AA Doesn't Work; So Blame the Addicts

It's been a well-kept secret in the recovery community that 12-step programs don't work.  There are always a million excuses why not: teens think they're immortal, some addicts haven't hit bottom, the others aren't holding their mouths just right .... 

It's bullshit, all of it.  Anything and everything that depends on the goodwill of your invisible wizard friend in the sky, from prayer to life after death, is bullshit.  Always has been and always will be.

 

But admitting that means destroying the multi-billion-dollar 12-step industry, and failing addicts just mean more tax dollars for the Great Freakazoid Machine.

Yes, you can recover from addiction.  But it's a lot more likely to be permanent if you depend on medical science, yourself, your friends, your family, your community, your public services and other things that are real.

 

PZ Myers:

Here’s another case of a ‘higher power’ inflating it’s potency: 12 step programs. They don’t work.

There is a large body of evidence now looking at AA success rate, and the success rate of AA is between 5 and 10 percent. Most people don’t seem to know that because it’s not widely publicized. … There are some studies that have claimed to show scientifically that AA is useful. These studies are riddled with scientific errors and they say no more than what we knew to begin with, which is that AA has probably the worst success rate in all of medicine.

It’s not only that AA has a 5 to 10 percent success rate; if it was successful and was neutral the rest of the time, we’d say OK. But it’s harmful to the 90 percent who don’t do well. And it’s harmful for several important reasons. One of them is that everyone believes that AA is the right treatment. AA is never wrong, according to AA. If you fail in AA, it’s you that’s failed.

It’s always the victim’s fault when it comes to faith-based treatments. The very first comment there is a perfect example of religious apologetics.

I’m a recovering addict/alcoholic with over 5 years of continuous sobriety. I attend AA meetings regularly, and I take exception to Dr. Dodes statement, “AA is never wrong, according to AA. If you fail in AA, it’s you that’s failed.” I have never attended a meeting where this sentiment was expressed. The AA Big Book says, “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.”

Exactly. It doesn’t work, the stats show it doesn’t work, but according to AA, it always works, except when it’s the subject’s fault, which is 95% of the time.