Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug Addiction

[John V]

No it isn't. Your study is invalid because it's not a controlled trial, nor is it looking at real data from AA.

The study found for their cohorts that 12 weeks of AA was as effective as CBT - that doesn't surprise me. That's only 12 weeks, and it doesn't count people that drop out of the program, or that are excommunicated from 12-step programs, and I know someone who was excommunicated from a 12-step program.

First, I only quoted a part of the article, as I believe that's the preferred practice here. The study I quoted went on to one-year results. The next study cited in the article looked at 16-year rates:

Other research suggests that AA is quite a bit better than receiving no help. In 2006 psychologist Rudolf H. Moos of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Stanford University and Bernice S. Moos published results from a 16-year study of problem drinkers who had tried to quit on their own or who had sought help from AA, professional therapists or, in some cases, both. Of those who attended at least 27 weeks of AA meetings during the first year, 67 percent were abstinent at the 16-year follow-up, compared with 34 percent of those who did not participate in AA. Of the subjects who got therapy for the same time period, 56 percent were abstinent versus 39 percent of those who did not see a therapist—an indication that seeing a professional is also beneficial.

Second, it's a little odd that you bitch about the validity of a Scientific American article, but also bitch about a single friend who was booted out of a group. As AA doesn't keep records of names much less share them among groups, he was only booted from one group, and can go to others if he chooses. Why was he booted? I've got to think he was disruptive in some way.

AA has been around for 70 years and has never been updated. CBT has been around maybe 20 years and is constantly being updated. CBT can be delivered in group settings or individually - and when done by a qualified psychologist the individual treatment plan is designed specifically for that patient, unlike AA which is the same for everyone. In fact, they also design group CBT for specific groups of people as well, e.g. people with a particular mental illness, or other associated issue.

If noting else, AA is outdated because it has never been improved upon.

If it ain't broke...

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Right so it's probably true for anorexia nervosa, it's certainly true for gambling disorder, thus it's quite likely to also be true for alcoholism.

Sorry, but that conclusion isn't supported.

Again, I find it odd that you complain about methodology in opposing studies, but you feel free to make unwarranted leaps from one condition to another yourself, or to cite anecdotes (your one friend who was booted oout).