The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

An exposÃ© of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industryâ€”and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.
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AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5â€“10 percent success rateâ€”hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.
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In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the programâ€™s overall success.
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But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AAâ€™s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.
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The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodesâ€™s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nationâ€™s most famous rehabilitation centers.
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The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.Â

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Beacon Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-03-25
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Beacon Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-03-25
Format	Kindle eBook

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

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