Alcohol addiction is a condition that has a tremendous impact on one’s quality of life. Its importance is defined by the emergence of such issues like disability, premature mortality as well as the costs related to the loss of productivity and the need for additional healthcare services (Kelly et al., 2020). Therefore, numerous programs are intended to treat it, and one of the most efficient initiatives is a 12-step program allowing people with alcohol addiction to return to normal life.
An addicted person is trapped in this state and cannot deal with it without outside assistance. The primary reason is the costs of such treatment, which one is unlikely to be able to afford without a proper job, and employment is impossible in this condition (Kelly et al., 2020). It is complicated by the fact that only a complex treatment will have a long-term result for alcoholics. Such treatment should include measures to ensure that a person will stay sober afterward, and drinking-related consequences will be eliminated (Kelly et al., 2020). To address all of these issues, the 12-step program was developed.
The program allowing alcoholics to overcome their addiction is also often referred to as Alcoholics Anonymous because the initial intention of its creators was to address the issues resulting from excessive alcohol consumption. It provides for the necessity to follow a set of rules aimed at overcoming the addiction, such as attending meetings, participating in the program, and working with healthcare specialists (Archibald, 2017). The practical implementation of these measures is reflected in the twelve steps comprising the program. They include the collaboration of patients and medical staff and lead to faster and better results in treatment.
The steps one has to follow describe the whole process of the treatment and represent a well-thought sequence of actions. A patient starts with admitting that problems can be solved and develops an understanding that he or she is stronger than the addiction. For this, specialists sometimes use religious beliefs, which are intended to substitute alcoholics’ conviction in the hopelessness of their situation (Archibald, 2017). Once people believe that they will get the help they need in the group, they start attending the meetings and actively participate in them.
However, the implementation of such a program as Alcoholics Anonymous is complicated due to the existence of severe constraints. They primarily relate to the perceptions of medical personnel regarding their effectiveness (Archibald, 2017). They doubt the positive outcome of the treatment and claim that it does not contribute to the creation of the right mood among patients and hindes the treatment of people with alcohol addiction. Moreover, such a lack of confidence leads to the absence of referrals from health practitioners and the consequent disbelief in one’s ability to overcome the issue (Kelly et al., 2020). Therefore, to make the system work properly, it is vital to educate medical personnel about its benefits.
The use of the 12-step program intended to treat alcoholism is an efficient method. However, to fully benefit from it, some work on participants’ perceptions should be done. Its future spread throughout the country would allow both alcoholics and health practitioners to benefit from the program facilitating the process of treatment and ensuring long-term results. Overall, Alcoholics Anonymous would increase the quality of life of addicted people and, therefore, the population as a whole.
References
Archibald, L. J. (2017). Twelve-step programs. In J. D. Avery & J. W. Barnhill (Eds.), Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders: A guide to diagnosis and treatment (pp. 141-150). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Kelly, J. F., Humphreys, K., & Ferri, M. (2020). Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12‐step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3, CD012880. Web.