PEER SUPPORT / 12 STEP PROGRAMS
Depending on the depth of an individual’s addiction and, to some extent, the addict’s own motivation for recovery, participation in a treatment program may not be necessary.
We say this with some reservation, knowing that an addict might seize upon this statement as an excuse to avoid seeking professional help. Perhaps it would help to clarify:
First, we are not advocating that an addict get no treatment of any kind. We are merely suggesting that some drug users can achieve abstinence without going through a traditional inpatient treatment program. For these individuals, peer support may be the ideal course of action.
The addict’s “depth of addiction” is significant, given that the majority of drug abusers are physically dependent on their drug of choice. Without professional help, an abrupt cessation of drug use could have serious—potentially lethal—consequences. Addicts in that category need professional medically supervised detoxification. Individuals who abuse drugs only occasionally may be no less addicted, although the intensity of their addiction may not be as severe as those with a long history of chronic drug use.
The addict’s own “motivation for recovery” is also a factor. One of the benefits of traditional treatment is that the addict is in a supervised environment where, even if he or she wanted to use, drugs are not readily available. Also, patients in traditional treatment are constantly surrounded by others who share the motivation to recover; therefore the concept of “strength in numbers” comes into play.
There are other factors that may influence whether a particular addict is able to participate in traditional treatment—cost being just one among many. In these circumstances, there are literally thousands of support groups that can provide help without cost for someone wanting to deal with his or her addiction.
The “gold standard” for peer support is the 12 Step program, originally developed in the 1930s by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since then, it has been responsible for helping millions of alcoholics—many considered “hopeless” cases—to achieve life-long sobriety.
Because the Steps have been so successful in helping alcoholics stop drinking, other groups have adapted the Steps to address different addictive behaviors. Among them, Narcotics Anonymous is the most well established, with chapters in cities across the U.S. Additional information can be obtained by calling our counselors at (800) 344-8794.
At the core of the Steps is a simple-to-follow plan to change behaviors that feed the addictive personality. These Steps were developed by collecting the wisdom and experience of the earliest sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Steps are, according to A.A. itself, only a suggested program of recovery.
Some addicts take a dim view of 12 Steps programs, based on references to a “Higher Power.” They feel an aversion to anything religious, and refuse to participate in a program that includes a spiritual component. This concern over God in the Steps stretches back to the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous itself; in fact, the “Big Book” of A.A. includes a chapter specifically addressed to agnostics.
This is why the program avoids focusing on any one religion’s concept of God, choosing instead to refer to “a power greater than ourselves.” As a result, hundreds of thousands of agnostics and atheists have successfully recovered by following the program laid out in the 12 Steps, along with millions of others from virtually every faith background.