At CMC, we treat people struggling with substance use concerns, addictions, and other problematic or compulsive behaviors. Our non 12-Step approach empowers you with evidence-based tools and compassionate support to create lasting change. Our approach is meaningfully different from a 12-Step program approach. As you explore outpatient and residential treatment options, it is essential to ask about program philosophy to assess its compatibility with your goals, values, and beliefs.
Traditional 12-Step treatment approach
- Addiction is a lifelong disease that requires continuous management to overcome; abstinence from substances is the only path to recovery
- Identifying as an alcoholic or addict creates clarity of illness and joins as a
- member with other people with the same illness
- Behaviors are examined through the lens of “spiritual malady” and require reliance on a higher power to overcome
- All members are powerless over substances
CMC’s non 12-Step treatment approach
- Everyone struggling with substance use or other behavioral problems is different and will respond to different strategies as they make changes: One Size Does Not Fit All
- There are reasons why people use substances (because they work in some way!) and if those reasons are understood, new ways of coping can be developed: Behaviors Make Sense
- While we support the spiritual beliefs of the person seeking help, we are secular in our approach
- We separate the person from the behavior and use compassionate, science-backed, individualized behavioral strategies and an exploration of personal values to empower lasting change across many domains of life, including substance use
Traditional 12-Step treatment approach
- Abstinence-only - complete abstinence from all substances and problematic behaviors is the only path to recovery
- A “desire to stop drinking” is required
- Members are encouraged to count abstinence days as a way to monitor progress
CMC’s non 12-Step treatment approach
- Abstinence welcome - abstinence is welcome if helpful to the individual, but is not a compulsory goal. We support harm reduction and moderation goals and know that change happens when aligned with personal values
- All change goals are welcome. We know we need to meet people where they are and we know goals and motivation are fluid!
- Incremental positive changes are celebrated and the treatment focus is on building a rewarding and full life, not just addressing substance use
Traditional 12-Step treatment approach
- Attending 12-Step meetings
- Attending 90 meetings in 90 days (“90 in 90”) is typically encouraged in the beginning
- Members are encouraged to work the 12 Steps with a sponsor to stay sober
- Peer support only
- While supportive of members seeking professional help, many members are skeptical of medication for addiction treatment (MAT)
- Spiritual growth, making amends, and personal inventory are foundational
CMC’s non 12-Step treatment approach
- Licensed professionals deliver evidence-based practices like cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing to help increase motivation to make and sustain changes and share skills for improving overall quality of life
- Personalized one-on-one and, if appropriate, group therapy sessions tailored to each client's unique needs; frequency and duration is individualized
- Attention to and treatment of underlying issues that often drive the desire to use substances (trauma, anxiety, attentional issues, relationship problems, etc)
- We encourage peer support and community support groups if helpful but not required
- Close collaboration with outside support networks, such as psychiatry and other professionals; supportive of medications for addiction treatment and other mental health issues
- We are secular but support each client's religious and spiritual beliefs as an essential part of community and identity. Many of the evidence-based treatment strategies focus on the identification of personal values and identifying inconsistencies in values and behavior. The strategies all focus on relationship repair and enrichment.
Traditional 12-Step treatment approach
- Encourages attendance of fellowships such as Al-Anon, a 12-Step based program
- Believes in disease of co-dependency that requires continuous monitoring
CMC’s non 12-Step treatment approach
- Provides customized therapy and resources for family members as part of the treatment process where tools are evidence-based, including the Invitation to Change approach and CRAFT
- Family members are welcome to utilize a variety of self-help groups such as ITC, SMART for Friends and Family, Al-Anon, or other groups if they find them helpful
The 12-Step model is rooted in the belief that overcoming addiction requires surrendering to a higher power. This spiritual foundation permeates all aspects of the program, from the first step to ongoing recovery maintenance.
- Powerlessness & Spiritual Awakening: Members admit they have no power to change without the help of a higher power. The program aims to facilitate a spiritual transformation as the key to lasting recovery.
- Peer Fellowship: Regular attendance at meetings and engagement with a community of recovering individuals is central to the 12-step approach.
- Members identify as an “alcoholic” or “addict” and often share their “experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism”.
- Members follow specific steps and traditions that provide a path for recovery, including enlisting the support of a sponsor to work through the 12 Steps: “one alcoholic helping another”.
