Alcoholics Anonymous Thesis Statement

Alcoholics Anonymous has been around for eighty-one years, and has “nearly miraculous” success rates according to anthropologist and author William Madsen, a graduate from the University of California at Santa Barbara. The success rates, in comparison to other programs, is great in number, having around two million members within 115,000 groups around the world. Unlike other organizations, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by two men who struggled with substance abuse, who upon recovering, sought a way to help others be successful in their convalescence as they did. The nature of the program emphasizes the importance of having an uplifting support group and seeking a spiritual, higher power to believe in something far greater than one 's self. …show more content…
Like every mental disorder, addiction, or issues that a person faces, there is always the chance of repeated behaviors and thoughts occurring again that could lead to a setback in the recovery process. Even when a patient is considered to be “out of recovery”, it is not uncommon for a relapse to occur. However, the differences between a person who recovers with religion as a factor, and one who does not, is clearly seen by the research and experiences of people throughout several years. Whereas a medicine based program focuses on the mind and body, the Christian facilities do the same with an added spiritual component, also referenced to as the soul. The introduction to a higher power enables a person to have the drive to live for something more powerful than his or her addiction, and a force much greater than themselves. Believers find that it gives them a new-found strength and serves as an asset to push through difficulties during and after the recovery process. All of the evidence points to one idea: the fact that religion is powerful, and moves a person towards a mindset of success. Secular recovery programs only introduce spiritually, if any at all, while Christian programs find it to be their main source of therapy. The difference is that a secular recovery has some success rates, but a higher risk of falling back into …show more content…
According to an article by the New Hope Recovery Center, the sole focus of a substance abuser 's life revolves around the addiction. People tend to only value things based on the addiction, and soon everything in their lives becomes centered around it. Choice, free will, and a person 's capability to do and think what they desire is gone. For this reason, spirituality can save a person who is caught in the eye of a storm and drowning in their own addiction. When the dependence on drugs or alcohol shifts to become a dependence on spirituality, believing in a religion and understanding one 's personal morals, values, and desires takes away the need for the mental escape that a substance provides. A person who feels disconnected from people and things outside themselves are able to search for a purpose in life and make new connections if they seek spirituality in their recovery process. With spirituality in their lives, they have a chance of consciously enjoying pleasant experiences, not just temporarily, but continuously in their lives. Drugs and alcohol are simply a temporary way to elude one 's problems, giving satisfaction to a person for only a short amount of time. Seeking religion and learning about a higher power is eternal, and lasts for even more than the lifetime spent on Earth. Through multiple surveys of adolescents and adults, research by Joseph A. Califano on Religion,