S.T. Rants #1: The 2 Step Program

This is a bit of a minor rant.  After watching shows like Breaking Bad, The Shining and pretty much any joke that involves drug and alcohol rehab,  I couldn't help but wonder about the classic 12 Step Program: 12 Steps by Alcoholic's Anonymous, as a way of trying to beat alcoholism and other addictions. Right now as I am typing this I am reading up said program out of curiousity as I myself am a drinker.  Not a -holic, but I'm Irish and Scottish, it goes with the territory.  Some of these rules seem reasonable, such as apologizing to who you hurt during drunken episodes.  However then there is these rules, such as Step 2, accepting a higher power will directly cure you.  This I call bullshit on.  Now I myself believe in Higher Powers, I am Pagan Wicca. However, I also believe said Higher Powers have better things to do than cure something that people choose to do.  Yes addiction is bad and can affect you psychologically however despite all that, it's still has to do with choice.  You choose to get hooked and yo choose to get off the hook.  The other thing I call bullshit on is that many of these steps are mainly just differently worded versions of Step two. Don't believe me read for yourself I'll even mark the parts that are the same.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

With the exception of the obvious step 2, there are 6 sayings that either point to God, A Higher Power, prayer, or Spiritual Awakening. Take all that away plus step 2, and you got 5 steps.  Which while more understandable and reasonable are still pretty pointless.  8 and 9 are just 1 step split into 2. So that leaves 4 steps Step 10 is pointless, because when applying to organizations like A.A. you already admitted you were wrong and wanted to change your life. So that makes 3 now. Step 1 is also pointless because you made that step when you applied.  Admitting you are an addict, is also admitting you are powerless against your addiction.  That makes 2. Moral Inventory and Making amends.  Those 2 are also pointless because when you do apply to A.A., you are already making amends by trying to get rid of what you think is hurting the people you have hurt.  The moral inventory is pointless because, when you are trying to kick your addiction you are already setting a moral for yourself and those that look up to you.

After reading this, I come to the conclusion that I do not believe in the twelve step program.  I do on the other hand believe in the 2 step program which is introduced like so.

Step 1: Stop Drinking. No seriously, put that bottled down or whatever it is you have an addiction to.  Throw it away, and lock yourself in a room for a few days with nothing but your basic meals.  If you can go 3 days without booze, drugs and or any other habits you are willing to kick, you beaten it forever.  Beware of any withdrawals as they can affect the body and mind.  It's like that movie, Trainspotting, where the guy kicking heroin saw a dead baby crawl on the ceiling and twist it's head all the way around.

And Step 2: Why the hell are you still Drinking?




See where I am going with this, it's not the booze, it's not the drugs, its not even spending too much time playing WoW.  It's your choice, your consequences.  No Higher Power is gonna help you unless you help yourself.  Why? Because Higher Powers aren't dictators that force you to do what they want when they want it.  They are Parents, Teachers and even religious figures and all they can do is show you the door.  You have to choose to open it.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed.  Stay Tuned For More.