Old 03-01-2009, 09:50 AM
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kurtrambis
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 201
The majority of alcoholics recover from alcohlism without AA

The quotes below deal specifically with the statement I have made on numerous occasions that most alcoholics quit without going to AA and its not about AAs effectiveness. Navysteve accuses me of making very false statements and of talking BS but asked me wisely to quote my sources.


http://defeataddictions.org/files/Na...om_Alcohol.pdf However studies have addressed and it has been found that the majority of alcoholics recover without AA (Russel et 2001)

Vaillant also reports that of the abstainers, 37 percent succeeded in abstaining wholly or in part through A.A. Thus even among the abstainers a good majority seemingly had no contact with, had no assistance from A.A.
Stanton Peeles website interpreting George Valliants Natural History of Alcoholism.

"A majority of the people who quit abusing substances do it on their own without treatment," Dr. Dan Nauts, medical director of the Benefis Addiction Treatment Center
Center http://www.gannett.com/go/difference...confounds.html

The truth is that most people who have had problems with alcohol addiction or drug addiction in the past quit on their own.
- admittedly from a site which offers alternative to 12 steps, so take it with a pinch of salt

AA Trustee and Harvard Prof. George Vaillant, MD, 2001: "Sixty per cent do it without AA."
Grapevine: You said about 40 percent of the people who remain abstinent do it through AA. What about the other 60 percent? Could we in AA be more open, more supportive of these?
George Vaillant: Yes. You know, if you're batting 400, it's all right to miss a few. I think the fact that AA knows the answer to an extremely complicated problem is probably all right.
But it doesn't hurt at the level of GSO for AA to have humility and understand that 60 percent do it without AA.


George Valliants study which says the majority of alcoholics become abstainers without AA was done in the US where AA is the most popular!

People should not be made to attend AA through fear they cannot do it through other means.

Ill try to rewording it
A large proportion, it appears the majority of alcoholics, abstain from alcohol without AA.

Also consider that not all people who actually attend AA do the program and not all people do the program with same intensity (for example I have heard people say it took them months or years to do 1 step or 2 steps).

God bless all the people who use God to achieve recovery, I personally don’t. The above post isn’t an attack on the average AA member it’s just saying that there is other means. It is an attack hardcore cult extremists who have overtook my meeting where I attended harmoniously with other people who did the 12 steps for 1 year. Who constantly ram home the 12 steps is the only way.

Last edited by Morning Glory; 03-01-2009 at 11:50 AM. Reason: Removed Commercial Link. Fixed 2nd link
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