What's the deal with Co-dependency? If their problem is that they care too much about other people, why do they get together in meetings to share?
And, what's more, why do all the 12-step programs talk about "recovery," when none of them seem to think you can ever really recover?
It occurred to me today that the 12-step model is a bit like faith-healing. You have a disease, and if you trust in God then your condition will improve.
But there's something else you have to do - get together in meetings and talk about your problems in the proper way.
If the illness is metaphorical
The treatment must be rhetorical.
2 comments:
And, what's more, why do all the 12-step programs talk about "recovery," when none of them seem to think you can ever really recover? - Actually, in AA there is a bit of a split on this. The book "Alcoholics Anonymous" (the "Big Book") contains several references to alcoholics having recovered. See http://www.sober.org/Recover.html for a discussion of this issue. Typical meeting talk is about being a "recovering alcoholic" and someone will sometimes go on about how they will always be "in recovery". I think what they mean by this is that there is no "cure" and that living sober is a life long process. But I'm not sure. Usually those who stridently assert that they are indeed "recovered" are viewed with some skepticism, though technically they are in line with the references in the Big Book. Frankly, I think it is semantics and not important.
It occurred to me today that the 12-step model is a bit like faith-healing. You have a disease, and if you trust in God then your condition will improve. - There absolutely is a degree of healing through faith in AA, although there are quite a few atheists and agnostics in AA. You are right to point out that there is more to it than faith.
But there's something else you have to do - get together in meetings and talk about your problems in the proper way. - Something else that is just as important, if not more so - you need to listen as well as talk. You learn a lot about what to do and how to live without a drink by listening. People come to AA thinking that what they have to say is the important part of the meeting for them, and hopefully learn that sometimes listening is more important.
Something else that you need to do in AA - help others to get sober.
Mike
Aaaah, people suck!
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