AA has a healing mission

The only requirement to join Alcoholics Anonymous is a desire for sobriety – and maybe a belief in God.

Two Toronto AA groups were recently removed from the organization’s official directory for altering the Twelve Steps, a traditional set of guidelines to battle addiction created by AA founder Bill Wilson. The two non-religious groups, Beyond Belief and We Agnostics, removed all mention of God or a higher power from the steps and, as a result, are no longer affiliated with AA.

While sympathetic with the decision to delist the two organizations, many supporters of the 12-step program caution against letting this debate interfere with the healing mission of AA.

Sr. Miriam Ukeritis, CSJ, the chief executive director of Southdown Institute, a mental  health centre for Catholic clergy, many of whom are dealing with addictions, said that, while her organization uses the Catholic faith to help battle addictions, they “don’t go on the belief that if you pray, all your troubles go away.”

The Twelve Steps and AA are a “means to an end, not an end in themselves,” said Ukeritis — and that end is sobriety.

Beyond Belief and We Agnostics changed six of the 12 steps. Most notably, number six changed from “We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character,” to “We’re ready to accept help in letting go of all our defects of character.” Step three went from, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him,” to “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the AA program.”

Marya Hornbacher, author of Waiting: a Non-Believer’s Higher Power, said that she understands the decision to delist the two groups simply because the groups altered the steps, which are at the core of the AA organization.

“People get very, very upset when the steps are altered. That’s fine,” she said, but added: “However you choose to get sober, however you choose to get to that path is certainly a valid way to get there… If that’s working for them, I don’t see a problem with it.”

From her own experience as a non-believer, which she outlines in her book, she claims the religious nature of the Twelve Steps can be “confusing.”

“I felt a little bit alienated, I felt very alone, I felt like my belief system was not acceptable,” said Hornbacher.

Hornbacher began drinking at age 10, and at 27 “was a wreck.” She entered the Twelve Steps program and achieved sobriety.

“I found an enormous community of people — not all of them I agreed with — but they were very wise,” she said.

This community setting is part of what allows alcoholics — religious or not — to effectively deal with their addiction, said Elaine Dombi, SSJ, of Southdown Institute.

“There’s always a reliance on somebody beyond the self, whether they’re other peers… or professionals who can provide service,” said Dombi.

“It cannot be done alone… Alone is how the addiction blooms and blossoms.”