AA AND 12 STEP PROGRAMS May be harmful for some

   AA NA And 12 Step Programs May Be Harmful For Some

    For almost half a century AA ,NA and 12 step programs have become synonymous with treatment of substance addiction. They have been  popular and have managed to be incorporated into traditional medical treatments for alcohol and drug addictions.

    Interestingly their enormous popularity and evidence -based medicine  do not match. For instance it is true that there's not a single double-blind prospective study – the gold standard for treatment efficacy-to substantiate their efficacy. This does not necessarily mean AA ,NA and 12. step programs are not helpful for some people. Yet it may also be true that for some people  they may not represent the medically appropriate approach.

    Let us imagine a shy person – social phobia-who partly because of alcohol’s initial calming influence has become dependent on alcohol – in a group setting. It is reasonable to guess that this is not a good mix. It will simply aggravate the underlying personality trait – shyness – and may contribute  to poor compliance. It may even become more harmful by misinterpreting the lack of cooperation with  as a sign of” denial” and “resistance”.

   In general people with mild or severe prefrontal cortex problems – attention deficit disorder and early dementias-are poor candidates for AA,NA and twelve-step groups. Their core deficits – concentration and attention-present a major obstacle versus benefit again with the high risk of being labeled as treatment resistant.

    Possibly because of  the examples discussed above,  the most comprehensive study of alcohol dependence completed by National Institute of Mental Health and dozens of satellite treatment centers showed that a sugar pill (placebo) and  a regular medical visit with a healthcare professional was more effective than AA and 12 step treatment approach.

The NIMH study and a study by Dr  Ferri showing that AA and 12 step programs have no proven efficacy based upon a meticulous review of all published literature should raise some questions about the wisdom of demanding mandatory participation in AA or NA for everyone which substances  addiction.