Bullshit! & South Park's Criticisms of 12 Step are... Bullshit!
Written by John Rozewicki   
Thursday, 10 August 2006

Pop Criticism

Recently, it has become fashionable for skeptics to attack 12 Step programs from philosophical angles that don't really hold up to closer inspection of how such programs work. Episode 9x14 of South Park explores the issue of alcholism and picks mainly at 2 things. The first being that 12-Step programs require the belief in god. The second being that alcoholism is all about a person's discipline or will, and that the disease analogy for alcoholism is inaccurate. Episode 2x10 of Bullshit! makes some of these same arguments. As a member of one such program myself, I feel obligated to step up and defend something I feel is very important. I think that these criticisms of the 12 steps make assumptions that stem from misunderstandings of the literature of such programs.

12 Step is Alcoholics Anonymous?

South Park tends not to make this assumption as much, the show tends to stay on the topic of alcoholism but I wouldn't be surprised if the show's creators intended to criticisize all such programs. Bullshit, on the other hand, makes this assumption early on and then runs with it. The title of 2x10 is '12 Step', but they draw many of their examples, including one that's kind of below the belt, from Alcoholics Anonymous. It's important to point out that each of these 12 Step programs is a separate organization. Alcoholics Anonymous is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous or Al-Anon. If one is to set about debunking 12 Step programs then one needs to stick to the source material they all have in common; the 12 Steps.

A Belief in God

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
It is unfortunate that Bill W. chose the words God and Him when writing the 12 Steps. People's minds tend to fixate on these two words, and then ignore the most important part of step 3, "...as we understood..." Those 3 words pretty much vanquish any argument that 12 Step programs are religion. Those 3 words means that you can believe in whatever the hell you like, as long as you believe you are not in control of that thing. You can even be an atheist. I know, because I am an atheist who practices the 12 Steps; a position supported specifically in the section about steps 2 and 3 in the Al-Anon book Survival to Recovery. A wonderful analogy for the role of the higher power in the 12 Steps is this:
The higher power can be anything greater than you; a toilet for example. You can write things down on pieces of paper and flush them to turn them over to that higher power. I can almost guarantee you won't be compelled to, nor able to, take things back from it. Things flushed down the toilet are outside your grasp; not in your control.
My higher power is, put simply, the world. I am ultimately powerless to control anything outside of my own actions. I will admit that it can be difficult to participate at meetings as an atheist. There is a definite unspoken rule within many groups that the God of the 12 Steps does in fact mean the one true God of the Bible. This doesn't change the fact that it is the official position of the 12 Steps themselves and all literature that it can be any higher power of your understanding. All it takes is a little perserverance to find a group that actually follows the steps and traditions as they were written, the way they were meant to be followed. This is why the example from Bullshit! is below the belt. They take a camera to the offices of Alcoholics Anonymous and find evidence of religion. This only proves that Alcoholics Anonymous may be violating the steps and traditions. It doesn't prove anything about the 12 Steps themselves, or about any of the other 12 Step programs in existence.

Alcoholism as a Symptom of a Disease

Alcoholism and things like it are symptoms of a larger problem. This is why addiction is not defined by the amount of use. Addictions are defined as the ongoing use in the face of serious consequences; losing jobs, family, etc. People who drink so much that they have these consequences obviously have larger problems than just the alcoholism. The problem with the will power argument is that it assumes that the drinking is the entirety of the problem. If the people quit drinking, they will magically become better. If all alcoholics needed was to stop drinking then the will power argument would work. Anyone who has done any 12 Step work will tell you that Alcoholics are, for the most part, very very unpleasant right after they quit drinking. This is because addicts fundamentally have trouble coping. They seek out unhealthy methods of managing unpleasant feelings. Alcoholics drink alcohol. Bulimics purge. When they quit drinking, they quit the only coping mechanism they have. This is where the program comes in. It helps build coping skills so that the alcoholic no longer needs to drink to feel better. Dr. Drew Pinsky, a board certified addiction medicine specialist, has said numerous times that nobody is happier than heroine addicts at the onset of their addiction. Addicts do what they do because it comforts them in ways they are unable to do otherwise. Their normal coping skills are broken; usually by trauma in their early childhood. People speaking about the disease of alcoholism are doing so as an analogy for reasons that are important to those people who need help. People have trouble understanding psychological disorders. Depressed people resist taking medication to compensate for the brain imbalance that causes their depression. People with diabetes less commonly resist taking medication because they understand the mechanics of it. Saying that alcoholism is a disease sends a message to those people who have it that they need treatment.

Relinquishing Control

Alcoholics and addicts are by definition narcissists who believe they are in control of a world that revolves around them. This is why the theme of reqlinquishing control is so important in recovery. These people are unable to control their lives; as evidenced by them losing jobs, family, etc. By relinquishing control and asking for help from people around them, AA, they can begin to recover from their disorder. The sponsor relationship, which I never hear talked about in criticism, is actually one of the big reasons why 12 Step recovery works as well as it does. People do a lot of talking about asking their higher power for help, but what they actually do most often is ask for an honest 3rd party perspective, their sponsor. The sponsor provides the honesty that's needed for people early on in recovery. It is very important later in recovery for that same person to become a sponsor themselves so that they can apply the tools they have learned and also get experience so they may more easily apply them to their own lives.

Erroneous Complaints

Q: If 12 Step isn't religious then why do they meet in churches? A: Church rooms are available for rent. 12 Step groups are fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions(tradition 7). They must rent from churches. Also, the situation is very similar to other charitable things churches may do; like run battered womens' shelters. Q: Isn't it cult-like? A: If 12 Step is a cult it's unlike any cult I've ever seen. They decline outside contributions(tradition 7), and their public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion(tradition 9). There is group autonomy(tradition 4), their members are anonymous(tradition 12), and leaders are trusted servants who do not govern(tradition 2). Also, as groups, they have no opinion on outside issues(tradition 6).

Conclusion

12 Step recovery is about teaching people to honestly look at their lives and behavior patterns, ask for help, and realize that a person is ultimately powerless over everything but their own actions. It teaches people who are out of control to live more simply, and with more clearly defined boundaries. I can see why people who are not alcoholics or codependants themselves would have trouble seeing what 12 Step is really about. I know that my intro psychology class didn't cover any of the specifics of 12 Step. Not suprisingly, most of the people in recovery don't actually know how any of it works. They just know that it does. I know that it does. I would suggest anyone who has a beef with AA or 12 Step programs actually take the time to at least read the steps and traditions. If they do, I think they will find that many of their fears are answered explicitly in either of those places. There is no hidden meaning. They mean exactly what they say. Finally, this article is not in any way condoning mandatory attendance of such meetings by the state. I do believe that that is wrong. People need to be in recovery because they want to be, otherwise it probably won't work. People who want to know more about the extent to which psychological disorders are misportrayed in the media should read this article here; Acceptance Through Denial: Eating Disorders, Alcoholism, and Dr. Phil.
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written by andrew , July 04, 2008

your a fucking idiot. you are either a complete loser with nothing better to do than 'work the steps' or you are just a fool. do you think the God you turn yourself over too wants you to waste your life participating in this warped way of life? Maybe you should let people know how people like you take advantage of weak people when they are at an emotional low and push your sick worldview on them. People like you are the scum of the earth and you deserve the miserable life that you live.

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written by Jeff , October 05, 2008

Could the person who commeted please justify their comments?
I found this article very useful
Thanks

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written by jeff , October 19, 2008

I would like to know why people with DUI's or other alcohol related crimes are being forced to attend programs such as these? this is the main thing that stuck out to me as soon as i read the 12 steps and the variations of it. It seems very forceful on religion and i believe that is a violation of our rights as Americans.


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