Substance abuse treatment and AA

Posted on February 5, 2015 by

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Alcoholics Anonymous
12 Steps of AA

Although Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, has been around since 1935, there is still much confusion surrounding AA, what it is and what it isn’t. One of the main criticisms is that AA is religious and pushes “God” on new members. When talking about AA, you have to distinguish between the AA program and individuals in AA. The AA program is clearly explained in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, called the Big Book, and the smaller 12 Step book which goes into more depth regarding the thinking and experience of the founders behind AA’s 12 steps. This is from the AA website:

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.

Ernest Kurtz wrote one of the best histories on AA, and it addresses the “God” controversy. The book is titled “Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous”, and I encourage anyone who wants a good understanding of AA to buy it and read it. AA literature certainly doesn’t shy away from the subject of spirituality and God, but it’s more complex than at first glance. There was controversy from the first 100 members regarding the use of the word “God” in the 12 Steps — some members thought that if AA spoke too often of God it would exclude atheists, agnostics or members of religions other than Christianity who might think an American program of spirituality in the 1935 would be Christian in nature. They settled on the concept of a Higher Power, making it clear that the Higher Power was a personal choice — even the principles of the program, if that’s what an individual chose.
I encourage all interested in AA to read the literature, especially the history, and attend a few open meetings in which the public is invited to watch and listen. If you attend a meeting in a mid-size to large city, you’ll likely find that AA is diverse and open-minded, and endlessly interesting.
Regarding substance abuse treatment and AA, many treatment centers have adopted the 12 Steps as part of their treatment, and almost all addiction and substance abuse professionals refer clients to AA, or some other 12 Step program that grew out of AA, for ongoing support and growth in recovery.

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