by: Sam Gruetter
Editor in Chief

Regarding support groups for those with substance abuse disorders, the “anonymous” comes to mind: Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Overeaters Anonymous (OA), etc. While these groups have undoubtedly helped members overcome their addiction, their methodology is far from clinical. Many of these groups manipulate spiritual language and use religion as a medium for recovery, an approach that can skew one’s perception of religious doctrines as well as make the religion inextricable from the concept of addiction. Therefore, when seeking support groups in the process of recovery, non-religious individuals should prioritize secular, research-based programs and medical-assisted treatment (MAT).

The first step one must take in these programs is to accept that one’s willpower is insufficient for recovery, as AA’s Big Book argues: “Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.” This philosophy forces dependence on the program, rather than oneself, producing an unhealthy reliance on others and a lack of personal autonomy within the recovery process. Instead of approaching addiction as what it is–deregulated dopamine systems, overactive stress systems, and the weakening of executive control network–these support groups frame it in the context of morality, essentially rejecting all medical treatment options. Instead, these programs insist that addicts surrender “to a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.”

Treatment programs, such as AA, have a varying range of success rates because participating in the program relies heavily on the individual, and it is extremely decentralized. In contrast, medical treatment rewires the brain’s craving system, with studies showing that medical intervention has a higher retention rate, whereas AA only has about a 5-8% success rate. Overall, research has proven that MAT lowers the risk of overdose, increases treatment retention and survival rates, decreases substance-related criminal activity, lowers relapse rates, and has a faster onset of benefits.

For those who lack a religious background, programs such as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous distort religious doctrines and manipulate spiritual language to make it applicable to the recovery process, thus undermining the religion’s merit. Many religious figures have concerns about how programs such as NA and AA blur the lines between therapy and religious practice. By using ambiguous language, AA treats all spiritual beliefs as interchangeable, rejecting the nuance and historical complexity behind individual faiths. This manipulation of faith risks producing spiritual commitment void of doctrine or accountability. Similarly, the function of these groups as a quasi-religion can make addiction inextricable from religious identity for members, two things that should never be mutually influential.

(Sources: NTORS, FasPsych)