Is AA the only option for alcoholism recovery and treatment?
Despite what you may think, AA is just one of many options for alcoholism recovery and treatment. Alcoholics Anonymous, a global mutual support group of men and women who’ve had drinking issues, is the granddaddy of alcohol treatment programs.
Are there any alternatives to AA?
These 10 alternatives to AA are a great choice for anyone looking to reduce or stop drinking alcohol: 1. Ria Health 2. SMART Recovery 3. Moderation Management 4. Women For Sobriety 5. HAMS: Harm Reduction for Alcohol
Do alternative alcohol treatment programs work?
Traditional treatments—such as AA or rehab—work for some, but aren’t successful for everyone. New, alternative alcohol treatment programs incorporate counseling and anti-craving medication to maximize results. These 10 alternatives to AA are a great choice for anyone looking to reduce or stop drinking alcohol:
Does AA focus on the substance or the disease?
In the AA big book it states quite clearly that alcohol is only a symptom of our disease, selfishness and self-centeredness is the root of our problem. We had to be rid of this or we would die. AA does not focus on the substance of alcohol as the problem.
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What is the difference between a treatment and a cure?
Cure usually refers to a complete restoration of health, while treatment refers to a process or procedure that leads to an improvement in health or the recovery from injury. Cure comes from the Latin word meaning “to care,” and treat shares Latin roots with words that refer to written documents like treaty and tract.
What is treatment in medicine?
Definition of medical treatment. Medical treatment means the management and care of a patient to combat disease or disorder. Medical treatment includes: All treatment not otherwise excluded (below). Using prescription medications, or use of a non-prescription drug at prescription strength.
How many types of treatment are there?
Three principal types of medical treatment Curative – to cure a patient of an illness. Palliative – to relieve symptoms from an illness. Preventative – to avoid the onset of an illness.
What does not have a cure?
advanced lung, heart, kidney and liver disease. stroke and other neurological diseases, including motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. Huntington's disease. muscular dystrophy.
What is treatment answer?
Treatment is the medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury.
What is a just treatment?
Just treatment - putting patients and the nhs before profit. Pharmaceutical companies are charging prices so high the NHS simply can't afford the medicines. And healthcare corporations are slowly taking control of more and more of the NHS.
What are some types of treatment?
Your treatment plan might include:Watch and wait.Chemotherapy or other drug therapies.Radiation therapy.Immunotherapy.Vaccine therapy.Stem cell transplantation.Blood transfusion.Palliative care.More items...
What are the principles of treatment?
1. Reduce the effect of the disease: Medicines are provided to reduce the pain or bring down the fever. In other words, symptomatical treatment may help to reduce the impact of a disease, but it might not outright cure it.
What is treatment Wikipedia?
Therapy, in the medical field also called treatment, is what people do to try to solve or care for a health problem, physical or mental. When a person is ill or injured, a doctor may make a medical diagnosis and then recommend a therapy to try to make the person well.
What is the difference between prevention and treatment?
Preventive healthcare keeps you healthy in general, while treatment addresses a specific disease or problem that prevention can't completely eliminate. How much time and energy do you dedicate to both types? It's essential to schedule regular appointments with your healthcare provider to stay in your best shape.
Is Ebola curable?
There's no cure for Ebola, though researchers are working on it. There are two drug treatments which have been approved for treating Ebola. Inmazeb is a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn).
How many human diseases are there in the world?
The focus is really on rare diseases, but a credible case can be made that there are at least 10,000 diseases in the world, though there is likely more.
Understanding The Differences: Aa vs Na
When you attend AA, you are attending a group that is based upon helping people who struggle with alcoholism. NA focuses on helping people who stru...
What Are Na and Aa Meetings like?
Perhaps you’re thinking about going to an AA or an NA meeting. However, you’re feeling nervous about what you’ll experience. This fear of the unkno...
Facts About Alcohol Abuse and Drug Abuse
Alcoholics and drug addicts often don’t think about how addiction has plagued others. It’s interesting to take a look at some statistics on alcohol...
Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?
You may be wondering if AA is right for you. AA does work. Research tells us that about 40% of AA members who reach one year of sobriety will remai...
Does Narcotics Anonymous Work?
NA has also shown to be effective. This is largely due to the fact that the organization keeps growing continually. As of 1994, there were close to...
Which Program Should You Choose, Aa vs Na?
As you can see, both programs have very similar premises, yet there are some subtle differences to consider as well. When trying to choose AA vs NA...
Is Aa Or Na The Right Program For You?
At the first glance, it may seem as though your choice between AA and NA should be an obvious one. However, as you dig deeper, you’ll realize that’...
What is the difference between NA and AA?
Another difference between AA and NA is the fact that one focuses on a legal substance (alcohol) and the other focuses on all substances, many of which are illegal. This difference tends to draw different types of people to each meeting.
What do NA and AA meetings include?
After that, you’ll find that meetings are all quite different from each other. Some meetings may include speakers, or people sharing about their experiences.
How to be less than?
Be expected to share your entire life story. Be made to feel as though you’re “less than” because you’re an alcoholic or an addict. Be expected to talk at all unless you want to. Be made to tell people your name or give them your phone number for accountability.
Why was Narcotics Anonymous formed?
As AA took off, there was a group of people who were struggling with addiction, but they lacked the type of support people received in AA. Because AA was designed to assist alcoholics, those who used recreational or prescription drugs weren’t included. As an answer to this dilemma, Narcotics Anonymous (or NA) was formed.
Is Narcotics Anonymous a support group?
