Twelve step recovery was viewed not only with suspicion but perhaps even more with condescension by the mental health community following World War II.  Prior to that, for the most part, the mental health community ignored it. Since the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1935, it was small and active in only few places and had little mass appeal until after World War II.  In those days, “mental health professional community” meant psychiatrists.  But the fact was that alcoholics were getting sober in AA and psychiatry seemed to have no answers.  AA began to get some professional recognition after E. Morton Jellinek published his study of AA in 1946.  Flawed though that study was, it was the first formal professional recognition of what AA was accomplishing.

As time went on, it was not just the psychiatrists who attacked twelve step work.   Twelve step advocates  over-reached claiming more territory than we believe was justified.  Read more, Go to Full Article   (Member access)

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Links to pages on this website related to this topic:  

• Full Article on History of Differences over Addiction Treatment Methods  (members/ Subscribers)
• Introduction to Substance Abuse and Addiction  (open to public)
• Full article on Substance Abuse and Addiction     (members/ subscribers)
• Old format guidelines on addiction and substance abuse  (public access, still recommended reading)
• New Definition of Addiction (Old Format)  Some readers tell us they still find this helpful. The ASAM definition of addiction is more precise, but some readers say they understand that better after reading this Old Format entry.         
• See related article on Twelve Step Resources
  • Demographics Impacting Twelve Step Recovery
  • Powerless     
• See Related article on Twelve Step Alternatives
• See Related article on Christian Recovery
  • Twelve Step and Christian Recovery
  • Teen Challenge an example of Christian Recovery
  • Celebrate Recovery an example of Christian Recovery
• See related article on The Destructive Battle over Recovery Methods
• See related article on The Seven Challenges
• See related article on Motivational Interviewing, Stages of Change, Transtheoretical Model
• See related article on Harm Reduction Model
• See related article on Dr. Lance Dodes  (influential at Cedar Ridge Academy)   
• See related article on Process Addictions
• See related article on Interventions and Interventionists

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Links to relevant information on other websites:

• ASAM Definition of Addiction
• Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
• Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
• Alcoholics Anonymous -- Official Website
• Alcoholics Anonymous -- Wikipedia Listing
• Frank Buchman -- Founder of Oxford Group
• Oxford Group -- Wikipedia
• Sam Shoemaker -- Wikipedia
• Twelve Steps and Traditions -- With explanation,  Official AA
• Twelve Steps (for people with no prior knowledge)  -- Wikipedia

Last update August 9, 2018