Humanism and being drug-free and sober (in this essay, "sober" will also refer
to drug-free)
At some point many people (about 10% of adults) come to a point where they should stop doing
one or more particular drugs or chemicals like alcohol. If they have trouble stopping, this is
generally seen as "addiction". Unfortunately, for most people a symptom of addiction is their denial
of their problem. Usually a friend, a family member, counselor, the courts,or employer (or several
of any of these) tell(s) the person they have to stop. If the addict is lucky, they listen to the advice
and try to stop what they are doing. Sometimes, but not always and perhaps not in most cases, an
inpatient treatment facility is needed for a while. The length of treatment one needs interestingly
usually coincides with the duration for which insurance will pay.
At least for the early months of sobriety, ongoing support is very helpful. The most well-known and
available approaches for this support come in the shape of twelve-step groups. The most famous
of these groups is Alcoholics Anonymous or AA, Twelve-step groups help a lot of people but many
people don't realize that many of the steps involve a god. For example, the first "step" is admitting
that only a god can help them. Some humanists can just ignore the parts they don't like and get by
in these groups. Individual groups may or may not be accepting of members who do that. Most
aren't or else have members who aren't and continue to emphasize that religion is an essential
part of a sober life.
There are alternatives to twelve step groups. Unfortunately they are not as common as AA or even
NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and may involve some travel. Sometimes they have forums on the
internet which can be as helpful as actually being at a group. I've known people who go to AA but
then to the alternative groups to help "keep their sanity". The small return they get from the AA
meeting helps them stay clean for another day. Also there are some really nice people in AA. It
seems most people are a lot nicer when they are clean and sober. If they aren't pushy about
religion, they can be good friends and helpful in sobriety.
Click here to learn more about these humanist sobriety groups