Pubdate: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 Source: Press Democrat, The (CA) Copyright: 2001 The Press Democrat Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/348 Website: http://www.pressdemo.com/ Author: Garry Bryan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prop36.htm (Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act) RELIGIOUS RECOVERY EDITOR: It has been clear to me for some time what the future of Proposition 36 will look like. It was on the front page photo of the May 27 Press Democrat ... people holding hands in prayer. Due to the lack of funds for treatment programs, the courts are going to order drug abusers into 12-step, Alcoholics Anonymous-type programs. Since federal court and California court have ruled AA is "religious" (O'Connor vs. Orange County and the State of California and California State Employees Association vs. The California Youth Authority), this erodes the separation of church and state and comes dangerously close to creating a state supported religion. Even worse, the courts fail to inform citizens of their right to refuse 12-step programs on religious grounds. There are no reliable records kept as to the long-term results of 12-step recovery programs despite the claims of AA and similar programs. The one thing that is certain, all treatment programs will tell you that even with a committed subject, sobriety may take several attempts before it takes. If you slip up, you go to jail. So much for compassion. There needs to be a recognition of true alternative methods of drug treatment, including Rational Recovery, emotional counseling, anti-depression/anti-anxiety treatment and even self-recovery. Many people quit on their own, but they are not tracked by any system so are invisible to the experts. The use of 12-step programs should be voluntary only and a part of a more comprehensive program. Garry Bryan, Santa Rosa - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk