Post
by SkeptikTank » Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:54 am
Smutek: Regarding AA to be destructive to some:
The Big Book of AA is very clear about that it is about "us", not about everyone. AA is the path for the people whos path is AA. AA, lika ANY strategy to solve problems, become a problems when it is regarded as the only way. Let me modify my statement a bit: I haven't really encontered people where AA as such as been destructive. But I have seen many situations where treatment based on AA has be strongly counterproductive. AA and many of the "12-step programs" based on AA are really not the same. AA does not exclude other ways to deal with problem drinking, but the majority of the 12-steps programs I have seen, does that. Controlled drinking, which is a real posibility for at least 25 percent of problem drinkers, is excluded as a posibillity in most 12-steps programs, but the big book of AA doesn't seem to have a problems. The AA positiion seems to be "if it works for you, great, it didn't work for us, so we can't recomended it, but if it works for you, good luck". The 12-step treatments seem to regard any controlled drinking as "denial". This goes against scientific facts, and is destructive to that small group of people where controlled drinking is a better choice and total abstinice will lead to binge drinking, and thus keep people alcoholic. If you are unlucky you will encounter a 12-step zealot and not the nice, accepting and pragmatic person that most aa-people seem to be. If you encounter 12-step fundamentalism, it is not denial or resistance to walk away, but it might be a better choice to seek out another AA-group before trying controlled drinking. (and btw, most self-help groups are better than most professional programs and psychologists)
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