If addiction is a spiritual problem ,with a proven 12 step solution , why is recovery failing? Why has the AA recovery rate gone down?
The majority of rehabs are TSF (twelve step facilities) shouldnt people be getting better?
We can start with the rehab industry, and the disease concept of addiction. History and science have shown us the disease idea is pure speculation .The assumption of a few, was accepted as fact by the medical community.
The adoption of the disease concept by the recovery community began with an early A.A member named Marty Mann and a scientist named E.M. Jellinek. Mann had a personal agenda, the remove the stigma about the dirty homeless drunk, to gain financial support from the wealthy.
The 1st step was Jellinik publishing his findings in his book “the disease concept of addiction”. Based on subjects who fit the criteria ,supporting Mann’s preconcieved conlusions. Later Jellinek was asked by Yale to refute his findings. He complied ,as it did not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
In 1966 the AMA proclaimed alcoholism a “disease”. This decision was embroiled in controversy. Marty Mann had her hand in it, using her position as founder of NCA to promote the disease concept. Along with the founder of NIAAA (national institute of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, R Brinkley Smithers, who’s money was responsible for funding Jellinek’s work at Yale.
Smithers was responsible for gaining insurance coverage for treatment. Like . Mann he also had his own agenda. At the time he had already launched a treatment program for which he was lobbying for insurance payments. Acceptance by the medical community was the only way it could happen. . Alcoholism HAD to be a medical problem in order for medical insurance to PAY for the program.
So the rehabs are built based of a medical model,with the obvious benifts of making big bucks through insurance. Necessitating the assumption that it’s a disease, an inherent contradiction to the so called 12 steps they pay lip service to. (For example the 1st step states that one is powerless, yet to justify therapy, the doctors have to be able to help the addict control.
The corrupted or watered down message eventually, made it’s way into the meetings,as part of the rehabs medical treatment ,is taking the patients to AA. Meeting became more of group therapy , enabling anyone to share there own opinion, dividing the unity of the original message.
Now it’s common for addiction to be referred to a disease, in a program that originally knew it was a spiritual problem.
Common slogan “don’t pick up no matter what” Dominate, and that addict is more confused then before he walked through the door.
As any addict knows in his heart, he doesn’t have a choice to pick up, regardless of the consequences..