Researchers have debunked central tenets of AA doctrine and found dozens of other treatments more effective – April 2015 Atlantic Monthly article

An April 2015 Atlantic Monthly article is entitled:

“The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous: Its faith-based 12-step program dominates treatment in the United States. But researchers have debunked central tenets of AA doctrine and found dozens of other treatments more effective.”

I find the article of value, especially given my interest in the concept of evidence-based practice. A recent post related to the topic of evidence is entitled:

Elvis remarked: “The image is one thing and the human being is another.”

Success rate somewhere between 5 and 8 percent

The Atlantic Monthly article warrants a close read. A typical paragraph from the article notes:

“In his recent book, The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry [2014], Lance Dodes, a retired psychiatry professor from Harvard Medical School, looked at Alcoholics Anonymous’s retention rates along with studies on sobriety and rates of active involvement (attending meetings regularly and working the program) among AA members. Based on these data, he put AA’s actual success rate somewhere between 5 and 8 percent. That is just a rough estimate, but it’s the most precise one I’ve been able to find.”

[End of excerpt]