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Does sending people to AA, along with government and university support for AA programs, violate our freedom of religion in America?
For those of you unfamiliar with the AA program, it takes alcoholics and drug addicts, and puts them on a 12 step program to wellness.
The first step, is admiting that you are completely powerless over your addiction to alcohol, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
The second step is to accept, that since you have no power over your addiction, you must appeal to a higher power, or god, in order to overcome your addiction.
Let me repeat, in case you don't understand. A government supported, university encouraged, and doctor approved program for treating people who like to drink too much, begins, by telling you the only person who can help you, is god.
In the words of Doug Stanhope "There is no such thing as addiction. There are just things you enjoy doing, more than being alive". When the federal government tells you that you must undergo a rehabilitative program, because you engaged in a behavior they found destructive... And, that rehabillitative program tells you "You're not strong enough to deal with this, you need god". Has the federal government violated your right to pursue the religion of your choice?
Should religion, be allowed to advertise itself, as "alcoholism treatment"?
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pat gilbert 50+
If the guy is ordered to do this as part of a sentence his rights are gone as he is in effect a prisoner. Prisoners also cannot vote, determine what they are going to do, eat, schedule, etc.
If it works I don't have a problem with it. I don't agree with the idea that they are powerless as that is akin to saying you have to do something and you can't do something.
Prisoners have been determined to be a liability to society therefore their rights to determine what they will do is taken away as it should be.
By the way, 80% of the prisoners are drug addicts in the U.S. , something is out of whack with the jurisprudence of this subject.
David Hamilton 50+
80% of the prisoners are drug addicts in the US, because we are one of the only first world countries who put people in jail for non violent drug crimes, especially possession. Having a religion based sobriety program, with 0 proven efficacy probably isn't helping though.
pat gilbert 50+
But a DUI is a felony, it is not nothing so if they error in forcing them to take care of themselves I'm cool with that.