(April 25, 2014 at 9:07 am)sven Wrote: I'd like to begin by saying that I do not believe NA to be a sinister money-grabbing brain-washing cult. There are certainly many disturbed and even dangerous people in NA, but that can't be blamed on NA itself. The NA litterature provides a lot of insight on what its like to be a drug addict, which is based on experience. Also, the therapeutic value of sharing thoughts and feelings with your peers cannot be denied, so long as its done in a constructive way.
My problem with NA/AA is that it does not provide the solution/cure to the disease of addiction that it claims to. From what I've seen, it actually works quite poorly. Also, there is no (and probably cannot be) any reliable data on how well NA/AA works. Despite this the twelve step movement likes to blow its own horn and make wild, sometimes even absurd claims about its own effectiveness and membership.
A couple of days ago I met a girl I used to know back when I still went to NA. It struck me how tired, stressed and unhappy she seemed. The thing is that when I was in NA I was like that too, and everyone else it appeared. When I was in it, I stopped noticing. It was the norm. But now, after several years, it hit me hard how miserable she seemed. So I started thinking about NA again...
I'm not even sure I believe that addiction is a disease anymore. (Some drugs are obviously horribly habit-forming, but that is another matter) I have my own thesis about the nature of addiction, but that is mostly speculation at this point.
So let's look at NAs defenition of the 'disease of addiction'. NA claims that addiction is a physical, mental and spiritual disease. The use of the word 'disease' in this context is problematic, since it hints strongly at connections to medical science. The program of NA is not scientific in any way. It is a quasi-religious, quasi-psychological program.
The twelve step program is an attempt to cure this disease of addiction through spirituality. It claims that the addict is free to select whatever belief he or she wishes, but it soon becomes clear that it has to be a god that is very similar to the christian deity. Members are constantly reminded to humble themselves and to follow the tenents of NA without question or forethought. They are often reminded not to 'intellectualize' which is a typical NA misuse of a term. What they mean is that the member isn't supposed to question the program or analyze it. None of this behavior or thinking is required, but it is often repeated that if the member does not act 'correctly' he or she is more or less doomed to relapse.
One of the most disturbing things about NA is that the program is seen as infallible by core members. When a newcomer fails repeatedly, it is always because he or she didn't work hard enough, had the wrong attitude, didn't listen, didn't go to enough meetings, and so on and so forth... Ad nauseum. NA and the program is never at fault. I believe this may be because to them, the program and god are in some ways one and the same, and god must be infallible. Also, it is sometimes pointed out by NA 'apostates' that the twelve step program doesn't really change or evolve. It is still almost exactly the same as when it all began. This is very similar to other fradulent 'cures' for various diseases, like homeopathy for example. medical science and psychology are constantly reviewing themselves, moving on, evolving. This does not happen in homeopathy, or NA.
I feel that leaving NA was the best thing I've done in the last 20 years. I went from constantly relapsing and feeling like shit about myself and other people, to becoming a fairly content and very drug free person. I do have a couple of drinks now and again, but not very often. To me it no longer comes as a surprise that some statistics show that people in NA relapse more often than those who do nothing at all about their problem. Except trying to stay clean, that is.
That's right. Nothing at all is better than NA.
I think its a disgrace that society has let itself be tricked by this bogus program. Every year Swedish society wastes countless millions on ineffective twelve-step treatments. I know, since I been to them myself. It's almost comical, how poorly it works. Yet nobody questions it; even many medical professionals and social workers tell people to go to 12-step meetings without any reliable proof whatsoever that it works. I've heard its even worse in the US.
you are an utter asshole.
Take your meds.
until they can fix the brain it is an ok solution. sure it doesn't totally work. But in many cases it buys a person a year or two that they didn't have before.
dump the "addiction" part ... you should try it for the "learn about myself" part.
