[lbo-talk] Suggested reading critiques of 12 step programs for recovery.

[John Thornton]

Can anyone offer any suggested reading for a decent critique of 12 step 
recovery programs?
I went to a few within the last two weeks and was really freaked out.
I have a hard time imagining such a program being helpful to someone.
I'm really confused how one can be powerless over their addiction and 
yet still held completely responsible for making bad choices.
Doesn't powerlessness imply an inability to choose? When I think of 
things over which I am powerless I cannot choose to make them different.
The constant going on about powerlessness and giving over to a higher 
power (either a deity or the group of addicts themselves) really gave me 
a bad vibe.
I'd heard from some people there was a cult-like atmosphere to NA and AA 
meetings but never knew much about such programs.
The meetings I attended were at a medical rehab clinic and they struck 
me as deeply weird and very unhealthy. They were very cult-like to me 
but my experiences with cults is zero. I've read very little about cults 
since the subject hasn't ever really interested me.
The clinicians tell the addicts they are powerless to control their own 
addiction and then treat them with Suboxone, a powerfully addictive 
partial opioid agonist.
You're then faced with either compliance with their program to continue 
taking their addictive agent, going cold turkey and risking relapse, or 
trying to taper yourself off whatever opioids were taken.
Putting large numbers of addicts together seems to me to widen their 
circle of known abusers and offer additional opportunities for drug 
purchasing by increasing contacts.
One-on-one counseling rather than group counseling would on the surface 
of it seem more helpful.
Listening to the various addicts "war stories" you could see many in the 
room absolutely jonesing. How could that be helpful?
Firsthand knowledge of rehab centers is also welcome.

John Thornton