Is Alcoholics Anonymous a religious program or a spiritual program? The truth about 12-step programs

This question comes up over and over and over again – and for good reason.

Here in the Bible Belt, we hear it all the time: Religious fundamentalists and others are frequently heard to say that the program is Bible-based – sort of a Christianity with kid gloves.

In a general way, this is actually true; after all, A.A.’s deepest roots received nourishment from Frank Buchman’s ultra-fundamentalist Oxford Group worldview which was strict Christian fundamentalism. 12-steppers are pushed by the Big Book toward a personal, anthropomorphic, Bible-ish god.

Anthropomorphic (adj.): having the qualities of a human

Sadly, some religious fundamentalists continue to spread the obviously false message that other alcoholics must come to accept very specific religious views, or else die drunk: a dubious claim, at best (from the perspective of a freethinker, at least).

Have you ever noticed that religious fundamentalists sometimes also become A.A. fundamentalists? If you attend meetings, you know the type very well; they are frequently heard to say things like… “Only [this exact set of ancient supernatural stories] is true and real; all the other [religions, recovery methods, ancient, supernatural stories] are false.” Adopt and perform this 12-step recovery precisely as directed – or you are doomed. A.A. is the only possible way to achieve a successful recovery; no other system works.

Secular freethinking types, along with the burgeoning spiritual-but-not- religious population, can easily adopt the predominant view held inside the 12-step world: that A.A. is not really religious – that A.A. is more of a spiritual program.

Executive summary of this post

A.A. is technically and originally a religious program.

However, the above conclusion — that A.A. is fundamentally a religious program — is 100% moot in the real world, simply because similar steps work for religious people, agnostics, skeptics, atheists, Buddhists, et al alike. In other words, whether your heartfelt beliefs are religious are not has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not one can successfully recover from alcoholism or addiction.

Frankly, both sides have some valid arguments.

As is so often the case, the truth is in the eye of the beholder. The truth is dependent, to a large degree, upon pure semantics. Perspective matters. (We hope you will still read this article even though you already read the Executive summary!)

So, what are the main arguments from both sides?

A.A. is religious.

It is very easy to make the argument that A.A. is, in fact, religious – even without referencing the most vehemently anti-A.A. website I have yet found, which is The Orange Papers[1].

Note [1]: The Orange Papers. This is not a slight; The Orange Papers is a very large, detailed, intensely interesting collection of articles from a mostly skeptical view of A.A. and twelve-step programs in general. The more familiar the reader is with twelve step groups, the more one will be able to understand and appreciate Orange Paper articles — whether or not one might agree with Orange Paper conclusions and opinions.)

God is specifically mentioned (as “God”, “Him”, or “Power”) in six (6) of the 12 steps. This makes ‘A.A. not being religious’ a very tough sell to the freethinker, the skeptic, the non-religious, the logical and critical thinker, the highly intelligent, etc.

A.A. suggests that the alcoholic come up with a Higher Power of his or her own understanding as opposed to adopting, say, a specific version of the traditional Western god as described throughout the Bible. However, it is apparent throughout the literature that the god to which the program is referring IS indeed an anthropomorphic, personal god – very similar to most interpretations of the Bible God. Whether or not it’s technically true (and like so many other things, it depends on one’s perspective), Christians in the rooms of A.A. often assert that the twelve steps are indeed based on the Bible.

OK, let’s say a successful and convincing argument has been made that A.A. is not necessarily a Christian program, or a program belonging to any particular religion. There is another line of reasoning that’s much easier to swallow as far as A.A. being a truly religious program, and that is the argument that A.A. itself is a religion.

Anyone who has experienced years of A.A. meetings – if they are anything like the A.A. meetings in the Nashville or Atlanta areas – has experienced 12-step fundamentalism. A.A. fundamentalists seem to comprise a significant percentage of the whole. When A.A. fundamentalists share, they tend to imply (if not outright mandate) that A.A. and the 12 steps are the only way to experience a successful recovery from alcoholism and/or addiction. That is not much different from the standard religious fundamentalist view (e.g., Religion X is the only proper view; all other belief systems lead straight to hell).

