Charlie Sheen's Anti-AA Comments Dangerous for Addicts

By Jo Piazza Posted Feb 28th 2011 10:00PM

Charlie Sheen is apparently at war with the world. He's at war with CBS, with Chuck Lorre and most interesting with Alcoholics Anonymous and formalized rehabilitation programs. The latter is a war that Charlie firmly believes he is winning.

In his interview with the 'Today' show, Sheen railed that he has rejected the "fiction" of Alcoholics Anonymous and their "5 percent success rate."

He purports that he has created his own program that he calls Sober Valley Lodge in his own home, and he won't allow AA to have anything to do with it.

When asked how he cured himself of his drug addiction (which may be questionable at this point), Sheen replied, "I closed my eyes and made it so with the power of my mind. I had to unload 22 years of fiction and just decided I don't believe that anymore." He called the handbook of Alcoholics Anonymous "a silly book written by a broken-down fool who is a plagiarist."

Addiction experts are worried that Sheen's continued "war" against professional treatment will deter addicts who do need real help from seeking it.

"Charlie Sheen could be doing a lot of harm by making statements about curing his own addiction. That is just not possible and sends a dangerous message to other addicts and their families," explains Dr. Harris Stratyner, Ph.D., an addiction psychologist with Caron Treatment Centers.

"He's also not communicating that addiction is a family disease, and that's also dangerous because the whole family is impacted and needs treatment," Dr. Stratyner continued.

There are a lot of things Sheen isn't communicating in the midst of communicating a lot of senseless babble. What he is telling us is that he believes those who have relapsed after seeking help in traditional rehab are "trolls" who failed because they don't have his super brain, his "tiger blood," his "Adonis DNA" and they aren't "freakin rock stars from Mars."

"It's unfortunate that Charlie Sheen is offering a misleading opinion about curing addiction," Stratyner adds. "Addiction is a progressive and chronic disease that can be fatal if it's not treated. There is no known cure. But individuals and families can recover if they are willing to do the work. Twelve-step based residential treatment and programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon are vital to addicts and their families for long term recovery."

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Comments

(127)

Monday 28 February

By pamliska

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I really don't think that anyone in their right mind is going to believe this psycho nut case and if they do they are just as bad off as him!

By David B Garber

The only people who are listening to Charlie are those who are attracted to his money. When he has no more money, he can join the other's on the street until he realizes he has a serious problem. He sounds now a lot like khadafy trying to save his job.

Tuesday 01 March

By mickey

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Everyone has a right to their own opinion, even Charlie Sheen, even you.

By steener122

Although Charlie is sounding crazy right now, I agree with him in the sense that you DON'T have to use AA/NA to stay clean. As a recovering heroin addict whos used methadone, therapy and alot of support from loved ones I can say you don't.

My issue with AA/NA is the fact that they claim that you MUST follow thier way to stay clean. And if you do "manage" to stay clean without them, they'll say its not "true recovery" or that you aren't really clean. That sounds slightly cultish to me. I've got no issue with someone who uses that path, but I DO have a problem when people start to say that my 2 1/2 years of work isn't anything and isn't real. Just because I didn't use thier way doesn't make my sucess any less real.

By vicki

Methadone to "cure" a heroin addiction- my dear it is just replacing one drug with another- an addict is really never cured- just in recovery- methadone is not recovery

By lk

aa is the most successful place to go to treat your alcoholism, if you deny that you are ignorant of the facts and to anyone who doesn't like aa, go and do what you have to do, aa will not collapse without you.

By Shirley Rogers

You are so wrong. AA has helped millions of people stay clean and sober, I find it rather ironic that a person that has to take a drug to remain off drugs thinks his opinion has any merit.

By Marina P

AA never says their way is the only way. And if you're still on Methadone, you're not sober.

By Dave

I personally have found great success with AA. I am also a recovering heroin addict who was on methadone for 2 years, but got off using a suboxone taper. As long as you are happy with your life, no one has any right to judge the quality of your sobriety, like I see several people doing to this gentleman who seems to be doing very well on methadone. I give you my congrats. I wasn't able to stay clean at the methadone clinic due to all of the other drugs readily available. But if it works for you, then that's great and I am truly happy for you. Addicts should support each other in recovery, regardless of whether we think it's the "right" kind of sobriety or not. That's for each of us to figure out individually.

