That’s right – judges may no longer legally send you, or anyone else, to AA. Unhappily, a lot of judges, along with lawyers, haven’t gotten the message, or even more commonly, judges continue to order people to AA unless you object.
Please note, all of these courts have ruled that Alcoholics Anonymous is a religion or engages in religious activities:
According to presenters at the “New Perspectives” conference on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, this past fall, at least 85% of all clients seeking help with alcohol abuse are being misdiagnosed, and mistreated at virtually all of the treatment programs across Canada, the U.S., and Australia. How is this possible?
The problem is that 97% of these “programs” are based on the discredited AA/12-Step “disease” model which doesn’t differentiate between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. This failure to accurately assess is then compounded by program staff that are, at best, poorly trained, and usually mis-trained.
Did you know that the real research has shown that many “alcoholics” actually return to moderate drinking every year? If you think about your own friends and acquaintances you’ll probably remember any number of them who went through periods of alcohol and drug abuse, but who got over it.
You’re not alone in your impressions. For decades the research, both formal studies and informal observations, has shown that some alcoholics can return to moderate or controlled drinking, and that many do.
Imagine yourself at a center for dealing with alcohol abuse. And imagine – really imagine if you can – that the week is wonderfully inspiring. Imagine that the week is filled with laughter, joy and lots of humor. Imagine feeling pampered, perhaps as if you where at a California health spa or golf course. And imagine that you tackle some very good “hard work” with the active engagement of tremendously dedicated and experienced coaches – but that ninety-five percent of the week is NOT on the topic of alcohol or alcohol abuse! On top of all that, imagine that a confident pathway is designed, creating a life filled with health-generating practices and pleasures that make excessive drinking irrelevant and simply not needed.
Although addiction and alcoholism treatment research has advanced tremendously since Alcoholics anonymous was founded in 1935, many people do not know that equally effective alternatives to 12-step programs exist-nor do they know how to find them. In popular culture, AA is often portrayed as the only way.
Worse, while reality TV spotlights tough family “interventions” as a way of getting people to enter treatment and often shows rehab as a “boot camp” or exercise in humiliation, research finds that both these approaches have significant risks, and other less risky tactics have equivalent or superior benefits.
So, how can you find evidence-based addiction and alcoholism treatment for yourself or a loved one instead of-or as an addition to-12-step approaches? Here are five “dos” and five “don’ts” that can guide you to the best treatment.
Your first decision will be based on how you decide to view yourself and your relationship with alcohol. 95% of all U.S. treatment programs follow the AA/12-Step, so-called “Minnesota Model.” The first “Step” is admitting you are powerless over alcohol. Believing this is also the #1 predictor of relapse.
You will also be signing up for maintaining alcohol as the primary focus for the rest of your life, attending meeting forever, and having a 95% chance of relapsing.
A very long time ago I heard a story about a man who searched the world over for someone who could tell him the meaning of life. At long last he found himself, starving and freezing, at a cave entrance high in the Himalayas facing a renowned Wiseman
“Please,” he gasped, “tell me the meaning of life.”
The man looked at him. “Doing stuff,” he said. Then, taking pity on the man’s collapsing face he added, “…as opposed to death, which is not doing stuff.”
I’ve always liked that story (which may say way too much about me) because it also addresses many of our drinking patterns: drinking becomes a way of “not doing stuff” or a substitute for “doing stuff.”
What aren’t you doing? What would you like to do? What do you think is impossible? Or too scary? What don’t you think you deserve?
A colleague recently asked me for my opinion of the applicability of the “disease model” of alcoholism with regard to Native Americans. I knew she asked partly because my adopted children are Inyupik, from alcohol devastated families in northwestern Alaska, but also because I have worked with non-traditional ways of combating alcohol abuse for over twenty years.
After a moment’s thought I gave her the answer that has evolved out of the past forty years of my work, observations, research, discussion, and reflection. First, the repeatedly discredited “disease model” negatively impacts everyone suffering from alcohol abuse – not just Native Americans; and second, “Native American” is also a counter-productive term, one implying that there is only one homogeneous group indigenous to North America. Nothing could be farther from the reality.
We recently returned from a conference on alcohol treatment called “New Perspectives.” The conference, hosted by Edgewood treatment center in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, was, indeed, as advertised. Presenters echoed the same theme: the usual methods of “treating” alcohol abuse and dependence don’t work. While this isn’t news to some of us who’ve looked at the statistics for over twenty years, it is the first time we’ve ever attended a conference that wasn’t hyping the same old failed models. Perhaps being Canadian – a country not quite as enamored with the Minnesota 12-Step Model – helped. Whatever the case, it was a refreshing change.
Call us today at 888-541-6350 - From Alaska, please call 310-541-6350. One of us answers the phones everyday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific time. There is no obligation and no charge. If we don't think our program is right for you, we'll refer you to one that is.
Call (888) 541-6350 - From Alaska, please call 310-541-6350 or email us
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