There are people today who want to get treatment for their addiction without the use of religion. Despite the fact that religious types of addiction recovery has been proven useful to some, many people still choose an alternative. If you intend to go for an alternative treatment that’s different from what is offered in Alcoholics Anonymous, you may want to attend a non-12-step recovery treatment.
The Non 12-Step Rehab Program you can attend today will help you focus both on physical therapies as well as your self-esteem without using religion as part of the modules. In fact, it may be safe to say that Non-12-Step Addiction Recovery Treatment has no formal and fixed definition. It merely means that its procedures, sessions and treatment modules don’t abide by the traditional 12-step Program Rehabs in various states. What makes the Non-12-Step Program more holistic is the fact that its treatment process focuses on the individual’s varied and specific needs, issues and concerns. It’s not a template program that will have the same format that everyone else undergoing the program will use.
Whether you decide to go for a non-12-step rehab or go for the standard 12-step addiction program, you should explore first all your options before finally picking the right one. Despite case studies showcasing both programs’ effectivity, most people prefer going for a recovery program that suits them best. These people also achieve a higher rate of positive progress and sustained sobriety if they decide for the treatment that’s best suited to their specific needs.
What Is Non 12 Step Program?
What makes Non 12 Step Programs different from their counterpart is the fact that they incorporate scientific treatment that has proven evidence and results backed up by rigorous research and empirical data. Through the recovery programs in rehab centers that use the Non 12 Step approach, a patient can completely receive the suited counseling and group talk therapy that’s best suited for them. They’ll also have easy access to well-established recovery programs that include meditation and yoga.
It’s also reassuring for patients to know that the Non-12-Step Rehab programs today have an emphasis on mental illness as the cause of the addiction. Sometimes, these mental illnesses co-occur with a patient’s addiction, creating a harmful cycle that’s hard to remedy without therapy. It’s important to address first these mental issues before undergoing any treatment. Otherwise, the patients may lead themselves to a dangerous place. With the treatment facilities and programs from a Non 12 Step Program, both of these issues will be addressed, and the patients will be enlightened about the core mental illness that may be causing the addiction.
Non 12 Step vs 12 Steps
In the interest of fairness, both programs have their special strengths and benefits that cater to the patients’ varied needs. However, to know which one works best for a certain type of individual, an in-depth look at each program will be necessary. Some of the effective and practical benefits of 12 Step programs today include:
They’re easy to find. Almost everywhere you go, there’s a rehab program that offers the 12 Step Approach.
They’re popular, which means that there will be many people who can vouch for how effective 12 Step Programs are.
They’re convenient. The 12 Step Programs available today can even be part of anyone’s aftercare program when they leave the rehab facility. The fact that the patients can monitor themselves to stick to this program after rehab means that it’s easy enough to follow even without supervision.
However, the disadvantages of these programs may offset their benefits. Some of these disadvantages include:
Questionable success rate: studies will show that these programs have a lower success rate than advertised. While these numbers are not accurate and increasingly put into question, the 12 step programs today still have some weak spots that make people go for their alternatives.
The fact that 12 Step Programs are mostly voluntary makes it not as medically proven as its alternative. There’s no medical professional that’s strictly overseeing the entire rehab process because most of the time, only volunteers who have no medical background will look into the patients’ treatment. This means that the patients may not be getting the most advanced and evidence-based remedy that they deserve.
On the other hand, the benefits of the Non 12 Step Programs today include:
Dual Diagnosis support, which means that the professionals who are overseeing the treatment understand the need to integrate mental health and psychological studies into the treatment process. Without considering the mental illness factor in the treatment, there’s a higher chance for the patients to experience a relapse.
Professional counseling is also a top priority in a Non 12 Step program, which means that only licensed psychologists and therapists will monitor your treatment. Their evidence-based research will also be the foundation for giving you the scientifically proven strategies for a holistic recovery.
For the disadvantages, some of them are:
Non 12 Step Rehab Centers are rare, and you may find it difficult to find one near you. There’s not a lot of centers across states that offer this type of approach, compared to the programs that use the standard framework of 12 Step programs.
Distance is also another big issue in undergoing a Non 12 Step Program. Because of its rarity, people will have a hard time traveling to a rehab center that offers a Non 12 Step Approach.
Types of Non 12 Step Programs
You can find numerous types of non-religious and non-12 step programs today, but one of the most well-known right now would be the SMART recovery treatment. This type of approach focuses on the person’s ability and power to control the addiction and the ways to empower a patient’s coping mechanism skills. People who want to learn ways to overcome the addiction without sticking to a step-by-step process would find the SMART Recovery a more accessible and more practical alternative.