The God concept (or High Power as they say) is of considerable utility in the 12 Step orbit. I view it as a necessary fiction, most of the rest take it rather more seriously than that.
Most folks with an addiction problem do better in sobriety if they can credit their (assuming there is some) success to an external agency of any kind. 12 Steppers are extremely broad in what can be considered a "Higher Power", although most of the folks in the trenches subscribe to a fairly conventional Judeo-Christian idea.
The difficulty with addicts is if success is attributed to their own efforts (and in reality that is pretty much all there is) they get the destructive idea that since they are developing some control, then they can resume drugging themselves, invariably to negative effect.
I've found it useful, therefore, at 12 Steppers, to let the newcomers credit anything they want for their success, as long as it isn't themselves, even if it clearly is. It is a matter of life and death, and the necessary fiction of a 'Higher Power' is required in battling addiction.
I don't see much other call for it. But in 12 Steppers, I don't see a viable work around for most cases.
(and I'm not saying atheists can't overcome addictions, but there is going to be that complication of self-knowledge in regards to any successes that accrue, and 12 Stepping is fucking hard enough as it is with the 'crutch' of the Higher Power stuff, grin and bear it, work out the atheist angle when you're years, not days away from active addiction)
Most folks with an addiction problem do better in sobriety if they can credit their (assuming there is some) success to an external agency of any kind. 12 Steppers are extremely broad in what can be considered a "Higher Power", although most of the folks in the trenches subscribe to a fairly conventional Judeo-Christian idea.
The difficulty with addicts is if success is attributed to their own efforts (and in reality that is pretty much all there is) they get the destructive idea that since they are developing some control, then they can resume drugging themselves, invariably to negative effect.
I've found it useful, therefore, at 12 Steppers, to let the newcomers credit anything they want for their success, as long as it isn't themselves, even if it clearly is. It is a matter of life and death, and the necessary fiction of a 'Higher Power' is required in battling addiction.
I don't see much other call for it. But in 12 Steppers, I don't see a viable work around for most cases.
(and I'm not saying atheists can't overcome addictions, but there is going to be that complication of self-knowledge in regards to any successes that accrue, and 12 Stepping is fucking hard enough as it is with the 'crutch' of the Higher Power stuff, grin and bear it, work out the atheist angle when you're years, not days away from active addiction)
