Are some people truly better off believing?

[vorlon13]

I've been sitting in meetings since '86. I've seen more fuck ups than I care to think about. The original positing of the well worn phrase, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" as far as I know came straight from the 12 Step world. It refers specifically to the endless attempts by problem drinkers to at last be able to enjoy and control their alcohol consumption with their friends as their friends are able to do, and not wake up glued to the floor with their own dried vomit 2 days later when they fail at that controlling attempt yet again.

And there are many folks that manage sufficient internal intestinal fortitude to beat addiction without going to 12 Steppers, I have encountered several over the years and am glad they figured something out on their. There is an alternative to 12 Steppers, Rational Recovery. While I applaud their work, and I've been to their meetings back when they had them, they've never had the wider acceptance they deserve. Folks that have no affiliation to any group do exist. I see a spectrum of results, from high functioning, happy sober people, to miserable sons of bitches, sober, but hating every second of it.

There are also 'in house' 12 Stepper programs affiliated with specific religions, I think there was a specifically Lutheran group back where I lived in Illinois. In those groups, obviously, the Higher Power will be deemed to be the same as what everyone is coming to church for at 10AM on Sundays.