Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug Addiction

[Lao Shizi]

[quote='smithers' pid='780336' dateline='1414071969']I do not disagree with that. I am simply saying that atheist or theist, many people HAVE found some merit in AA. It seems to have some merit to me. With that being said I agree that it is a deeply flawed program. Really the only parts of AA I agree with are the 'fellowship,' aka building a support group, and helping other addicts, doing the right thing, etc. Having people who share the same problem with you to talk about that problem is therapeutic and doing the right thing or helping other people will make you feel better about yourself which may possibly keep you from wanting to destroy yourself further.

Other than that I feel confident making the generalization that mostly everything else they claim is complete bullshit.

I think what you're saying is that there is some aspects to the 12-step program that some AA members find helpful in staying sober. This is obviously true or there wouldn't be anyone who'd say AA worked for them.

But as I said before, it's approach as a "disease" rather than an "addiction" can well be called into question.

Also group therapy is not always the best. Did you know that anorexics for instance usually face group-based intervention programs; but some researchers are finding that individual in-home (i.e. not institutional) therapy is more effective in treating the disorder. And it is a recognised disease.
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The American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Medical Association both maintain extensive policy regarding alcoholism. The American Psychiatric Association recognizes the existence of "alcoholism" as the equivalent of alcohol dependence. The American Hospital Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American College of Physicians classify "alcoholism" as a disease.
In the US, the National Institutes of Health has a specific institute, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), concerned with the support and conduct of biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States. The official NIAAA position is that "alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle