Month: September 2024

Critiquing Success: The Irony of 12 Step Attacks

At CORE, we stand by Bill Wilson’s belief that our foremost responsibility is to provide newcomers with a thorough presentation of the 12 Step program. This mission lies at the very heart of our work.

CORE’s purpose is to guide individuals toward lasting freedom from the chains of substance abuse. We do more than offer a support group or temporary refuge; we lead clients on a comprehensive and transformative journey that has been tried and proven for more than eight decades. The 12 Step program, recognized as the gold standard in recovery, continues to be the most effective evidence-based method for achieving long-term sobriety. Its success is not only reflected in countless individual stories but also substantiated by consensus scientific research.

Our commitment extends beyond guiding clients through their recovery journeys.  We also feel a deep responsibility to stay informed about the latest literature on addiction and recovery, especially perspectives and critiques of the 12 Steps. These viewpoints have the potential to influence the recovery paths of our clients.

Many potential clients approach CORE burdened by more than just addiction. They often carry a complex history of previous treatment experiences—having cycled through multiple rehabs, hospitals, and sessions with physicians and counselors. Along the way, they’ve gathered various pieces of information—some helpful, some benign, and others potentially harmful—that shape their beliefs and attitudes toward recovery.

In this article, we aim to address two particularly misleading and harmful claims about the 12 Steps: that they are “not evidence-based” and that they have been shown to be ineffective in helping anyone recover. Such misinformation can be deadly if it steers people away from the most effective recovery program available.

What could motivate someone to make such claims? More often than not, it’s to promote and sell an alternative approach to recovery. Substance abuse treatment has become big business in America, with the federal government alone spending over $44 billion last year on prevention and treatment programs. Desperate people are willing to spend money, lots of money, and there is a large industry out there responding to that demand.  Steering persons in need away from the 12 Steps has become a common business practice.

Take, for example, the “harm reduction” people who assure addicts that they can smoke marijuana daily and still be exemplary parents, or even maintain a heroin addiction while being loving and responsible spouses.  For addicts who find life without drugs intolerable, such overtures appear to be an attractive, easier and softer alternative to working the 12 Step program, which leads to abstinence.  Telling potential customers that the 12 Steps are scientifically suspect, or not evidence-based, becomes part of the sales pitch.

Egregiously, such criticism also comes from credentialed persons who should know better.  One example is Harvard professor Lance Dodes.  Dodes published a book, The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12 Step Programs, specifically intending to challenge and discredit the 12 Steps.  We use his work as an example precisely because it illustrates irresponsible and misleading claims.  

At the outset, Dodes claims that the 12 Steps have been in use for decades “despite the absence of any scientific evidence of the approach’s efficacy, and we have been on the wrong path ever since.”  These are bold claims, and Dodes makes the mistake of relying on Cochrane Systematic Reviews as the lynchpin for his entire argument.

Such reliance inadvertently highlights the dangers of making unfounded claims.  The irony is striking, since he plays his reliance on Cochrane to full effect, telling the reader “Yet one group exists solely to sort through the glut of studies and help caregivers tune out poorly designed or reported research.”  That one group is Cochrane, whose mission “is quite simply to focus only on studies with proper protocols and minimal bias and to assemble the strongest data.”  Cochrane’s goal, he says, “is to vet all the science out there and tell us what can actually be verified.”

After making this dramatic introduction, Dodes then cites a Cochrane study. Yet, after his book’s publication, Cochrane released a definitive study finding the exact opposite of Dodes’ main premise. Cochrane found that programs designed to increase AA participation “lead to higher rates of continuous abstinence over months and years, when compared to other active treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy”!   

Cochrane’s findings completely undermine Dodes’ central argument, discrediting his book from the very beginning. We think his failure to anticipate the subsequent, definitive study calls into question his motives—was he genuinely interested in contributing to the recovery discussion, or was he simply trying to discredit a program that has helped millions, simply to promote his own?

As the book progresses, Dodes also failed to recognize Cochrane’s critique of its prior review, which pointed out a lack of “quantity and quality” in earlier studies. One wonders how Dodes could have missed that.  The omission is so significant that it casts doubt on Dodes’ entire endeavor.

By his own admission, Dodes is bound to the standards of rigorous scientific inquiry. However, in light of the undisputable evidence supporting the effectiveness of the 12 Steps, his criticisms are not just misleading—they’re disingenuous. Ignoring the substantial body of research that affirms the 12 Steps as a proven and effective path to recovery turns out to be a grave injustice to those seeking help.

In light of the foregoing, CORE reaffirms its commitment to providing our clients with the most effective, evidence-based therapy available. The 12 Steps, far from being outdated or unsupported by science, remain the gold standard in recovery, with the imprimatur of Cochrane Systematic Reviews affirming their superiority over other treatments. 

Although we specifically criticize Dodes’ book here, others certainly make these same specious claims about the 12 Steps, and all of them are doing a grave disservice to those evaluating treatment options. At CORE, clients who want evidence-based therapy can rest assured that the 12 Steps offer not just evidence-based support but the best and most comprehensive recovery approach available today. Our clients deserve nothing less.

Brandi Blom: From CORE Client to Re-Store Manager, a Memorable Journey

Meet Brandi Blom! When we sat down to interview Brandi, we didn’t expect to get a history lesson about the CORE Re-Store. By the time our meeting came to a close, we were very glad she agreed to share her story. Suffice it to say, when Brandi helped open our CORE Re-Store, the world was a different place. George W. Bush was still President of the United States, the Apple iPhone had yet to make its debut, and Bob Barker was still hosting The Price Is Right. That was March, 2007.