In other words, A.A. fundamentalism is really just another form of religious fundamentalism; it won’t be accepted as truth on its face (verbatim) by the typical freethinker.

Fortunately, not all A.A.s are fundamentalists, and this makes A.A. appealing, enjoyable, enlightening, and even lifesaving to a wider range of folks. In fact, this is exactly why A.A. has been such a resounding success and continues to help millions around the globe. If all A.A.s were rigid fundamentalists, I’m guessing the program would not have been considered worthwhile by such a broad array of diverse believers, skeptics, and many in between.

Fundamentalist (n.): a person who believes that a given path is the one and only correct path and that this path should be followed instead of other competing paths, which are wrong and/or will not work as well; also, a person who believes in a relatively literal interpretation of the material being followed; a literalist.

[ Interesting essay: Why the "fundamentalist" approach to religion must be wrong ]

One of the problems with A.A. (and 12-step recovery programs in general) is that, from the viewpoint of the strict religious fundamentalist, the steps as written are heretical. That is, according to the beliefs of conservative Christian fundamentalists — those most likely to interpret the Bible in a literal or near-literal sense — the advice within the 12 steps represents heresy, since Jesus Christ is unnecessary.

Obviously, such views are rejected by freethinkers.

Possibly the greatest heresy in the A.A. dogma is this bit of idolatry: In the Alcoholics Anonymous program, you can use anything for your “God” or “Higher Power”. A.A. has lots of stories of people using a bedpan, a teacup, a doorknob, a stone, a teddy bear, a mountain, a motorcycle, or “Good Orderly Direction” for their “Higher Power”. You can pray to any Golden Calf, stone idol, or Higher-Powered item of Household Hardware that you like. You can even use your local A.A. group itself as your ‘God’ if you wish. One of the more ridiculous word redefinitions that A.A. offers us is, you can make the word “G.O.D.” mean “Group Of Drunks”. Source: Heresy of the Twelve Steps, Orange Papers

A.A. is NOT religious.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that A.A.. while being a spiritual program of sorts, is not a religious program.

The primary argument against Alcoholics Anonymous being religious stems from the book’s suggestion that the alcoholic establish in his own mind a higher power of his or her own understanding — as opposed to adopting the god of a specific, organized religion – the Protestant Church of Christ version of God, for instance.

But there is another much stronger, completely practical argument that A.A. is not religious – and that comes from taking a look at the diverse beliefs of actual, working A.A. groups in the real world.

Many non-religious groups have used the same 12-step program of recovery just as successfully as have religious groups. Atheist alcoholics, Buddhist alcoholics, and other secular, decidedly non-religious alcoholics and/or drug addicts, overeaters, and sex addicts have adopted or ported the 12-step program for their own use, and it has worked for them equally well as the unadulterated steps do for the religious.

There would also be thousands of Islam-based A.A. groups as well, except for one small detail: Alcohol and drug addiction is generally considered so taboo in many conservative Muslim areas that, in many cases, no official alcoholism, addiction, or recovery statistics even exist for Muslim populations (based on research performed around 2002, at least).

However, in reality, groups are comprised of individual people – and it is these individuals that are either religious or non-religious, regardless of the intent of A.A.’s founders or current group representatives or leaders.

So, what’s the bottom line? Is A.A. religious in nature, or isn’t it?

As it turns out, both sides have some interesting arguments. In the opinion of this writer, there’s not really an overwhelmingly clear “winner” either way.

The answer!

A.A. taken as a whole — as it was originally created — is technically a religious program.

If I had to designate Alcoholics Anonymous as either a religious program or a spiritual program, then I would have to say that – as it was written by the original G.O.D., or Group of Drunks (not by Bill W., who served mainly as the Big Book’s editor and not so much its author), and as I attempt to interpret what these old-school writers sought to convey – A.A. taken as a whole is technically a religious program.

Why do I say that A.A. is technically a religious program? Easy: Of the 12 steps, God is specifically mentioned (as “God”, “Him”, or “Power”) in six (6) of them.