By sandersms1966

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AGREE!!!!!!!!!!! AA AND NA ARE NOT THE WAY TO GO TO GET CLEAN OR CHANGE YOUR LIFE. A PERSON IS BETTER OFF DOING IT ON THEIR OWN. THOSE GROUPS ARE A JOKE. 12 STEPS TO BEING A CONFORMING LOSER. 5 % OF THEM STAY CLEAN.. ENOUGH SAID!!!!!!!

By queenb13

As a member of AA, I congratulate you on your years. You're right, no one should diminish what you are doing. There are other ways for people to abstain, and I'm in favor of all of them! :-)

@ Dave. Thank You! But I'm a female :-)

See, THIS is exactly what I mean. The attacks on MY choice of staying off of heroin. We might disagree on if I am truley "clean" or not, but what can't be debated is that when I was using NA I kept going back to heroin, ODing and getting arrested. After 2 1/2 years on methadone I've not ODed, used heroin or been arrested. I'm not using the methadone to get high, so personally I believe I'm clean in that sense, but I can see how anyone can say that I was better off relapisng over and over again than being on the methadone. I never EVER said that NA/AA didn't work, I said it didn't work for me but that I wouldn't bash what anyone else chose, unlike some in the program who can't seem to accept that people can have sucess, and YES 2 1/2 years without using heroin or ABUSING any substance to me is sucess.
And where is the line drawn then? I'm not clean because I'm on methadone. But is someone on anti-depressants clean? Thats a mood/mind altering substance. Is someone on a opaite for, say, cancer clean, or should they just have to be in pain? Its not a black and white thing. I think as long as you aren't abusing whatever it is and are using it in the proper way, you aren't "using".

By MaryAnn

AA helps me stay sober but I agree is not for everyone. Whatever works for you. Congratulations on 2 1/2 years.

By Brodie

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What is Methdone. IT IS A DRUG! I have been in recovery for over 10 years, alcohol and cocaine. I think in the begining of recovery you should use AA/NA. The program they have wroks for everyone who works the program. You are fooling yourself. If you were taken off Methodone today you would be back on Heroin in a week. I only go to one AA meeting a week now but in the beginning I had to go three to four times a week. I go now to help and support those who are begining. You know if your words are to discourge others to not go to AA/NA because it worked so great for you. Well they would be wrong to follow you. You should be ashamed of yourself to give such bad advice. This Charile Sheen has no idea what he is talking about. He is what we call a dry high. Still doing and saying and acting as he did when he was using. For you to want to stay sober you must change your way of thinking , change your way of life and open your ears and hear what others who has suceeded in this addiction is saying. Charlie Sheen is just not ready yet. People, the press needs to just leave him alone. Let him do what he wants to do and when he needs help he will as for it. If he never does , oh well. It's his life.

I have 26 years and not once have I heard anything you said in your post. In fact the things I do hear are it is up to you and what ever works. Cult,be real.

By hairdresser47

AA is a place where weak people go because they need to whine about why they need another drink/hit. I would agree with Charlie Sheen about what AA is all about. A place were the weak go to get clean beacuse they are to WEAK to do it otherwise.

By walter

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Touche steener122! AA really is a cult, and the clingers on that can't live without their 'meetings' have truly just traded one addiction for another!

By Kelli

I totally agree with you. I've been clean for 13 years, only 3 of which were through AA/NA. I got tired of hearing war stories. The first 2 years I was in a halfway house, so I had to go. Then when I got out, I started working, and started college, so I suppose, I was too busy. Before long, 6 years had gone by. I definitely utilize a higher power, but I don't feel I need a meeting to live my life. If I have issue, I talk to people who I know are my true friends, but for the most part, I've been trying to get a degree to even think about getting high. Charlie, though, is his own worst enemy as most of us were while we were in our mess.

By stevhelcsteven

AA has worked for me. I don't recall AA saying I had to do anything except have a desire to stop drinking.There were no hard set of rules , only suggested steps to work. You didn't have to do that either if you didn't want. The key was it was Suggested. Nobody has ever told me I was failing at the program. Only I personally would really know that. It is possible for people to get clean and sober without AA. that's their choice. Whatever works. For me it is AA.

By D

South Park actually slammed AA in much the same way Sheen did. Calling it a cult. I think it works for some people, but they have to want it to work. Many people have had success with AA/NA. Sheen is the plagarist.

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