The Universal Tool for Sobriety
Bill Loving, MD

Doctors should never be reluctant to recommend AA or NA (similar to AA but with more emphasis on drug dependence) to their patients with chemical dependency problems. AA and NA only exist because they are effective. No one has ever profited financially from AA/NA, and in fact there has never been a CEO, president, marketing director, or director of missionary services. AA and NA have become the universal tool to become straight and sober; just like the jack is the universal tool to change a flat tire.

Some patients ask me "Isn't there another way to get sober than AA?" Well, sure there are other ways to reach a goal; it's just that using AA/NA is probably the best and most effective way. It's a very useful tool to help get off and stay off drugs and alcohol. It is the patient's tool; the patient is not the tool of AA/NA. Some newcomers to meetings feel like they will be swallowed up by the program and lose their identity or become a tool of the program. This doesn't happen. If anything, the person becomes more of who they really are.

The program is a method or tool to reach the goal of sobriety. It is tested over time and really works if it is used fully and in the right way. The right way means not just going to meetings, but also getting involved with a sponsor and working the 12 Steps. The program has helped millions of people across this country and the rest of the world.

It's easier and quicker to dig a hole with a shovel than to try to do without this useful tool. One person may push the shovel into the ground by using his feet, another might swing it up and down hitting the ground, while someone else might scrape the ground with it. People might use the shovel in slightly different ways, but still find that it can't be beat to get the job done. AA/NA can be used in somewhat different ways by different individuals, but if it is used without ignoring the fundamentals, it is a very effective way to get the job done.

There are a couple of books on getting sober without AA. These books are always good sellers because initially no one wants to admit they are an alcoholic or an addict, and so many people resist the idea that they need AA or NA. The methods suggested by these books tend to be complicated and involve several approaches such as meditation, massage, therapy, exercise, diet, acupuncture, and other ways of getting help. This method tends to be very time consuming and expensive. Each of the individual disciplines recommended has something to offer, but even if a person goes to each type of therapy, this method still doesn't quite offer what AA/NA alone can give. AA/NA are one-stop shops that are effective and free. It is easier to use this 12 Step approach and deal with whatever complaints the newcomer has than to reinvent the wheel, or the shovel, or the jack.

AA/NA is the universal tool to use to get sober, and doctors should not hesitate to refer patients to meetings. Meetings can be found by searching the internet or by dialing information and asking for AA.