Comments on: Meth Addict’s Problem with Rehab (Hint: God is Involved)

By: pansies4me

pansies4me — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:25:20 +0000

Jenni,

There are three secular recovery programs that I know of. One is based on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (developed by the late Albert Ellis) and is called SMART Recovery http://www.smartrecovery.org

Another one is called LifeRing Secular Recovery http://www.unhooked.com

The last is called Secular Organization for Sobriety (SOS) http://www.secular sobriety.org

I hope this information is useful. Best wishes to you and your sister.

Lisa

By: Jonathan Blake

Jonathan Blake — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:36:27 +0000

There is good evidence that 12 step programs don't improve recovery rates. It may not even have the placebo effect that you suggested.

By: robin

robin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:22:50 +0000

Do we have good evidence it doesn’t – or more aptly, is less successful than anything else? No program or cure works for everyone. In fact across all strategies for overcoming addiction, if I recall correctly, the stats are very poor.

If this is something that works for some people, then frankly the additional risks of adopting the (extremely common) problem of the God-crutch seem acceptable.

I don’t think we should dismiss a cure as ‘not good enough’ just because it comes from sugar pills.

By: Jonathan Blake

Jonathan Blake — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:28:04 +0000

robin,

I hear what you’re saying about a drug addict being worse off than delusional Christian, but do we have good evidence that a belief in God improves the chances of overcoming addiction? If not, then using God as a crutch might only be adding another problem to the existing one.

By: robin

robin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:59:05 +0000

My brother has struggled with drugs and, quite frankly, if we could choose between him being a crazy Christian or an addict, I’ll take crazy Christian every time.

Some people, for some reason, need a crutch. The church of the perfect parent is, IMHO, a superior delusion than the soft lens of a drug invoked haze. I agree that for those non-believers, having God shoved down their throat when they are trying to kick a habit is BS. But I suspect that God is, for many, a suitable placebo when harder drugs have seriously messed them up.

By: The Reverend

The Reverend — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:54:33 +0000

I had called AA’s home office looking for programs geared towards agnostics/atheists and found myself being ‘witnessed’ to by a counselor. Needless to say, I don’t talk to them any more.

I am currently working on organizing a support group for alcoholics and addicts without the ‘higher power’ hoopla. If anyone has any information about non-religious programs, please let me know.

Thank you.

By: Jenni

Jenni — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:16:01 +0000

I am having this problem right now. My little sister is a cocaine addict and I have been trying to get her help. Every program I have asked them specifically if it is based, like AA, on giving yourself to a “god” or higher power. Every one of them is based on it. I can’t find ONE that seems like a good program to get her involved in. We’re both recovering Catholics…we have been atheists for quite some time now and I don’t like the idea of her being taken advantage of at a time when she is so vulnerable and needs help. I wish someone would start a good program that is science and medically based and not this fairy tale. How is she going to learn to live in the real world when they’re teaching her fairy tales?

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:13:15 +0000

My girlfriend has been involved with NA in the Austin area for 14 years, and I’ve gone to a few of the meetings. Though I was leery of the idea of the godtalk I expected to hear, I haven’t seen a lot of push about any particular god. The people I’ve heard from reference “your higher power”, and acknowledge that the phrase could refer to a christian deity, non-christian deity, reverence for nature or for your fellow man.

Overall, my experience with these people has been positive. My atheism has been a non-issue.

By: BowserTheCat

BowserTheCat — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:59:56 +0000

This comes up now and then and I have always found it odd. Perhaps it’s a question of where one sobers up. I was raised an atheist and have always considered myself one (although I did flirt with agnosticism for a while). In any case I’m also a recovering alcoholic. I went though rehab in New Orleans back in the 80’s and was involved in AA for almost 10 years. In all that time I certainly heard talk of various deities but no one ever pushed one on me or had a problem with my atheism.

Perhaps is was the areas (New Orleans and later White Plains New York) but none of the groups seemed particularly concerned with what you believed other than believing that booze was more powerful than you were.

Addiction is nasty, I had liver damage at age 28! But with the help of AA (no deities involved before during or after) I am still sober.

By: Jonathan Blake

Jonathan Blake — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:44:31 +0000

Godtalk (is that kind of like doublespeak?) in AA and other rehab programs would be more palatable if twelve step programs actually worked, but they don't. AA and similar programs have become cults with their own dogmas and fanatical adherents.