As an answer to this dilemma, Narcotics Anonymous (or NA) was formed. Like AA, NA also utilizes the support group model of therapy because it has shown to be very effective in treating addictions of all kinds. They make use of The Twelve Step Program, just as AA does.
Can you recover from addiction without rehab?
In fact, there are many people who feel they could never have recovered from their addictions without them. Even so, it’s important to recognize the fact that a solid drug or alcohol rehab program is necessary for recovery. That should be the very first step you take as you seek to heal from your addiction.
What does AA stand for?
What is SMART Recovery? The SMART acronym stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. SMART is an newer recovery approach, and rather different than the 12-step program of AA.
Is there a recovery option for addiction?
There are a number of recovery options available for those dealing with addiction, and it is truly up to the individual to determine the best fit for them .
What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous, a global mutual support group of men and women who’ve had drinking issues, is the granddaddy of alcohol treatment programs. The first of its kind and in existence since the 1930s, you could be forgiven for thinking it is the only alcoholism treatment/recovery group in the world. But nothing could be further from the truth.
What is the best medication for alcoholism?
Although not in itself a treatment for alcoholism, medication for alcoholism- naltrexone, disulfiram (antabuse) and acamprosate, can help alcoholics stop drinking and stay stopped. For more on these FDA approved medicines read medication for alcoholism .
Is alcohol rehab based on Jesus?
However, it is generally a rather vague spirituality, and it is left up to the individual to define their own notion of the spirit. Christian alcohol rehab, on the other hand, is treatment and recovery based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ.
Is anti-craving medication good for alcoholism?
Alcoholism medication is frowned upon by those in Alcoholics Anonymous. However, it is an invaluable tool. Anti-craving medication, as it is known, can really help those in the first few weeks of sobriety.
Is AA one size fits all?
Some go back to drinking, others grit their teeth and deal with a life of no alcohol and yet others do what they have to in their own way. But it needn't be like this. AA is a one size fits all outfit. Being human we are all unique and so require different approaches. AA suits some and not others.
Is there an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholism Forums. Although not an alternative program to Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism forums are an extra tool that can be utilized in the fight against alcohol. Read alcoholism forums for more info on how to evaluate alcoholism forums and a selection of some of the best forums dealing with alcoholism on the web.
Is 12 step recovery therapy?
The important thing to remember is that 12 Step recovery is not treatment or therapy, although treatment can incorpora te the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous and certainly both can work together in collaboration. The simple way to look at the process for someone needing help with substance abuse or drug addiction is ...
Is there a licensed therapist for AA?
There are no licensed therapists or clinicians that lead AA or NA (although many fellowship members are therapists, clinicians and other well respected professionals like doctors, psychiatrist and mental health administrators.) The important thing to remember is that 12 Step recovery is not treatment or therapy, ...
Do drug rehabs have 12 steps?
Some addiction treatment centers incorporate the 12 Steps into a specific group or as an approach, but 12 Step groups in a drug rehab does not constitute taking the 12 Steps or being involved in a 12 Step program. 12 Step recovery programs like AA and NA are not really “programs” at all, but instead are fellowships of people meeting together ...
What is the 12-step model of AA?
AA uses a 12-step model that begins with a person admitting that they’re powerless over alcohol and that their lives had become unmanageable. Other programs, like Narcotics Anonymous (NA), which started in 1953, have used similar models.
How much is 22 percent in rehab?
In “ The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry ,” Lance Dodes, MD, and Zachary Dodes claim the 22 percent is actually only 5 to 10 percent. The truth is, it can be hard to measure the effectiveness of a recovery program.
Is AA more effective than CBT?
CBT. Though that 2020 review found AA was more effective than CBT, that won’t hold true for everyone. CBT focuses on changing and challenging unhelpful thoughts and patterns. It can be done in one-on-one sessions with a therapist or in small groups.
Is recovery a one size fits all journey?
Recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey. What works for the majority may not work for an individual. It’s important to consider and try other options, particularly if AA and NA aren’t working.
Brief History
Philosophy and Mission
- AA and NA, like other 12-step programs, are predicated on abstinence from substances of misuse. These programs encourage members to look outside themselves (a higher power) for strength. The higher power does not have to be God but can be any force outside of yourself, even the recovery program itself. The programs purport that the essential keys to recovery are design…
Meeting Structure
- AA and NA programs encourage meeting attendance and “recovery work” that includes reading the literature, meeting with other program members between meetings, working the 12 steps, having a sponsor, sponsoring other members, and coordinating logistics for meetings.4 In large metropolitan areas, meetings are available almost 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. They are u…
Program Membership
- Membership for AA, NA, or any 12-step program is informal; the only requirement is that you have a desire to stop using addictive substances. Membership records are not kept.4 There is no cost to join AA or NA, though some groups do accept voluntary donations to meet their expenses (e.g., a token rental fee for regular use of a room at a YMCA, to cover refreshments, etc.).4
Resources
- Kass, N. (2015). The philosophies and practices of Alcoholics Anonymous from a psychodynamic perspective[unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://r...
- Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (1986). NA White Booklet.https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/Booklet/NA…
- Kass, N. (2015). The philosophies and practices of Alcoholics Anonymous from a psychodynamic perspective[unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://r...
- Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (1986). NA White Booklet.https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/Booklet/NA…
- Gross, M. (2011). Alcoholics Anonymous: still sober after 75 years. American Journal of Public Health, 100(12), 2361-2363. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/f...
- Laudet, A. B. (2008). The impact of Alcoholics Anonymous on other substance abuse-related twelve-step programs. In L. Kaskutas & M. Galanter (Eds.) Recent developments in alcoholis…
