Voxx - Step Recovery Without A God

The 12-Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is one ofthe most successful programs in history for addressing addiction. It has beenused as a solution for alcohol, narcotics, gambling, sex, and other personal challenges.The program is also used by family members and friends of addicts forassistance with codependent behaviors that they have in common with the addict(Al-Anon).

The 12-Step program has been successful because it focuses on improvinga persons self-esteem and relationships, and addresses the issues that are atthe source of virtually all addictions. It accomplishes this through a sequenceof actions that involve honesty, personal discovery, sharing, restoring trust,and providing assistance to others who are trying to address their addiction.

The primary reference book for the 12-Step process is AlcoholicsAnonymous (often referred to as The Big Book of AA). The Big Book is avaluable resource for the recovering addict because it provides insight intothe medical, psychological, and spiritual issues associated with the disease ofaddiction and advances a program for recovery. It has proven to betransformational for individuals with an addiction, regardless of theirreligious, political, or social beliefs and affiliations.

Whether you have strong religious beliefs, or hold to an agnosticor atheist view, it is apparent when you read The Big Book that it is adoctrine with significant roots in traditional Judeo-Christian religion. This statementis not a value judgment, but simply a fact. To make The Big Book and its 12Steps more appealing and accessible to a broader audience, the authors introducedthe concepts of God of Your Understanding and Higher Power to allow for an alternativeto the traditional Judeo-Christian God. Although the authors provided thisflexibility, The Big Book and its 12 Steps remain rich in other Judeo-Christiancontent. The references to prayer, turning your will over to God or a HigherPower, and related terminology and activities are prominent.

An individuals response to The Big Book, and their ability touse the 12-Step recovery program, falls into one of three general profiles. Thefirst consists of individuals who find the 12-Step program comfortable because theyhave a strong religious foundation, or they can make it work with the conceptsof God of Your Understanding or Higher Power. They trust that the spiritual,philosophical, and technical principles underlying the program are solid and thatit will lead them out of their addiction. Faith in their God and theobservation that the 12-Step program has worked for others are all they requireto get started.

The second profile includes people who have a history withtraditional religion but have become disillusioned with their faith over time.As far as their addiction goes, no amount of prayer, confession, and reflectionhas provided relief. The individuals in this profile find the 12-Step program reasonablystraightforward from the standpoint of the religious aspects, but they do notbelieve that any program grounded in religion will provide a way out of theiraddiction. As a result, these individuals would prefer an addiction recoveryprocess that is outside of religion something that has a technical or scientificbasis.

The third profile includes those who have never had a religiousfoundation of any kind. They cannot see themselves participating in any programthat uses God, a God of Your Understanding, or a Higher Power. Further, theyfeel that a program that is centered on religious-oriented activities will notprovide a path out of their addiction. Many of the people in this profile,along with the individuals in the second profile, walk away from the mostsuccessful addiction recovery program in history.

The 12-Step program is much more than it appears. Although I haveno traditional religious foundation and initially responded to the 12-Stepprogram with a high degree of skepticism, I had the great fortune to have goodcoaching, curiosity, and the desperation of my addiction to compel me to studythe program in more detail.

After learning more about the program and practicing it (workingit) successfully, I can tell you that it is a world-class process foraddiction recovery. It is built on a solid foundation of medical,psychological, psychiatric, and spiritual influences. It just happens that the12-Step program is packaged in a religious sounding framework that reflects theinfluence of the Judeo-Christian organization where the AA founders first observedsuccessful recovery.

If you are someone who has trouble looking past the religiouslayer of the 12-Step program, some key information regarding the program may changeyour view and open a door for you. When provided this information, you will beable to read The Big Book and work the 12-Step program without the support offormal religion, a God of Your Understanding, or a Higher Power. If you aresomeone who has a solid religious foundation, this additional information willenhance your 12-Step program experience.

This book is titled The Five Keys because it providesinsight into five key areas of the 12-Step program that are not frequentlycovered in any detail with newcomers to the program. The Five Keys willincrease your appreciation of the 12-Step program by improving yourunderstanding of the development of the program, its solid technicalfoundation, and what the program does to help you recover from addiction.