I’m pretty well acquainted with how AA works through my ex-husband, who has somewhere around 25 years. He’s been sponsored by women, and he’s sponsored women. Sponsees get used by their sponsors all the time — manual labor for the sponsor in the name of service is an example. A lot of people in AA/NA have significant life experience lying and manipulating, so that’s hardly a surprise. I really think the programs depend on the area you’re in as well as what group — some “police” more than others. And also, in smaller communities there aren’t a lot of sponsors to go around, especially as you accumulate more birthdays. But probably the biggest point is that both of the Dexter characters are manipulative sociopaths — and the viewers know Dexter made up the whole addiction thing, so you know up front this isn’t working a 12-step program.

Luckily, opiates were not my drug of choice. But I have quite a few friends who were and they detoxed the House way. I am glad to hear that it is not so medieval but my friends still talk about their detox years later and, at least for them, it has served as a very powerful deterrent. I have a friend whose son, a heroin addict, detoxed using Subutex and Suboxone. She didn’t think the detox with these drugs was tough enough. Her son would use them to get clean for awhile, then go back at it. I know the Naloxone in Suboxone is supposed to prevent abuse but there are still those addicts who will crush and snort it instead of under the pill under the tongue. I have heard of medical detox but have never known anyone who medically detoxed with anesthesia. I would be interested in the short and long-term recidivism rates. Going to sleep and addict and waking up clean….hmmmm…might not convince me that my addiction was that bad. Also, I have to believe it is pretty expensive and might exclude a lot of addicts who don’t have the money or insurance.

Rapid opiate detox runs anywhere from $15 to $20 thousand dollars, and should never be done outside of a hospital setting. Insurance companies consider the procedure experimental despite the fact that it has been performed for well over 10 years. The Waismann Institute has performed over 6000 of these procedures and the doctor’s there were trained in the method by the founder of the method, Dr. Andre Waismann. The horror stories that have surfaced about the procedure resulted from performing it in less than adequate surroundings, and/or done by unqualified doctors.

Unfortunately, the cost is prohibitive for the bulk of narcotic and benzodiazepine addicts that could benefit from the procedure. Coupled with a solid aftercare plan, including counseling, the success rate is rather high. However, as with all methods of treatment for drug addiction, failure rates increase after the one year mark. The problem isn’t in the detox procedures, it is the treatment after detox and the addict’s continued participation in an ongoing recovery plan.

I am an addict that shot heroin for 36 years until waking up one day in 2004. In fact, as a substance abuse counselor in the 1990′s at an inpatient facility in Detroit, I once thought I was cured of my addiction. lol. Now I spend my time writing about substance abuse issues on Examiner.com, and eHow.com, as well as trying to get the book I wrote, Crash Test Addict, published. I have a passion for helping people overcome issues with substance abuse, no matter what they are.

http://bit.ly/1U4wca

LARRY: I HATE TO CENSURE YOUR LAST COMMENT. PROFANITY IS NOT ALLOWED. RATHER THAN NOT POSTING IT AT ALL, I HAVE TAKE THE LIBERTY TO EDIT THE PROFANITY FROM YOUR LAST COMMENT. BELOW IS YOUR ENTIRE COMMENT SANS PROFANITY…

I think the weaving of the program into these shows is more a comment on the total ignorance of our society and total lack of knowledge and mis-information for any 12 step program.

It’s 2011 and society still has no clue as to the disease model of addiction. It’s still not recognized as a disease by most even though the American Mediacl Association has recognized alcoholism as a disease for decades; just like cancer, diabetes or MS.

It truly is a dis-service to the program but it really is not since society at large has little clue as to what we do and who we are. In other words, it’s impossible to create dis-service when there originally is no “service.”

The thing it really portrays is all of the non-alcoholics or addicts that are pouring into the rooms of our various programs today. They are sent by the courts, they are sent by the judges and the police and the parole officers and really have no business or right to be in an AA meeting or any other kind of meeting so what you get is a total amorphous blob of (*).

If you have a desire to stop drinking or using and want to stop for good you can be a member. Obviously neither Dextie or Lila were alcoholics or addicts so had no business in that NA meeting. Obviously no one in that meeting QUALIFIED either of them. I would have walked up to Dextie and said “Hi Dextie, are you an addict? What is your drug of choice? How often do you use drugs? How long have you been using drugs?” I would have instantly known he was not an addict in the sense of an NA meeting and would have said “you have no drug addiction history now get the (*) out of the meeting—you don’t belong here.”

If it was an “open” NA meeting he can attend BUT only as an observer. He does not get to share. The guideline is that we do not allow non-addicts to share at NA meetings because they have NOTHING TO SHARE that pertains to drug addiction.

Does that make sense? Of course it does.

The portrayl in these shows is farcical. It si for entertainment purposes.

People that are working a program do not lie, cheat and steal. Men sponsor men and woman sponsor woman and the most (*) up relationship humanly possible is two addicts or two alcoholics hooking up. It ALWAYS has disasterous outcomes.

Yes there are exceptions but for every 100 I have witnessed…100 blow apart and many times one or both of the parties winds up very drunk.

The writing is more of a spoof on the 12 steps. As a long term sober person it is disgusting to watch. Lives depend on these programs; to make spoof of it is truly truly disgusting.