- Goal: Complete abstinence from addictive substances or behaviors. Counting one’s days of abstinence is standard to show one’s progress. All members are equal in the need to work through the steps and remain sober to be in recovery from the disease of addiction.
The 12-Step model has undeniably helped millions achieve long-term recovery and find solace in their journey. Its widespread availability and cost-effectiveness have made it a cornerstone of addiction recovery for decades.
As you explore treatment programs, it is worth asking if they are 12-Step based on their treatment philosophy. If a program is 12-Step based, treatment will likely include the following expectations or, in some programs, mandates:
- The goal of complete abstinence from all addictive substances or behaviors
- Restrictions on medications that are mood-altering, such as stimulants or benzodiazepines, even if prescribed by an MD.
- Restrictions on essential medications for addiction treatment (MATs) such as Buprenorphine and other opioid replacement medications, Antabuse, etc. Even if allowed, there is often subtle messaging from providers that being on these medications is not “real” sobriety.
- Expectation of 12-Step meeting attendance. Clients are often expected to begin working the 12 Steps with a sponsor.
- Treatment can sometimes focus on making amends and starting a personal inventory as part of the recovery process.
- Family members are typically encouraged to attend their own 12-Step program such as Al-anon or a corresponding program to address their “disease of codependency”.
As you explore outpatient and residential treatment programs, it can be crucial to understand the philosophy and inherent expectations of the treatment providers, as these will shape the treatment you receive.
Our approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, psychological research, and a holistic view of behavior change and individual well-being. We recognize that behavior change is a personal journey that can take many forms. Some of our clients come to us wanting to abstain from substances, while others are unsure about their goals. Many of our clients have abstinence goals for one behavior or substance and moderation or harm reduction for another. Our motivational and skills-based approach will help you identify and work towards your own, unique goals.
Research shows that substance use is like any other behavior: it exists because it provides some meaningful benefit to the individual. The behavior makes sense in some way and, more often than not, is an understandable attempt to self-medicate underlying psychological issues that need to be addressed. Understanding this, our clinical psychologists and master’s level clinicians work with clients to understand the underlying reasons driving their substance use and help them find healthier ways to meet their needs. We view substance use as one of many, ultimately unhelpful, behaviors that humans develop and which are reinforced over time.
It is important to note that we are very supportive of 12-Step participation. We see it as a great sober activity and many of our clients and employees benefit significantly from the 12-Step community! However, we believe--as treatment providers--that we should be providing you with gold standard treatments that are backed by modern science, which simply cannot be accessed at a 12-Step meeting. We are also trained in harm reduction approaches and strongly believe there are many paths to living a healthy life in alignment with your values.
We believe in fostering personal agency and self-efficacy in our clients and their families.
Our treatment techniques are the gold standards in substance use and mental health care. Our clinicians receive extensive training and ongoing supervision to ensure we use the protocols and treatment approaches effectively. CMC employs highly trained and skilled clinicians who treat and support every client according to their individual needs.
If you decide to seek treatment at CMC, you can expect the following with our non 12-Step approach:
- Holistic Assessment: To get a complete picture of your unique situation, we help you reflect on your strengths and challenges in all areas of your life, including substance use and behavioral issues like gambling and gaming, relationships, work, and mental and physical health. Treatment is tailored to your specific needs, likely addressing a wide range of interconnected issues.
- Treatment focuses on helping you develop a more fulfilling life because this is often more successful than only stopping unwanted behaviors. Our therapists use relational, motivational, and cognitive behavioral therapy strategies to help clients identify their values and goals and learn to use skills to achieve them. Our clinicians help you develop the ability to stay on course with your goals, even (and especially!) when faced with challenges or setbacks.
- Family members are included in the treatment of those struggling with compulsive behaviors to create a supportive environment that fosters meaningful and lifelong change using our evidence-based Invitation to Change® (ITC) approach.
- Since building a community is often key to successful behavior change, we encourage the exploration of various self-help options including SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, Dharma Recovery, Women in Recovery, in addition to AA-based 12-Step meetings.
