A recent magazine article on Alternatives to 12-Step Addiction Recovery in “Social Work Today” magazine not only is the lead story for that issue, but features LifeRing as an organization and quotes Executive Director Robert Stump.
The article deals with the current situation faced by nearly everyone who seeks treatment for addiction: “there is something that many people in recovery will share as they progress through and out of treatment: They will be asked, if not required, to “work the steps.” Indeed, the process of recovery from addiction has been dominated in the United States by the 12-step method established with the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1935.”
The Article goes on to explain the appearance in recent decades of non-traditional recovery groups such as LifeRing. “These alternative groups historically have struggled to gain a significant following, but with the advent of new technologies and the rise of a new generation of people in treatment who want more control over their recovery, these groups believe the time has come for social workers and other behavioral health professionals to accept them as part of the mainstream continuum of recovery services.”
“A big part of what I believe in is choice,” says Robert Stump, executive director of LifeRing, a group based in Oakland, CA. “One shoe does not fit all people. Every day that goes by, there are more and more people who are demanding that choice. [Alternative groups] may not cater to a large section of the American public, but we do appeal to a subset of Americans, and professionals should be aware of that.”
The entire article, available Here, is very much worth reading
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