General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Alcoholics Anonymous has a terrible success rate, addiction expert finds [View all]Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)it's inherent chemical nature and it's widespread availability and societal acceptance.
Why do you think it gives a hangover, why does it destroy your liver, brain, stomach, intestines etc.? Simply because it is a poison and would be strictly controlled if it were not so addictive and hence so profitable.
And addiction to this most addicting of substances is not a moral failing, that is of course the official government line because if alcohol addiction were to be recognized as a disease, there goes the government and corporate profit margins. Better to bury your head in the sand and call it a personal failing.
And to call AA a failure and a scam simply because it does not work on the majority fails to recognize that NOTHING works on the majority of people suffering openly or silently from the powerful addiction to this awesomely powerful and poisonous drug. The best treatment centres in the world have little more success than AA or anything else. This drug IS that powerful and addictive. It is the most widespread and effective anesthetic ever invented for common use by the common man, on a self regulating basis. It causes more financial and personal damage than all illegal drugs combined.
The power of alcohol, not the powerlessness of addicts should be the focus.
And let's be clear, the book does not criticize AA so much as it focuses on the incredible and widespread addictive properties of this widely and easily available drug.