Effectiveness Of 12-Step Programs In Curing Addiction

The answer how to cure addiction is not clear. While some will swear by 12-step programs, for many others it just doesn’t work. Why, if addiction is a medical problem, do we offer a “moral” treatment that proposes turning our lives over to a higher power as an answer? Too often, it doesn’t work, argues Maia Szalavitz. 

And she is right.  “According to a researcher who has studied the groups for years, 70 percent of people who start drop out within six months. And, when compared head-to-head with cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement therapy, 12-step approaches do no better.”

Read more at NPR