Narcotics Anonymous: Its History and Culture

by William White, Chris Budnick and Boyd PickardCounselor, April 2011, 12(2), 22-27  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) stands as the benchmark by which all other addiction recovery mutual aid societies are measured due to its longevity, national and international dispersion, size of its membership, adaptation of its program to other problems of living, influence on professionally-directed addiction…

Details

Buddha, Meditation & The 12 Steps

by Kelly O’Rourke Johns I drive through the quaint St. Paul, Minn., neighborhood withhardly a glance at the stately old homes that line the street or the moss-covered buildings of Macalester College. I can feel my chest constrict with stress and my neck stiffen as my thoughts race through several heavy worries—an ill friend, a diabetic uncle, fin- ancial…

Details

The God Problem

Reconciling spirituality and recoveryby Steven Diogo Despite what is presented as a wide view of spirituality in Twelve Step programs—with a focus on developing one’s own concept of a higher power—many still chafe at any mention of God, higher power or any entity that is not grounded in the physical plane. For these people, it is…

Details

How Much Can the Brain Recover from Years of Excessive Alcohol Consumption?

by Richard RidderinkhofProfessor of Neurocognitive Development and AgingUniversity of AmsterdamOctober 8, 2011  Evidence shows that heavy alcohol use modifies the structure and physiology of the brain, although the extent of recovery after years of abstinence is unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed that chronic alcoholism can damage the cerebellum, which plays an important role in…

Details