Inclusivity of the 12-Steps Program

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Inclusivity of the 12-Steps Program
The 12-step program, developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), has been instrumental in helping clients overcome addiction and achieve lasting recovery. To this end, the 12-step program seeks to address the addiction cycle from the physical and cognitive levels informed by the view that the physical craving that is commonplace in the cycle is a consequence of the cognitive process that encourages one to continue engaging with the cycle without regard for the negative consequences. Consequently, the goal of the 12-step program is to facilitate a spiritual awakening in an individual with a focus on uprooting the negative ideas, emotions, and attitudes associated with addiction and instilling a new set of motives and conceptions that helps the client achieve freedom from addiction and engage in prosocial and altruistic behaviors (Breuninger et al., 2020). However, critics argue that its religious undertones limit its effectiveness and exclude those who do not adhere to traditional religious beliefs. Notably, critics of the 12-step program often overlook its inclusive nature and the distinction between religion and spirituality.
The concept of higher power leads to a misguided view that the 12-steps program is largely a religious concept, which is not necessarily the case. The concept of higher power should not be understood from a religious concept but approached as largely a metaphorical representation of community resources that a client can access. Breuninger et al. (2020) observe that even though religion was a major influence in the development of the program, it should be viewed as a spiritual program intended to inspire action without any affiliation to any religious or political cause. While the program asks one to state whether they believe that there is a higher power, it does not force the program participants to define the higher power or indicate the level of certainty that defines their belief in a higher power (Nash, 2020). To this end, the program has been observed to be of utility to atheists and agnostic substance users seeking treatment (Breuninger et al., 2020). Thus, the belief that the program cannot be effective unless one believes in God is a misconception.
Notably, there is sufficient evidence in literature to advance the view that spirituality as advanced in the 12-steps program is of utility to clients regardless of their religious beliefs. That is, a person from any religion can complete the 12-steps program. Kelly (2017) conducted a literature review and synthesis of studies to examine the extent to which the effectiveness of the 12-steps program could be attributed to its religious orientation. To this end, the researcher focused on the mechanism of behavior associated with the effectiveness of the 12-steps program. Kelly (2017) found that spiritual awakening as the pathway through which clients overcome addiction was only applicable to participants with severe addiction. Rather, the effectiveness of the 12-steps program stemmed from its social, affective, and cognitive mechanisms. Equally, Segal (2020) conducted clinical research to determine the extent to which the effectiveness...