Atheist jailed for denying ‘higher power’ in Calif. drug rehab gets $2M

[Warren DeMontague]

36. That is, I think, an oversimplification. Plus, it's not up to anyone to walk anyone else's path.

But I'll say this, because here I am put in the odd position of defending 12 step programs, when generally I am perfectly happy to argue with 12 steppers who will proclaim that those programs are the ONLY way to get sober, or to get "really" sober (true scotsmen abound!) etc. etc.

They are not, and fortunately there ARE alternatives to 12 step programs, which work for some people. But, also, AA and the 12 steps work for some people. I would never begrudge or even second guess anyone on what works for them.

I have my own theories, of course, about the nature of addiction and how the addiction warps the decision-making processes in the brain itself; which renders it exceedingly difficult to use that same brain to logically think oneself out of the cycle of addiction. Like trying to use a broken hammer to fix itself. Where Higher Powers and such come in and can be helpful IMHO (along with the undeniable assistance many, but not all, addicts find from group support and the understanding of people struggling with the same issues) is in that they remove, or attempt to, that 'decision making' from the very brain which is caught up in, whose decision making skills are compromised by, the addiction itself.

There is dogma or "shop-worn truth" floated as gospel in 12 step meetings that I personally disagree with, but for some people? it works. I wouldn't tell them not to do it their way any more than I would tell the guy in CA that he has to do the steps or go to jail.

Also, people who are not addicts or don't have close experience with them, are likely not going to understand- certainly not something like alcoholism, where people without it are quite likely to adopt the attitude "why can't you just drink like everyone else? I'm sure if you tried, you could"... The bottom line is that with at least some forms of acute alcoholism, I am dead certain there is an undeniable, physiological process that goes on (and is likely carried on one or a couple genes) ... whether it involves acetylaldehyde processing enzymes in the liver, or tetrahydroisoquinolines, or whatever, I don't know... but it's a real physiological thing and expecting someone with it to "just drink like everyone else" is like expecting someone with a bee sting allergy to will themselves out of anaphylactic shock, after whacking a beehive with a stick.

(AA of course, will often tell people that what really ails them is a 'spiritual malady'... another point where I disagree)

And lastly, on a purely objective basis, if someone says "God removed from my mind the compulsion to drink" and I say "you believing God removed from your mind the compulsion to drink is what really removed the compulsion to drink from your mind", what's the difference, objectively? Is there one?

Does it even matter?