At CMC, we recognize the value that 12-Step programs have brought to so many individuals' recovery journeys. However, we also understand the 12-Step philosophy doesn't resonate with or work for everyone. Our goal is to provide effective, personalized treatment options that can work with or without 12-Step involvement. We believe in empowering our clients to find a recovery path that aligns with their personal beliefs, values, and needs, while equipping them with evidence-based tools to build a meaningful, fulfilling life beyond addiction.
As you explore residential or outpatient treatment options, there are a few additional key differences between 12-Step based treatment programs and non 12-Step programs like CMC.
Speak with a Member of Our Initial Consultation Team
ADDICTION AS A DISEASE PERSPECTIVE
12-Step programs view addiction as a disease that lasts a lifetime and advocate continuous management and abstinence to maintain sobriety. They use terms like alcoholism and conceptualize it as a mental obsession and physical allergy. They believe “alcoholics” are distinctly different from other people.
CMC’s non 12-Step programs recognize that substance use falls on a continuum that ranges from unproblematic to problematic to destructive. For most people, change is a gradual process that involves weighing the costs and benefits of a behavior like substance use and then deciding to try to make a change, usually incrementally, until the problem behavior is resolved. For some, this can result in successful moderation. For others, abstinence is the only way to eliminate the negative effects of their use. The bottom line: it’s a very individualized problem that is different for different people, and each person will have unique solutions that work.
How you and the people you care about feel about the behaviors you hope to change matters. We want to help you discover and understand how your life experiences contributed to it becoming a behavior you turn to and help you identify alternative behaviors and strategies aligned with your values and goals. We want to help you understand underlying coping difficulties, emotional vulnerabilities, and most importantly, the strengths, interests, and supports in your life (including your friends and family) that can help you make the lasting changes you hope to make.
ABSTINENCE VS. MODERATION
12-Step approaches promote total abstinence from all substances. The terms describing this state are usually “sober”, “in recovery”, and “clean”. They don’t support moderation since they believe that a person struggling with substance use (called a “true” or “real” “addict” or “alcoholic”) is powerless over all drugs and alcohol and will relapse if they don’t quit completely forever.
At CMC, we don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach. We tailor our solutions to each client's personal goals and needs, offering support for abstinence, moderation, and harm reduction goals. What someone does with our recommendations and options is fully up to them, and we work with people to meet them wherever they are in terms of motivation and goals.
IDENTITY PERSPECTIVE
In the 12-Step model, participants are expected to identify as alcoholics and addicts. They admit powerlessness over substances and believe that there is only one treatment for addiction: complete abstinence. Addiction is an essential and lasting part of one’s identity.
At CMC, our non 12-Step programs take a different approach. We view our clients as individuals facing the challenge of substance use, which can be overcome with a variety of different strategies and lifestyle changes. We see substance use problems and other compulsive behaviors for what they are: complex biopsychosocial conditions that can improve with help.
Research has not found evidence to support the idea that all substance users are the same or that they respond to the same strategies as they work to change their lives. People come to their substance problems from all directions and for all sorts of reasons, and get through these problems in different ways.
Labels like “addict” are loaded with negative associations, impacting how we feel about people and how we treat them, and how people feel about themselves and their ability to change. Our clients are welcome to self-identify with these labels as they see fit, but we do not use them because research shows they are harmful and perpetuate stigma.
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
In general, 12-Step approaches focus on a one-size-fits-all message: complete sobriety is the only way to recover from the disease of addiction.
At CMC, we know that people get better in different ways. We work with each client to identify and implement strategies to help them make significant life changes. We believe “recovery” will likely look very different for different people. We celebrate any way someone has made their life more fulfilling, steady, and aligned with their values.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
12-Step programs offer support groups for families but with less personalization and involvement in the treatment process. Al-Anon and Alateen are the sister fellowships to AA. Nar-Anon is the family support model for NA. Members are encouraged to get a sponsor to work on the 12-Steps to address their disease of codependency.
CMC provides therapy and evidence-based resources for family members as part of our treatment. We recognize that each client and their family is unique, and we tailor family involvement to meet the client’s unique needs. We know that families can play a crucial role in helping their loved ones, regardless of where they are in their substance use, when given the right tools and strategies.
OUR BOOKS
Our Co-founders and team have pioneered effective, evidence-based approaches for decades. They have authored the award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, and its companion The Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family and Friends: Evidence-Based Skills to Help a Loved One Make Positive Change. These resources are integral to our approach to empowering families to support their loved ones.
