AA is a Failure
AA claims it has about 2 million members. Most are in the USA. According to the CIA World Factbook, the population of the USA for 2005 is estimated at about 295 million. That works out to less than one-half of one percent of the USA population is a member of AA.
By some accounts, 1 in 4 Americans is alcoholic or addicted to something. That means about 70 million Americans could have the disease of addiction. More than 68 million Americans who may be alcoholic are not in AA. Even if these estimated number of addicted Americans is inflated, by any account there are millions and millions of American alcoholics not in the AA recovery program.
The estimated world population for 2005 by the CIA World Factbook is roughly 6.446 billion. In those terms, AA membership is about .002 billion of the world population. Two million members out of six and one-half billion people on the planet. Am I the only one who believes that there are a whole bunch of alcoholics in the world who are not AA members? The truth is that only a very tiny fraction of alcoholics, recovering or not, are AA members.
Combine that fact with the revelation that AA's success rate is probably less than 1%. Only 1 out 100 alcoholics who try the 12 Step Program continue with it and continue to attend AA meetings. A success rate of less than 1% is a failure to the 99% for whom it did not work. I am grateful that 1% found recovery in AA, but it is appalling that 99% do not.
AA membership is stagnant. It is not growing. Membership has plateaued. It is rooted in 1930's mentality which it refuses to let go of. The organization is an anachronism. It does not appeal to the 21st Century man and woman. Add to that the narrow minded concept of spirituality rooted in the acceptance of the Christian god and you have an organization that will never have true world wide appeal.
If a pharmaceutical company claimed to have a medication that worked for less than 1% of those who used it, and you had to use it for the rest of your life, how many would place hope in that? If a football coach had a lifetime win record of less than 1% of the games he coached, would he be considered a success? Why should a recovery program for alcoholics be held to any less of a standard of success? The naked truth is that AA does not work and is a failure.
Labels: 12 step program, AA, addict, addicted, addiction, alcoholics anonymous
posted by David @ 2:46 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
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More of the same from you. You seem to know what doesn't work...so how about sharing what does? Stop dripping sarcasm from your fingertips. We got it, you hate AA. Big deal. What is your personal investment? I don't like it either, but I am not devoting my blog to bashing what doesn't work. I devote it to TRYING anything that might. Why are you so angry?
Hey Kid,
Why are you so mad about AA?
I am desperate. My husband is in the next room babbling himself to sleep. He has been drinking for three days and alternates between long sentimental descriptions of his love for me, how I am the only thing in his life he cares for; and despair about his future and our son's. I am sorry for him. I love him. When he is sober he is good company but this is becoming rare. We are no longer young. The day is coming when one of us will be alone. This breaks my heart when I think of it. If it's me I will be lonely with no one to really care for me or be part of my every day. I live my own life as fully as I can and he encourages that- but he has very little life of his own. I can't imagine what he will do except drink and feel worthless. He won't get help- says only he can help himself- but he's not doing it. Is there any way out of this>
A 12 step program is only a beginning to a new way of life. I have been sober for quite some time now and the only way that has happened is the fact that I truly wanted it.
AA is not the reason that people fail, it is a tool for you to use. If you use it to your advantage in the fact that there is something to refer to or a comfort zone or anything you choose, you would be better off for it.
You my friend are just angry and use aa to cover that fact. Don't you get it? Your anger is part of your addiction, It's your disease that tells you that aa is the cause of all your problems. The sooner that you figure out that it is your anger the better you will be for it.
AA is just a program, It's not one person. It's an idea that one person had a long time ago and used it to help in his sobriety by sharing with others who were fighting for their sobriety.
I am not an alcoholic but a daughter of an alcoholic. I always thought AA was a joke. My mum has gone on an off for over the last 23 years. It has yet to help her.
There is a certain amount of frustration that I have with AA. It promises so much and delivers so little. It is a miserable failure as a program of recovery. The problems of AA stem from it's use of god and religion. It claims to be all about a secular "higher power" but is constantly inserting "god" into the equation.
The numbers you're selling are not correct. AA's track record is based on how many people come to the program and what percentage recover and stay in recovery.
What's important is that it is a spiritual program that Bill W and Dr Bob put together to help suffering alcoholics. They found that belief in a Higher Power was helpful in the recovery process.
Cherry picking what you like and don't like about AA is counter productive as the organization is doing the best it can to save lives. I believe the expression is: You go to church to save your soul, but you come to AA to save your ass..! For me, a non-believer, down on the GOD thing or anything else about a Higher Power, it took years of AA to finally pay off. Then, 12 years ago in Hawaii, I had a spiritual experience that rocked my soul. Made me a believer on the spot. It was a surreal and miraculous event.
So when I read your skeptical criticism about the "spiritual aspect" of the program, I just pray one day you'll have the experience I was privilaged to enjoy. By the way, I haven't had a drink or compulsion to drink since that day 12 years ago at the King Kamehameha Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Thanks for letting me share.
Hoot Hooten
AA is not for those that need it, it´s for those that want it. The programme only works if you work it. It has worked for me for 2 years and I have never been to a meeting because I live in an isolated place, but I know for a fact that I would not be sober without AA. I had to put a lot of work and effort into my own sobriety - something that some people are not ready or willing to do . . . yet. It´s up to the individual - AA provides the tools but we need to pick them up and use them.
I am not sold on AA either - too many people in the room are there as part of a court room plea deal...
Hello!
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Man and Van camberley
I live my own life as fully as I can and he encourages that- but he has very little life of his own. I can't imagine what he will do except drink and feel worthless. He won't get help- says only he can help himself- but he's not doing it.
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