On Apr 13, 2005, at 9:21 AM, Nick Arnett wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:59:15 +0100, William T Goodall wrote
I think there is room for a twelve-step theology that weans people off religion and helps them fend off its malign and pernicious influence thereafter.
That would be, um, difficult, since 12-step programs are spiritual in nature.
Often, yeah. "Higher Power" and all that. IIRC the AA programs end with "The Lord's Prayer" too.
For many, I suspect, a big part of such a program is the replacement of bad
theology with better, if not good, theology.
Or, well, bad addiction with a more benevolent one, at least theoretically.
The trouble I have with 12-step programs is twofold. (Minette's Disclaimer: What follows is OPINION. Though I might make declarations that read as absolute facts, it is to be understood that they are nothing but my own thoughts on the subject and may or may not be valid from anyone else's perspective.)
1. The "Admit you are powerless" clause, particularly in conjunction with the "Higher Power" idea.
I never particularly cared for that, because -- and it wasn't until years later that I got the experience necessary to articulate this objection fully -- addiction to *any* substance, even the physically addictive ones, is at least partly a decision or choice, one made by the individual dealing with the addiction.
Thing is that the booze, nicotine, cocaine or whatever does *not* force itself upon you. It's not volitional, it's not an Act of God (?) nor is it a force of nature. Ultimately, then, one's reaction -- one's addiction -- to such substances must be rooted in *oneself*.
Therefore in saying that you're powerless over [substance], you're basically saying that you don't take responsibility for your actions. I have a serious ethical objection to that assessment.
As for the "Higher Power" doctrine. Well, I'm an atheist. ;) But looked at from the perspective of the "powerless" objection, I think you can maybe see an extension.
That is, just as [substance] really has no power over you -- it's power you grant it, and power you can choose to retract any time -- the "Higher Power", being another internal construct, is functionally identical to [substance].
So in essence one aspect of yourself (Higher Power) is being used to control your response to another aspect of yourself (reaction to [substance]). It's more efficient, I think, to eliminate both middle states and simply say "I'm not going to react to [substance] in the way I used to; I have control, I take responsibility, and the Higher Power can get stuffed."
;)
2. Many times it seems to me that 12-step programs really substitute one addiction (to [substance]) for another (to the program).
This doesn't really solve the problem. It doesn't strike at the root, the source of the addiction. It simply replaces one behavior with another behavior, but offers no guarantees that backsliding won't happen.
To eliminate addiction, one must fundamentally alter oneself and one's responses to the world, not just to [substance], and I'm uncertain that any 12-step program provides the necessary tools to accomplish that fundamental transformation.
-- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf
_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
