There are a lot of problems in addiction treatment, but 12-step hegemony is not the problem that advocates and media coverage would lead one to believe. (Keep in mind that 12-step facilitation is an evidence-based treatment.)
It’s worth asking why this is so frequently misrepresented.
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
View all posts by Jason Schwartz
2 thoughts on “12-Step Facilitation is the eighth most frequently used therapeutic approach in treatment facilities”
The first reason that seems to me to be both the most simple and the most likely is this — that relatively few of those making such statements work in addiction treatment settings. And thus, they don’t get to see what actually happens in addiction treatment settings first-hand, from a clinician perspective.
Hi from rainy Scotland… Guess you saw Maia’s latest column! If she had just stuck with the issue of courts mandating people specifically to AA and the need for choice in treatment options it would’ve been a fair point.
My sense is that many people think 12-step programs are the norm because that’s what they’ve heard about and seen represented in films, TV shows and popular memoirs. You go to rehab – it’s either pampering or punishing – then you attend meetings when you get out. But to be fair, what happens inside treatment settings is pretty hidden so it’s hard to find any info like the list below.
Cynically, I’d guess Maia knows that criticizing 12-step programs is sure to generate a lot of comments and discussion on social media. And the debate about AA/NA is now centered on religion which means it’s really about whether God exists and helps people overcome addiction! 😉
recoveryreview.blog 
The first reason that seems to me to be both the most simple and the most likely is this — that relatively few of those making such statements work in addiction treatment settings. And thus, they don’t get to see what actually happens in addiction treatment settings first-hand, from a clinician perspective.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi from rainy Scotland… Guess you saw Maia’s latest column! If she had just stuck with the issue of courts mandating people specifically to AA and the need for choice in treatment options it would’ve been a fair point.
My sense is that many people think 12-step programs are the norm because that’s what they’ve heard about and seen represented in films, TV shows and popular memoirs. You go to rehab – it’s either pampering or punishing – then you attend meetings when you get out. But to be fair, what happens inside treatment settings is pretty hidden so it’s hard to find any info like the list below.
Cynically, I’d guess Maia knows that criticizing 12-step programs is sure to generate a lot of comments and discussion on social media. And the debate about AA/NA is now centered on religion which means it’s really about whether God exists and helps people overcome addiction! 😉
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLike