Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment – and How to Get Help That Works by Anne M. Fletcher – A Book Review

This book will be released tomorrow, February 7, 2013. I wanted to give those of you interested a heads up. To those of us who know the truth, this information is not in the least bit surprising. The review link below is from The New Republic magazine. 

Whenever I hear someone say that they do not want to get rid of 12 step groups or they claim 12 step groups are helpful for millions, I cringe a bit. I do not care if 12 step groups continue to exist or not. I do care that the truth be revealed so that people can make informed decisions. I do believe that only an evangelical, narcissistic, bombastic and otherwise unsuccessful person is genuinely helped by the 12 steps. They are helped by having a place to evangelize, blow their horn with their claims of ‘time,’ and be able to play the big shot to vulnerable people they refer to as ‘newcomers.’ This reference to these newcomers is done with pity and disrespect, and the newcomer is broken down with mantras that break their ability to think for themselves: ‘Your best thinking got you here,’ is one of many demeaning references newcomers must adopt as truths. For that group of misfits who would otherwise have nothing to brag about in their lives, the 12 steps are perfect.

There are some truly nice people who have been brainwashed by the 12 step dogma. I write for those nice people who might one day wake up to the fact that they have been duped, deceived and dissociated from getting individualized help for their substance use problems, or their loved ones problems. I write for the loved one of a substance abuser who just cannot understand why their loved one cannot stay sober, even though they have been to rehab and/or 12 step meetings. I write for those who have been in and out of 12 step groups and are still struggling and are told that if the programme is not working, it is due to their inability to accept it, or work it hard enough, or go to enough meetings, or all the other ‘blame the victim’ abuses of the steps.

It sounds like Ms. Fletcher is doing the same. She and I have been emailing one another and I have a great deal of respect for her and this enormous achievement. Of course, I have not read the book yet and am really looking forward to it. The book sounds promising and I would love to discuss it here with anyone who also wishes to read it. Oh, and did you know that the first national and public criticism of Alcoholics Anonymous appeared in a 1963 Harpers Magazine article? Here is the link for that:

http://www.eskimo.com/~burked/history/harpers.html 

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112255/why-rehab-fails 

In addition to exposing the truth regarding the 12 steps, I am also an agent for change. This change only happens when people come together and find positive ways to change a very broken system. Education comes first, action follows.