Disclaimers And Apologies

I want to start off by saying it's a big risk for me to write this blog. What am I risking?; One might ask. Much of the risk is my own perception and most Ive already suffered the consequences for. I fear the loss of friends and respect in the community but, truth be told, I lost that many years ago wh, In this bloen I relapsed after 20 years of sobriety. I was a professional in the drug and alcohol, abuse prevention and treatment industry and a prominent 12 Step cheerleader. I spoke all over the country promoting this: New Way of Life! When I decided to use a drug to get high (which in my case was otc cough medicine) I was so fully indoctrinated into the program I catastrophised this event to the point that it ended my career, my marriage and completely drained the (meaningless but very real) status that comes with double digit sobriety. I experiencef a very palpable shunning from elements within the fellowship. My entire family including my mother, brother, sister and mother of my kids were all members. Some of my oldest and dearest friends remain active and are true believers. I fear offending them. Recently, I started really examining the claims of 12 step programs as well as their origens and history and I have come to two conclusions: They are coercive cult religions that emphasize personal weakness while deflecting personal responsibility to a Higher Power and, they don't work for their intended purpose which means: they dont work.