Top 10 Best Alcoholics Anonymous Alternatives List

Top 10 Best Alcoholics Anonymous Alternatives List

Over the past few years, I have examined the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous and a lively discussion has followed these posts. AA is a group that many have very strong feelings about – both positive and negative. For some, AA has been a life-saver and allowed them to manage their addictions, while for others, the experience has not been as positive, and, in fact, has been quite horrible. Based on all of the heated discussions, I wanted to take a moment and provide information on the top 10 alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous and the other 12-Step programs that I have found on the internet for alcoholism and addiction support. I hope these will be helpful to those out there that are looking for a new (or additional) support group solution to managing your or a loved one’s addictive behaviors.

Listed in alphabetical order, they are:

Harm Reduction: A harm reduction program empowers people to choose their own goal—safer drinking, reduced drinking, or quitting. It engages people with realistic goals which they can actually accomplish, and does not label people as “diseased” or “alcoholic”.  HAMS views excessive drinking as a maladaptive coping strategy. There are 17 “elements” of HAMS, which you can do in any order, are optional, you get to pick and choose which ones work for you. Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies intended to reduce the negative consequences of high risk behaviors such as overdrinking or drug use. Harm reduction is a nonjudgmental approach that attempts to meet people “where they are at” with their drinking or drug use. Instead of demanding perfect abstinence, this pragmatic approach is supportive of anyone who wishes to minimize the harm associated with a high risk behavior such as drinking or drug use. HAMS offers information and support via a chat room, an email group and live meetings–as well is the articles on their web site

LifeRing Secular Recovery: LifeRing is a network of support groups for people who want to be free of alcohol and addictive drugs. They are a group for people who have learned through experience that the only solution that works is to abstain completely. They see the power to get clean and sober inside each person. Through the positive reinforcement of the group process, that power becomes dominant in each person and enables them to lead clean and sober lives. They believe that there are as many different ways to get clean and sober as there are alcoholics and addicts. Therefore, their approach to recovery emphasizes learning through experimentation. The basic LifeRing philosophy can be summed up in three words; Sobriety, Secularity and Self-Help. The website provides information about the group, including frequently asked questions, publications, an online forum area for support, and links to local meetings.

Moderation Management: Moderation Management (MM) is a behavioral change program and national support group network for people concerned about their drinking and who desire to make positive lifestyle changes. MM empowers individuals to accept personal responsibility for choosing and maintaining their own path, whether moderation or abstinence. MM promotes early self-recognition of risky drinking behavior, when moderate drinking is a more easily achievable goal. The website provides information about the organization as well as links to live meetings, online support options, and tools/publications for assessing and managing your drinking.

Pennsylvania Model:Pennsylvania Model is the use of medication, such as Naltrexone, which has been shown to suppress the intense craving to drink or use, in addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy and/or Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Alcohol abuse is treated as a bio-psycho-social condition, rather than a “spiritual disease”, where the physical component is treated with medication, which eliminates the physical cravings, so you can then deal with the psychological and social components of the addiction, changing the way you think about certain things and the social habits you spent your whole life developing. Assisted Recovery Centers of America (ARCA) was the first in the nation to offer a non 12-step program of recovery using this model.

Rational  Recovery: Rational Recovery is a worldwide source of counseling, guidance, and direct instruction on self-recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs through planned, permanent abstinence. The group believes that individuals are on their own in staying sober, so there are no meetings or treatment centers as part of the approach, nor is there any counseling, therapy, psychology or spirituality. The website provides information about the method (Addictive Voice Recognition Technique® (AVRT®)), frequently asked questions, free information for those trying to stay sober, as well as their families, and information about subscription based

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