Am I the only one who is really underwhelmed with these recent pieces on whether anonymity in AA has been rendered quaint? To me, they seem to fundamentally misunderstand AA's anonymity. There's plenty of room within AA's traditions for activism and public education, AA members are just advised not to identify themselves as AA members in the media, avoid … Continue reading The second ‘A’ in AA
Category: Mutual Aid
AA/NA safe for teens?
Safety concerns are occasionally raised about referring adolescents to twelve step groups. A recent study evaluates the safety of AA/NA for teens: By 12-month follow-up, 57.5% reported some AA/NA attendance with a combined lifetime exposure of 5,340 meetings. Of these, 21.9% reported at least one negative experience, which was more common among NA than AA … Continue reading AA/NA safe for teens?
How AA and NA work, part 2
Here is a summary of the practice implications from the presentations at last year's conference on How AA and NA Work. Video and slides from the presentations are available here. Enhance motivation for recovery and help individuals to accept support: Laudet’s research found that the reasons people leave 12-Step programs are parallel to the lessons learned from … Continue reading How AA and NA work, part 2
How AA and NA work
Here is a summary of the knowledge presented at last year's conference on AA and NA: The preponderance of evidence supports the causal pathway that AA attendance leads to abstinence (Kaskutas, Zemore). 12-Step affiliation significantly enhances the odds of sustaining abstinence for multiple years among polysubstance-dependent individuals (Laudet). 12-Step involvement yields benefits above and beyond meeting attendance (Kaskutas, … Continue reading How AA and NA work
The go-to way
From an interview with the author of a book on how peer pressure has the potential to transform the world in positive ways [emphasis mine]: Why is there so much fear around connectedness? Some of the people in that group were afraid that other people would become busybodies and that they'd almost get too close … Continue reading The go-to way
Recovering Jewish Addicts/Alcoholics, 12 Steps And Rosh Hashanah
A nice reminder of all the tribes within the recovering community. (hat tip: Rabbi Pinson)
Another tribe
I just learned about Phoenix Multisport. I only know what it says on the website, but it looks like an amazing example of the diversity within and the potential of the recovering community. The recovering community (as wells as the tribes within it) never fails to inspire me.
Recovery Review 