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“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.”
“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” These words are found in what is known in AA as ‘The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous’. The program of Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual program based on simple spiritual principles, adopted from the Oxford Christian Group, which Bill W. was a member of prior to the formation of AA.The Oxford Group addressed life problems concerning poverty, unemployment, and the issues that people were faced with during the Great Depression; however, the group did not properly address the hardships faced by the alcoholic. Hence, spirituality, not religion, is the foundation which recovery is built on; yet many use their religion as the basis of their spirituality.
All addiction treatment facilities use the 12-Step program developed and explained in the Big Book. The steps and the Big Book refer to a ‘Higher Power’, ‘a God of our understanding’, or simply ‘God’ as the gateway towards lasting recovery. It also states that no human power could relieve one of their alcoholism. There is even a chapter on the agnostic, one who doubts that God exists, which states that alcoholism is a disease “. . . which only a spiritual experience will conquer” (Alcoholic Anonymous, 1939).
With that said, it is apparent that religion’s role in addiction recovery is paramount, when the aspect of religion being one’s path to spirituality is recognized. How addiction treatment centers apply religion in their programs could be a stumbling block to lasting recovery.
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