Even though a God of your own understanding is sought, a Bible-type god (an anthropomorphic, personal god) is strongly and repeatedly implied by the language of the Big Book. This is very clearly in deference to Western, Judeo-Christian religious beliefs. And it is in spite of this fact that A.A. works equally well for the non-religious – including militant atheists, or even Satanists!

However, for a more practical answer – the real-life solution – one must dip below the surface. As many great spiritual teachers throughout history have taught, what really matters is not someone else’s view or interpretation of a given thing. What truly matters — in the deepest sense — is how YOU personally interpret the steps! In other words…

What is of supreme significance is how you – as a unique and powerful individual (a “piece of God,” in effect) – decide to interpret and apply the 12 steps and the related advice to fit your own personal belief system or worldview.

Note that I just referred to you – and everyone else – as a unique and powerful individual. How about that?! I did not say uniquely powerful or terminally unique. [ A.A. Dogma You Should Ignore: Coming later, perhaps... ]

The simple fact is that A.A. and the 12 steps have been adopted and used by wildly diverse groups, including Protestant Christian fundamentalists (the most common type of group in Nashville, TN, where this writer lives), Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, freethinkers, even hardcore atheists – and just about any other type of religious, spiritual, political, racial, or secular group you can possibly imagine – with roughly equal results. In other words, the actual supernatural belief system held by the addict or alcoholic, or the lack thereof, is not the deciding factor of success in recovery. (Nor are supernatural belief systems the deciding factor in other life endeavors.)

This may be difficult – or impossible – for some to accept, but that’s O.K.

We must conclude, then, that the most important, fundamental, working parts of A.A. – those factors that most often determine one’s success or failure – have absolutely nothing to do with any particular set of religious views, and everything to do with adopting a more socially and spiritually centered mindset.

Many of us — and you know who you are — are incredibly thankful on a daily basis that no religion is required for recovery!

Once again, it is the foundational set of basic, universal spiritual principles that holds the key — not any specific supernatural belief system.

The bliss of living by spiritual principles is within the grasp of everyone — and this should be wonderful news to all.

The reason there is no valid or broadly-accepted statistic for A.A.-based recovery or success rates is the same reason there isn’t a universally agreed-upon definition of “God”: it all boils down to semantics. These things depend wholly on one’s perspective.

For example, what are the precise parameters of a successful recovery? Any competent researcher can make a reasonable case for 12-step success or 12-step failure based on published studies, ranging from a high recovery rate of 25% (or so) or a very low recovery rate — even way down into negative success, or harm caused.

NOTE: In the cases of negative success, it has been shown that – instead of improvement – actual harm was caused by the 12-step program; that A.A. actually made things worse than before. I’ve seen those kinds of statistics more than once. They were probably prepared by non-objective individuals who don’t care for A.A. On the flip side, there are also plenty of unrealistic positive statistical results that attribute success rates higher than 5% or so to 12-step programs — and these were prepared by equally non-objective people who endeavor to portray A.A. — and 12-step programs in general — in a completely positive light.

Again, any statistical measurement of successful recovery depends on factors which turn out to be more subjective than factual… Semantics. Point of view. Perspective. Experience. The choice to use certain words and parameters to measure success or failure. And perhaps most importantly, it depends on what the researcher, seeker, or student is looking for. After all, we generally find what we are looking for; people find what they think about or dwell upon most of the time.

Yes, there’s the key! If you are intellectually honest, and if you persevere, then the program (or any program, for that matter) has a much higher chance of leading to recovery. If you say Yes, then yes – but if you say No, then perhaps not; after all, people tend to find what they are looking for, be it "good" or "bad". These terms are enclosed within quotes because such dualistic terms are only a matter of perspective, as Buddhists and other Eastern spirituals seem to comprehend better than Westerners.

If you believe in yourself – and if you are willing to permanently implement a more socially and spiritually centered lifestyle, then yes: Yes, you can. But if you’re not willing to connect with others – not willing to connect with Mother Nature, Universal Goodness, or a local group of drunks (G.O.D.) or addicts – then you may be in for a replay of that vicious cycle.

This is another version of a universal spiritual truth that can be stated in any number of ways. Henry Ford is given credit for one of the best ways to state this spiritual truth:

If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.