Chapter 45

The question may be asked, is AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) a true and legally valid form of “Group Therapy?” The official answer is, of course, NO. To be even more specific, AA group members (including sponsors) are not licensed therapists, the groups are not granted any state license, the groups have no legal surveillance, the groups are not given any clinical or hospital supervision, and accordingly there are no legal remedies to manage charges that could arise from malpractice, negligence, or wrongful guidance. And to be even more specific (and technical), any AA Group member that is not a licensed therapist is forbidden (ethically and legally) to provide personal psychological or therapeutic advice to anyone for any reason, even if well-intentioned.

An authentic and legally valid “Group Therapy” setting involves an educated, legally licensed therapist who interviews and screens the group participants in advance, leads the group direction and discussion topics, and requires a pre-set number of mandated group sessions. The goal of this therapy is to generate psychological insight and provide helpful instruction to assist behavioral changes in all group members. In this type of setting there is typically an avoidance of any discussion of spirituality, God, religion, or anything of the sort –and more of a focus on the psychology of change (which is helpful to anyone suffering from sensitive or traumatic issues). Anyone in recovery from drugs and/or alcohol will GREATLY benefit from this highly structured form of treatment in addition to regular attendance in AA meetings.

Now this brings up my next point: Is there any similarity or overlap between traditional Group Therapy sessions and AA meetings? The answer is, of course, sometimes yes. An AA Group, however, starts and ends every meeting with a prayer, reads “steps” to connect with God, and is specifically designed to urge all members to rely upon “a Power greater than themselves” to relieve their destructive alcoholic obsessions. AA is a spiritual program designed to lead attendees to a belief in a loving God and seeks to help members “clear away the wreckage” of their past rather than psycho-analyze it. AA Groups have no official leader (other than the chairperson who simply reads off the spiritual creeds), and as such, are not designed to be therapeutic in nature.

The Big Book of AA is about morals and spirituality, plain and simple. AA Group members share “their experience, strength, and hope” after “having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps” in order to “stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” AA meetings are about a spiritual program of recovery, NOT therapy, and when the lines are crossed, it creates problems. There is a danger in Group Therapy posing as an AA Meeting and vice-versa, though they are extremely similar in nature, because each has its place.