Times have certainly changed, but one thing has remained constant: Brandi’s dedication to growing the Re-Store from its humble beginnings into a major community resource. She’s been at the helm of the store for many years now, guiding its evolution from a small thrift store into a bustling operation with multiple locations and a range of essential services. Under her management, the Re-Store now boasts retail sites in Hollister and Branson, along with warehouses in Springfield and Branson. Its trucks travel far and wide, securing high-quality furniture, housewares, and home/office furnishings that fill the shelves and floors of its stores.

As the store manager, Brandi’s responsibilities are vast and varied.

As an example, the Re-Store is charged with furnishing every room of nineteen (19) residential facilities in Southwest Missouri – bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and baths – with everything needed to make these places livable for CORE’s residential community of more than 200 persons.  But that’s just the beginning.

The Re-Store also extends its charitable reach to members of the Tri-Lakes communities. Brandi proudly shares, “When CORE clients come in, we get them established with clothes and anything else they could possibly need.” The Re-Store also supports local mental health clinics, providing essential items to their clients in need. “A case manager may say the client needs this or that, and they’re on a fixed income. If it’s something we can help with, we normally do,” Brandi explains. She also ensures that toiletries and other necessities are kept in stock for those in between living accommodations who seek out CORE’s assistance.

Additionally, the Re-Store maintains a vital medical equipment lending program, offering items free of charge and without time limits. “The hospital and health clinics use us on a regular basis,” Brandi notes. “We have items that we lend out for no charge. That’s an important resource for the local community to have.”

The Re-Store’s impact extends even further through partnerships with local school districts, providing furniture and other essentials to families and students in need. Brandi specifically told us about a recent project where the Re-Store furnished a “simulated apartment” for the Branson School District. This innovative space was created to allow students to practice independent living skills, preparing them for life after graduation.

Every year, the Re-Store also teams up with the Hollister School District for a special holiday event: the Christmas Blessing Store.  At the store, set up at the school district, participating families shop for free and are blessed with household goods, toys, and clothing. Last year alone, one out of every five children in the school district benefitted from this event.

Beyond these community-focused initiatives, the Re-Store also offers a wide range of department store items at its locations, from furniture and household goods to clothing, accessories, and books. It’s a vibrant, bustling environment that serves as both a retail hub and a charitable resource, all under Brandi’s careful management.

Brandi’s journey with the Re-Store began on the very day it opened. A year later, she became the store manager. “A lot has changed since then,” she reflects.  

Indeed, early on the Re-Store began liquidating hotels and resorts, and that’s when things started to take off.   Although requiring continuous planning and resources, it significantly boosted the store’s growth.  “I don’t know of any other operation in the county that does what we do,” Brandi says. “Our objective is not to wholesale it to other hotels; we’re offering items for resale to the community, which goes to benefit CORE’s mission.”

In 2020, the Re-Store experienced a significant growth spurt. Brandi recalls, “Gary [Osborn] was in Colorado liquidating a resort there. That’s when Cary [McKee] found the building for our Hollister store. They brought me over here and asked, what do you think? I said, I think it’s perfect. That was July, and we moved over in October. It was just a few months before Covid hit. I’m really glad they bought it when they did, because what Gary was doing in Colorado ended up filling every inch of the warehouse.”

Brandi sums up her time at the Re-Store as follows, “There’s been a lot of growing, a lot of adjustments, for the most part, and it’s been a pretty smooth path upward.  There’s always growing pains.”  She’s quick to acknowledge the support of her team and volunteers, especially Mila Lane and Mandy McClean, who have been volunteers with the Re-Store for many years. She also credits Gary Osborn, CORE’s Operations Manager, for his oversight and guidance throughout the journey.

But our interview with Brandi covered more than just her professional achievements.  Brandi also has a personal story of recovery. Years ago, Brandi and her husband Jeremy were clients of CORE themselves.  As a young couple with two children, their lives were derailed by drug use while building their first house. “We lived in a trailer with the kids and decided we were going to build a house,” Brandi explains. “But when we started building, we started using meth[amphetamines] every day and stayed up all night to work on the house. It never got done because we were high. We’d build and then start taking it apart. It was just a mess,” she says.  

Legal troubles soon followed. Brandi got arrested and discovered that meth had become a real problem for her.  To her dismay, she also found out that she was unable to stop taking drugs – she was powerless.  Her mother came for her children, and her probation officer gave her a stark choice: rehab or jail. 

Brandi chose rehab and went to the Larry Simmering Center in Branson.  Then she called CORE. She didn’t have a penny to her name at that point, only a strong desire to get well.  She committed to working the 12 Step program and began her path to recovery. Jeremy followed, and together, they rebuilt their lives.

Today, Brandi and Jeremy have four children. Their oldest son is a welder with two children of his own, their two daughters are college students studying to become a teacher and a nurse, and their youngest is still in high school. The couple also owns Tri-Lakes Pest Control, a service company that keeps Jeremy busy, while Brandi continues to manage the Re-Store. They make their home in Kirbyville.

After all these years, Brandi has become more than just a fixture at CORE—she’s an institution in her own right. Her unwavering dedication and the caring she brings to the Re-Store everyday have made her more than a leader.  She’s become a beloved sister within our CORE family. We are incredibly proud of the life she and Jeremy have built together, and the inspiring example they set for our clients and the entire community. With everything Brandi has accomplished, we are excited to see what the future holds for her, knowing that her impact will continue to grow and inspire us all!