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Recovery in the News
The Steps to Sobriety: Bill Wilson’s Legacy
Dan Mager
Letter to the Editor
The New York Times
July 7, 2010
To the Editor:
“Bill Wilson’s Gospel,” by David Brooks (column, June 29), speaks eloquently to some of the factors that have contributed to the evolution of 12-step programs into a global phenomenon.
But echoing the Wired magazine article “Secret of AA: After 75 Years, We Don’t Know How It Works” that he cites, Mr. Brooks writes that “the majority, even a vast majority, of the people who enroll in the program do not succeed in it.”
This misses an essential point. No one “enrolls” in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous or any other 12-step program. Many people basically pass by or pass through, never making a sustained commitment to recovery. Successful recovery requires action.
Addiction is a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal illness. Just like other chronic life-threatening diseases like Type II diabetes, asthma and hypertension, there is no cure. Compliance with treatment protocols is often inconsistent, and relapse is all too common.
Recovery is much more than just abstinence from drugs, including alcohol, and other addictive behaviors. It involves participating in life activities that are healthy, meaningful and fulfilling. The true genius of the 12-step approach is that it provides such a pathway to health, wholeness and healing.
Dan Mager
Las Vegas, June 29, 2010
The writer, who is himself in recovery, has clinical experience as a therapist dealing with addiction issues. He is a staff writer for Central Recovery Press, a publisher that specializes in addiction treatment and recovery.