In recent years, reports of the failures of Alcoholics Anonymous have continued, challenging the foundational programming of the 12 steps. With the majority of treatment programs being based on the ...

The first eleven steps in the Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) approach to recovery focus on the individual answering questions about finding freedom from alcohol and other drugs. Even the eighth and ninth ...

Twelve-step programs—with their clichéd language, frequent meetings and religious mien—are cults. So say many critics. But in fact, the traditions of AA, NA and the other As are intentionally ...

In a recent WBUR interview, Dr. Lance Dodes discussed his new book, which attempts to "debunk" the science related to the effectiveness of 12-step mutual-help programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, ...

Many 12-step programs make a rule of preserving participants' anonymity, but now some are challenging that policy. Opponents say 12-step programs have lost enough of their stigma for participants to ...

Looking back on my experiences with leukemia and with alcoholism, I realized that the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous can be applied to life with cancer. When I went into treatment for alcoholism ...

Long considered a key component of recovery, 12-step programs are as popular as ever. But that doesn’t mean they work for everyone. When he was 16, he got a keg of beer. “Beer made me cool,” Marlon ...

I found the 12 steps of addiction recovery in a way many addicts do: lost, desperate, broken, and looking for change. However, I wasn't drinking daily, using drugs, gambling or overeating. To most, I ...