Can You Succeed in a Rehab Center If You Reject 12 Step Programs?
For a lot of people, 12 step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous, are mistakenly assumed to be part of all drug and alcohol treatment. For people who reject the fundamentals of the 12 step model, such as belief in a higher power, this confusion may lead to people avoiding rehab because they believe they will either fail outright or be forced to endure something that goes against their core beliefs. For help finding a rehab center that’s right for you, call 800-481-6320Who Answers?.
But, you do want to make sure that you fully understand the 12 steps because you don’t want to dismiss something out of hand. Certainly, if you have tried a 12 step group before and you found it utterly uncomfortable or unhelpful, you have every right to walk away dissatisfied. However, you should consider that the model may be more successful in the context of a professional, qualified rehab center.
Although many treatment facilities do use the 12 step model and support groups as components of treatment, many rely on other models instead. You can find a rehab center that doesn’t use the 12 steps. This is why research is so important. You should research the ways that the 12 steps can be adjusted and the ways that you can avoid them altogether.
For help finding treatment call 800-481-6320Who Answers?, you can connect with people who answer questions, discuss funding, and recommend appropriate sources of treatment. Don’t let your dislike of a 12 step program undermine your potentially successful recovery from substance abuse. It’s not worth the risk.
A Reason for Rejection: The Higher Power
12 step programs aren’t for everyone, which is why rehab centers are equipped with alternative options.
If 12 step programs are something you reject, one way you can succeed at a rehab center is to manipulate existing 12 step programs to meet your needs. You won’t be the first person to do so, and most treatment programs will be completely open to it.
You don’t need to change; the 12 step program needs be changed. There are secular 12 step programs that have been designed to take the God out of the 12 steps. You can follow one of these or make your own.
Indeed, in the text Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill W., the founder of AA, states “We must remember that AA’s Steps are suggestions only. A belief in them as they stand is not at all a requirement for membership among us. This liberty has made AA available to thousands who never would have tried at all, had we insisted on the Twelve Steps just as written.”
A Shift in Focus: Non-12 Step Rehab Centers
Perhaps, you are fine with the higher power, but you take issue with what you see as a lack of personal responsibility in the 12 step model. Entering a rehab center without the 12 steps directly addresses this issue because the emphasis in treatment is shifted when the 12 steps model is negated.
A 12 step program begins when you admit that you are powerless over your addiction, but that takes your agency. Rehab centers that focus more on therapy (individual, group, and family) work to empower the client. The change you want in your life has to come from you.
Additionally, the 12 steps are rather static (they always look the same); removing that process enables you to be more flexible in your treatment, which increases your chances of success. Your treatment plan will be highly individualized and designed to help you, specifically, succeed. If you and your treatment team don’t get the intended response, you just change the program.
The 12 steps also treat addiction as a problem that can only be fought off through constant attendance at meetings. If the 12 steps are removed from the equation, it becomes possible to create lifelong recovery in a number of ways.
The New Direction – 12-Step Recovery for High Functioning Addicts in Stressful Occupations
Do Your Research
You probably don’t feel much like researching all the ways that your addiction can be treated, and honestly, that would be very labor intensive. But, you can look around this site and read about what rehab centers can do for you. You will find it isn’t all 12 stepping.
For help finding a rehab center that will lead you to recovery, call 800-481-6320Who Answers?. Our 24-hour helpline is available to assist you in finding and choosing treatment that meets your unique needs.
