It can be easy to confuse Alcoholics Anonymous and alcohol rehab, but the two are actually worlds apart, and if you or someone close to you has a problem with alcohol, understanding the difference is extremely important.
For starters, AA is not a treatment, and has never been designed to be. Instead, it is a support group and one that is there to help people once they are already sober. On the other hand, alcohol rehab is very much a treatment and as such will show far better results. However, the results can also be misleading.
Experts believe that of those visiting AA, only between 8% and 10% manage to stay sober for any significant amount of time. On the other hand, rehab shows far higher statistical success. Yet, really, the most appropriate way to deal with any such addiction will be to look first at treatment and once that treatment has shown signs of success, to use a support group such as AA to help back up that treatment.
Therefore, it is not about alcohol detox in rehab being more successful than AA, but rather about understanding what role AA should play in any recovery process. Ultimately, the support group alone will produce far better results than someone trying to simply recover on their own without help but, ultimately, seeking actual treatment for such an addiction will be the best way to produce the most impressive results. Then, once a thorough alcohol detox has produced the results that are desired, AA will be there to ensure that an appropriate support network is available to all those who need it.
Ultimately, it is impossible to compare the two as they are totally different. However, understanding when to look at each is the best way to get the best results for anyone battling with alcohol.
