by Eddie Vegger

Created on: November 07, 2008

Addiction to alcohol or drugs is definitely a disease. You don't find people debating whether or not cancer is a disease, but that's because, although there is no known cure for cancer, the causes of cancer are pretty well known. Experts aren't sure why some people can drink and even experiment with drugs and cause little harm to their lives, while others are destined to become addicted after their first taste. What the experts are sure about is how to treat alcoholism and drug addiction. A person who has not been too severely physically debilitated from drugs and/or alcohol can be restored to complete physical health and mental well being by following a rigorous course of action. The first thing a person has to do to begin recovery from drugs and/or alcohol is to stop taking the drug or drinking the alcohol. People that aren't addicts or don't know much about addiction assume that this is the end of the story. They equate addiction with lack of will power or weakness and assume that if someone can just suffer through the withdrawal symptoms, they can be on their merry way. The truth is, quitting drinking or doing drugs is just the first step. Experience and scientific research has shown that, unless an addict or an alcoholic goes through a process of "rewiring" their brain, they will not stay sober. Some people can do it by devoting themselves to religion, family or community service. Most people need the help of a 12-step recovery program to deliver them from the selfishness and self-centeredness that drives most addictive personalities. Alcoholics Anonymous was established in the 1930's by Bill Wilson, a stock broker and Bob Smith, a physician, who found that they could stay sober if they devoted their time and energy into something greater than themselves, namely, getting other addicts sober. All of the other 12-step programs, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Al-Anon, Sex Addicts Anonymous, etc., spawned form AA and have very similar 12-step processes. Over the years, the AA concepts have been debated extensively, some claiming that 12-step programs are cults or that they just substitute one addiction for another. I'm not going to step into the fray of that controversy. I will say that no one with any knowledge of recovery debates the efficacy of 12-step programs. They do what they are supposed to do, which is to help addicts, alcoholics and co-dependents refrain from the activity that is killing them, regain a spiritual connection with something greater than themselves and move on to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

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