12-Step and science play essential roles in the bigger picture of addiction treatment. No doubt that we’re approaching a dead-end if we continue treating addition strictly as a biological disease that can supposedly be cured with a magic pill or 28 days in rehab. In fact, we need an approach that includes the latest scientific research, as well as one that is informed by what 12 Step and other peer support programs have to offer.
So rather than dismiss programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, the scientific and medical communities should be asking what makes it so effective. For instance, what are 12-Step participants doing to successfully achieve long-term sobriety? We also need to develop more effective medications, advance our understanding of the science of addiction, and continue to research the science of recovery.
It’s time to embrace different points of view and allow them to better serve the millions of addicts looking for reliable and unbiased answers. If the scientific and recovery communities became allies instead of adversaries, combined, they could usher in a new era in addiction treatment—one that focuses less on discounting one another and more on developing treatments that actually work.
So rather than dismiss programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, the scientific and medical communities should be asking what makes it so effective. For instance, what are 12-Step participants doing to successfully achieve long-term sobriety? We also need to develop more effective medications, advance our understanding of the science of addiction, and continue to research the science of recovery.
It’s time to embrace different points of view and allow them to better serve the millions of addicts looking for reliable and unbiased answers. If the scientific and recovery communities became allies instead of adversaries, combined, they could usher in a new era in addiction treatment—one that focuses less on discounting one another and more on developing treatments that actually work.
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