Over the last 25 years I have been in and watched others participate in 12 step programs as a viable way to solve issues surrounding addiction. Ultimately, I have seen the programs fail to address the core mental issues that caused all of us to run away from situations we were incapable of handling. Instead, I have seen the majority of people that have entered into 12 step programs become addicted to the program and use it as another mechanism to avoid responsibility to healthy, lifelong recovery from their mental maladies. This action stems from a belief that not doing the addiction action(s) is the answer to the problem; it is not. Quitting the habit does little to build a basis for creating powerful coping mechanisms to adverse past, present, and potential future mental trauma and it is never the be all end all solution to a better life—which it is touted as. According to Rehab International’s website (2011) 12 step programs, while being available “worldwide” are highly ineffectual in the treatment of alcoholism or addiction of any kind.
Malibu Horizon, a proactive center for addiction recovery, emphasizes addressing the person and not the symptoms as a healthy path to a better life (Malibu Horizons, 2011). Though I did not attend their facility, they emphasize and practice the methods that helped me change my life. They are broken down into four simple steps which look like this:
1. Be honest. This is the hardest part for anyone that uses addiction as a coping mechanism. The longer we are trying to cope and appear normal, the harder it is for us to be honest because every day we become better liars as we hide behind a façade of normalcy. Through honesty about what we cannot cope with, we are able to see that we can learn to deal with the issues that have plagued us.
2. Truly want to be healthy. This is a hard step because it requires honest change in most major areas of our lives. Change is terrifying and it is what causes so many of us addicts to not complete recovery or to only accept the good parts of it, and shun the hard ones. Many addicts choose to stay sick because they know what to expect from their actions and those of the people around them if they stay sick. Being healthy means that for a while—possibly the rest of our lives—we will not know what to expect from life with any certainty. This is a great thing though, as that now life becomes a welcome challenge as opposed to an adversary that is holding us down.
3. Future goals. There has to be a plan for what to do after we quit the addiction and realistic goals set for our future. This also encompasses the belief that we will be healthy and that there is a life that does not go in circles but instead runs in a linear fashion.
4. Blend therapeutic modalities. Be in one-on-one counseling, add in small groups, participate in large groups, and finally find peer mentorship from someone that has truly practiced and lives a changed life. Together, these therapies, when blended assist in a healthy reintegration with life and people.
For me, and many others like me that I know, this is the path that makes sense as a road to recovery from our mental quandaries—though this is most likely not the only path. Going through this process is difficult but on the other side there is less fear and much more optimism to be had. Honesty, a desire to be healthy, setting realistic goals, and mixing therapy styles, has guided us to balance in our lives. This is something that not one person out of thousands I have known has been able to honestly say about a 12 step program or about their individual lives.
Sources
Malibu Horizon (2011). Non 12 step recovery rehab program. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from http://www.malibuhorizon.com/non-12-step-program.aspx
Rehab International (2011). Addiction, treatment, and alcoholism. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from http://rehab-international.org/alcoholism
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