By Jesse Singal March 17, 2015 In a story in the April issue of The Atlantic that was posted online earlier today, journalist Gabrielle Glaser harshly criticizes Alcoholics Anonymous. AA and similar 12-step programs, she argues, simply don’t offer the benefits they claim to for those struggling with addiction, and they have become entrenched in both our…
by Bill White Radical hope—a radiant vision of new possibilities in the face of personal or collective devastation—is the catalytic ingredient at the heart of personal transformations and successful social movements. Such hope has been spread contagiously by charismatic figures like Handsome Lake, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King,…
Q&A with Hazelden’s Dr. Marvin Seppala on Medication-Assisted Treatment Traditionally many addiction treatment programs have focused only on 12-step programs and avoided medication-assisted treatment, which is the use of medication, along with therapy and other supports, to help address issues related to opioid dependence. Join Together spoke with Marvin D. Seppala, MD, Chief Medical Officer…
By Bill White October 24, 2019 Considerable research has been done on the birth and early evolution of A.A. since Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymousby Harvard-trained historian Ernie Kurtz was published in 1979. Ernie was subsequently encouraged and enthralled by each new historical discovery about A.A. but remained in the final years of his…
By Dr. Gregory Skipper, Medical Director at the Center for Professional RecoveryPOSTED ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 / BY SOBERLINK / IN ADDICTION RECOVERY How do we make recovery not just a possibility, but the expected outcome of addiction treatment This was a question thought leaders sought to answer at a 2013 symposium held at the…
By Nancy WartikJanuary 31, 2020 One day in the fall of 2018, I woke up feeling wrecked. The night before I’d had beers with colleagues and wound up braying loudly to one of them about something she’d confided and what I thought she should do. “I wish I’d never told you this,” she finally blurted,…
Elizabeth A. Wells, Dennis M. Donovan, Suzanne Doyle, Mary A. Hatch-MailetteCounselor Magazine, June 24, 2015 Twelve Step facilitative therapy refers to a structured form of treatment that seeks to increase attendance and involvement with Twelve Step mutual support groups. The common elements of these treatments are introducing individuals to the Twelve Step program and encouraging…
By Chris McDuffie, MA, CADC-!! I believe cultivating spirituality is critical for those in recovery from addiction, and Buddhism and Twelve Step recovery programs are two powerful spiritual pathways to end suffering. I define spirituality as “nondualistic bonding in love”—whatever our spiritual practice may be, secular or otherwise, cultivating love is essential to our physical,…
By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Mar 11, 2020, 8:30am EDTAddiction & Recovery eNews, March 13, 2020 The 12-step approach doesn’t work for everyone, but it can be as effective as other forms of treatment for some people Addiction treatment based on Alcoholics Anonymous works as well as or better than scientifically proven treatments for alcohol addiction, according to…
In N Y Times, Movie, NewsFebruary 18, 2020 This is Ben Affleck, raw and vulnerable, talking extensively for the first time about getting sober (again) and trying to recalibrate his career (again). Affleck, Oscar-winning writer, director of the Oscar-winning “Argo,” better actor than you remember — and, yes, alcoholic, divorcé and proud possessor of a…