What is a Non-12 Step Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center?
Many are familiar with the 12-step approach to dealing with addiction—Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 upon twelve steps or guiding principles which outline a course of action for recovery from alcoholism, the flagship of twelve-step recovery programs. In the years since, a number of slight adaptations have been made in morphing the program’s outline to facilitate different groups dealing with different addictions. Twelve-step groups for other substances, overeaters, gambling and sexual addictions have also become very popular.
Twelve-step programs have helped many recovering addicts. But they don’t work for everyone. Is a non-12-step program a better choice for you?
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How 12-Step and Non-12-Step Programs Differ
A primary difference between the two approaches is that 12-step programs tend to see addiction to a substance as the primary problem—the problem stems from addiction; address the addiction and the client should recover. Non-12-step programs look at things a little differently—yes, the addiction plays a large role in the problem, but there are also underlying issues that need to be addressed. The difference, then, becomes deciding what, specifically, needs to be addressed in treatment.
Where is God in Your Recovery?
The 12-step approach to recovery leans heavily on God—though most refer to God more generally as “a Higher Power,” leaving individual adherents to define their own higher power. Some non-12-step recovery models remove God entirely—making it all about empowering the individual to make changes in his or her own life.
An Individualized Treatment Plan
A primary concern for some people who’ve struggled with the traditional 12-step model is that the model is very rigid—every participant is called upon to follow the same process toward recovery, as if it’s a one-size-fixes-all approach. All are expected to make the same progress while following the same path. This can become very discouraging and even turn people away from recovery, disillusioned by their difficulties. In this way, non-12-step programs can be very affirming—they tend to become much more individualized plans, and flexible.
Your Recovery
Perhaps the biggest difference between traditional 12-step and non-12-step treatment programs has to do with the long-range promise: traditional 12-step programs view addiction as an incurable disease—you can only suppress this lifelong problem by following through with the program’s group meetings and sponsor relationships. Again, for many, this works. For others, not so much. Many non-12-step programs look beyond the addiction—a new you, a new life, and a new hope await.
Non-12-step rehab centers throughout the nation are posting much larger success rates than traditional 12-step programs. Many offer long-term inpatient treatment—three months in many cases, longer in some—and provide medically-assisted detox as a part of the process.
The Honey Lake Clinic Difference
It’s important to recognize, abuse and addiction don’t happen in a vacuum. And recovery is not a one-size-fits-all program. The path to recovery and wholeness involves getting to the root your problem. At Honey Lake Clinic, we understand that getting at underlying hurt and bringing lasting healing takes a holistic—spirit, mind and body—approach to diagnosis, management and treatment.
Whereas many other programs prefer to keep God at a distance, as an unknown higher power, much like the Apostle Paul said to the Athenians in Acts 17, “This God you worship as an unknown … we’re here to introduce you to Him.”
While many programs give lip service to God’s power, at Honey Lake Clinic we help people re-engage their faith and spirituality as an integral part of health and wholeness. Integrating this spiritual component, using a specifically Christian worldview to better inform the psychological and physiological spheres, our clients are able to explore and engage their faith in discovering renewed purpose, peace, joy, love and fulfillment.
If you’re ready to leave substance abuse and addiction behind for good …
Let us help! Our staff is standing by to answer any questions you might have about substance abuse, addiction, and treatment.
At Honey Lake Clinic, our experienced doctors and staff understand that faith-based treatment, encompassing spiritual, physical and mental health, will help clients and their families bring spiritual power and clearer psychological understanding to their healing and recovery.
