional medical guidance. Afterwards comes the psychological compulsion to use. For me the best thing was to think rationally about the decision to use, and whether it was going to give me the benefit I sought. In most cases, having a drink doesn't help with the situations in which I wanted it, except for very short-term (hour or two); clearly not a long term solution to problems like anxiety, social awkwardness, depression. I think rational positive thinking like this can be made habitual with practice. Having group support from something like A.A can be beneficial in the early days of this process. The issue with abstinence based programs is that they don't treat the underlying cause of the problem. Their focus is purely on a singular behavior which the problem led to. People in them are terrified of a single drink because it represents failure, but they don't identify what that single drink really means to them psychologically and how to address that problem in a rational way. I know people who have benefited from AA, but their attitudes generally seem to be "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." They take out the positives and ignore the negatives. There are alternatives to A.A. however, for example SMART: http://www.smartrecovery.org/ http://www.smartrecovery.org/

paulwithap 12y ago
The entire point of AA is not to focus on the singular behavior of problem drinking, but instead to produce a complete psychic change. The central theme of the "Big Book" is that simply removing the alcohol from an alcoholic is not enough. The alcoholic must instead completely change their way of living and interacting with others. The program is designed to address the root cause of many specific issues the founders saw to be common among alcoholics. Furthermore, it is highly encouraged to seek outside help (psychiatrists, therapists, etc.) if needed.
- silentvoice 12y ago
  I've had this discussion before and it usually boils down to someone having a non-traditional view of the 12 steps. I read them at face value: Admitting one has no control over an addiction and relying on a higher power to address it is incompatible with my view of finding the underlying cause. Whether what you say is official canon or not doesn't seem to matter to the reality of how it's managed at the group level. There seems to be for example a very wide variation in how people interpret the "12 steps," particularly amongst atheists or agnostics. I am glad that medical assistance is encouraged at the very least.
  - randomflavor 12y ago
    The idea of a higher power is simply faith that life is good. many addicts have an auto response to everything in life as being shit, and this warps perception. Most non faith based people actually are quite faith based in that they believe things will work out well when they put their energy into it. That is faith. Many addicts do not have that innate understanding. The 12 steps is just a set of skills to obtain that world view.
    - dobbsbob 12y ago
      The idea of a higher power is a deity and nothing else. AA spells this out further with 6 more steps that specifically refer to said deity. They encourage a group confessional and penance to be absolved of your behaviour or crimes while wasted. Abstinence is the only solution because religions do not tolerate anything else. For some people belief in superstition will help them get off the booze/drugs for others it won't work. Detox supervised by medical staff and a regular visit to a shrink to help you with impulse control is all that is needed. Unfortunately this costs money which many addicts don't have so they are stuck with AA who are unable to assess their program failure rate because it would be admitting that God has failed.
    - voxic11 12y ago
      Sorry what? Have you read the 12 steps? The explictly refer to "God" and explain "his" role in "remove[ing] all these defects of character." How is that at all ambiguous?

paulwithap 12y ago

The entire point of AA is not to focus on the singular behavior of problem drinking, but instead to produce a complete psychic change. The central theme of the "Big Book" is that simply removing the alcohol from an alcoholic is not enough. The alcoholic must instead completely change their way of living and interacting with others. The program is designed to address the root cause of many specific issues the founders saw to be common among alcoholics. Furthermore, it is highly encouraged to seek outside help (psychiatrists, therapists, etc.) if needed.

silentvoice 12y ago
I've had this discussion before and it usually boils down to someone having a non-traditional view of the 12 steps. I read them at face value: Admitting one has no control over an addiction and relying on a higher power to address it is incompatible with my view of finding the underlying cause. Whether what you say is official canon or not doesn't seem to matter to the reality of how it's managed at the group level. There seems to be for example a very wide variation in how people interpret the "12 steps," particularly amongst atheists or agnostics. I am glad that medical assistance is encouraged at the very least.
- randomflavor 12y ago
  The idea of a higher power is simply faith that life is good. many addicts have an auto response to everything in life as being shit, and this warps perception. Most non faith based people actually are quite faith based in that they believe things will work out well when they put their energy into it. That is faith. Many addicts do not have that innate understanding. The 12 steps is just a set of skills to obtain that world view.
  - dobbsbob 12y ago
    The idea of a higher power is a deity and nothing else. AA spells this out further with 6 more steps that specifically refer to said deity. They encourage a group confessional and penance to be absolved of your behaviour or crimes while wasted. Abstinence is the only solution because religions do not tolerate anything else. For some people belief in superstition will help them get off the booze/drugs for others it won't work. Detox supervised by medical staff and a regular visit to a shrink to help you with impulse control is all that is needed. Unfortunately this costs money which many addicts don't have so they are stuck with AA who are unable to assess their program failure rate because it would be admitting that God has failed.
  - voxic11 12y ago
    Sorry what? Have you read the 12 steps? The explictly refer to "God" and explain "his" role in "remove[ing] all these defects of character." How is that at all ambiguous?