Hams: A review of Various Studies

Submitted by Ed on Thu, 02/21/2013 - 16:14

http://hamsnetwork.org/effective.pdf

When Dr. Vaillant compared the treated group with an untreated control group he got some rather surprising results. He found that people with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence who had never been treated were just as likely to quit drinking as those who went through the 12 step treatment program. In fact, the only significant difference that Dr. Vaillant found between the treated and untreated groups was that people who had gone through the 12 step treatment program were more likely afterwards to attend 12 step AA meetings. They were not more likely to abstain from alcohol however. Vaillant also reports that in the group which quit drinking without attending a 12 step treatment program, three fourths quit on their own without AA attendance either.

Comments

Adam

Sat, 02/23/2013 - 09:25

The data that only 5% sober up after a year from the triennial surveys is often misinterpreted but it is also a SELF-assessment. The information was gathered by an interested party.

Comparing willing attendees of non-treatment affiliated AA groups with the general alcoholic population wouldn't show whether AA worked the same as natural remission. You would be comparing those who decided to try AA with every other practicing alcoholic, including those who wanted to keep drinking even if they would eventually wind up going to AA.

Since you can't tell who's going to try AA, there should be a study comparing people who decide to try AA with people who decide to quit by themselves. The triennial surveys should be forgotten about because they represent alcoholics touting their own group.

NoAAUK's picture

NoAAUK

Sat, 02/23/2013 - 03:18

The longest I was in the cult was a two year streach from 1980. Two people died one a suicide and three of us are still drinking. I heard one who loved the cult died sober in AA, the others I dont really know what happened to them, two never even stopped drinking while they were in AA.

Telling me I was powerless over alcohol just made me believe that I just had to take my chances with it, God never removed my desire to go out and enjoy myself and eventually I no longer enjoyed those meetings and began to hate them, then eventually start to see them as some sort of cult even before I had heard of the Anti AA movement. Reading the Orange Papers and similar just reiforced what I allready suspected.

Just look around you, there is something wrong with this 12 step dominated approach to treating problems. Its not Gods function to sort things out for us, its our function, thats what we are here for

......and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Matthew 24:11

SimonTemplar

Sat, 02/23/2013 - 05:05

IT IS THEIR FAULT IF THEY RELAPSE.Wow.So AA it's your FAULT that you relapsed.It's YOUR OWN FAULT.All you needed to do was get a sponsor,Pig book and work these steps and you could have stayed sober.When ever I heard at end of meetings "you work it because you are worth it." I always thought of some PIMP telling his Ho .Yeah baby ,you get out there and you work that booty baby.Cause you're worth it.You aint cheatin them cause your booty is a GOLD MINE.NOW YOU REMEMBER,$100 BJ AND 200 STRAIGHT UP AND ROUND THE WORLD IS 400$$$. The guIlt,blame and shame GAME.sO WHEN i WAS GIVEN 3 HOTS AND A COT AND some "here lets experiment and see what these drugs do to you,"Then immediately upon leaving, straight to the liquor store,it was my FAULT AND I should feel soo ASHAMED,TAKE the BLAME FOR BEING A PIECE OF SHIT DRUNK.
Correct?? When what I needed was treatment for being tortured and help for the trauma -but got 3 hots and a cot.It was MY FAULT THAT I REALAPSED UPON RELEASE. RIGHT??
Such determination that guilt,blame and shame.Fault.Playing games with word.It's stil the same Aa crap.
you should feel so ashamed that you are a human being and not a GOD LIKE I AM.I AM A Good Ole Diseased,dangerous,devious dishonest driunk.
One of the FACTS that is so ignored is that most of these so-called 12 steppers--= never really work these steps.they just talk,talk,talk,and more talk.One ole boy came to a meeting in town.said I've been away for over 20 years,but I heard that you are starting a group and I WANT TO HELP.Had Big Book and Living sober.After i took him aside and said"thye have their conventions in PATTAYA BEACH"
He thanked me and neer returned.20 years=nothing had changed,with all their holier than thou CRAP-CONVENTIONS were arranged so that during ,before and after meetings they could have SEX WITH CHILDREN So much for any MORAL INVENTORY.Or maybe being peds wasn't included in the inventory.fAULT.IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT. COULD HAVE GONE TO MORE MEETINGS.RIGHT??/
LET IT DIE PLEASE. Fault.it's their own fault.Fault.Fault,guilt,guilt,guilt guilty,guilty.
What plane or planet do you live on??? Human beings are made so they make mistakes,maybe you never ever make any mistakes so you can "THROW THE FIRST STONE"Crowd wanting to stone a woman for adultery.Jesus stepped in stopped them .Jesus said "let he who is without sin throw the first stone." So a woman threw a rock at the adulterous woman.Jesus said--"Sometimes MOM You really piss me off."
Light destroys darkness.

I SPY