Question by zorro1701e: Alcoholics Anon, Narcotics anon, they all require a belief in higher power. Do they work for non believers?
Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics anonymous, they all require a belief in higher power or some kind of god. Do they work for non believers, for atheists or agnostics?
Or are those people destined to fail those programs because the programs are designed for believers?

I have asked this question already in cultures. But thought maybe i would get more responses from Religion & Spirituality
Im not going to one of those groups.
Im not a drug user and only drink at parties.
I was asking out of curiousity.

Best answer:

Answer by Atheist Hooligan Diver Dude!
I don’t know, but there are non-theistic based recovery groups out there as well.

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Question by ProLife Liberal: I read a rumor on the computer that Jack Trimpey has returned to drinking. Is this true?
He is the one that started Rational Recovery as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Best answer:

Answer by wild horses
who gives a f…?

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Question by Kates the name!: why is it called alcoholics anonymous?
cause the first thing you do is stand up and say
“Hi my names Bob, im an alcoholic.”

Best answer:

Answer by Betty
You’re right… but you don’t use your last name. AA is a not a rehab program you have to pay for. You don’t fill out paper work or even sign up. You simply go to meetings. No one forces you to go. No one knows anything about you other than what you share at meetings. So, unlike a government agency or an inpatient/outpatient rehab center, you don’t have to tell anyone who you are. You could even make up a first name if you wanted to.

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Question by Angie: Will medicaid pay for alcohol rehab in Utah?
If you had a brother, sister, son, or daughter that needs help. Would you do anything you could to help them? This is a disease!

Best answer:

Answer by raysny
No. Although alcoholism is considered a disease by some, it is treated as a behavior by the government.

http://askjan.org/media/alcohol.html#ADA

Most rehabs are 12step-based, based on AA. Rehabs have a slightly better success rate than Alcoholics Anonymous which is estimated to be about 5%, the same as no treatment at all. People who fail in AA and 12step facilitation tend to fall harder than those who were not exposed to 12step treatment, which teaches people they are powerless to do anything about their addiction, that even God cannot cure alcoholism, only grant a daily reprieve from the desire to drink.

Dr. Brandsma found that A.A. increased the rate of binge drinking, and
Dr. Ditman found that A.A. increased the rate of rearrests for public drunkenness, and
Dr. Walsh found that “free A.A.” made later hospitalization more expensive, and
Doctors Orford and Edwards found that having a doctor talk to the patient for just one hour was just as effective as a whole year of A.A.-based treatment.
Dr. George E. Vaillant, the A.A. Trustee, found that A.A. treatment was completely ineffective, and raised the death rate in alcoholics. No other way of treating alcoholics produced such a high death rate as did Alcoholics Anonymous.
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-letters85.html

What works? A summary of alcohol treatment research:
http://www.behaviortherapy.com/whatworks.htm

“About 75 percent of persons who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking any kind of help, including specialty alcohol (rehab) programs and AA. Only 13 percent of people with alcohol dependence ever receive specialty alcohol treatment.”
Alcoholism Isn’t What It Used To Be:
http://www.spectrum.niaaa.nih.gov/features/alcoholism.aspx

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