Yes and no, and the only reason I say that is because there is such a variation of who benefits from what kind of treatment. I'm a firm believer that all circumstances within the persons life that is recovering can determine how successful one treatment to the next might be.

I realized that I didn't address your question. Yes, I would feel comfortable recommending either AA, or al-anon/ala-teen, to a patient and/or client.

So, I am currently separated from my alcoholic wife. I often attend al-anon meetings. Yes, it does have a somewhat religious structure but I find it quite different than the religiousness that brings us all here, I believe. The way I view al-anon and, by extension, AA is that it is focused on admitting that you cannot control the situation and that the "higher power" is really about accepting that and moving forward through the program. I have found al-anon extremely helpful and I have not felt pressured into accepting a religious view.

No l wouldn't recommend them. I don't believe the court should be able to mandate anything that uses faith or God in their programs.

It's faith-based. It's bullshit! A good friende of mine (who was an athiest) claimed it isn't. I got a DUI over 10 years ago. Had to got to classes... we all had the chance of watching a movie, or an AA class. Almost everyone wanted to go, so we all went. At the end they wanted us to do the lords prayer. Myself and two others refused. Guess what we did after the meeting? Went to a strip club and drank beer!

I don't care, because if my client succeeds that's fine no matter which route. I don't know how effective AAs are. But it's probably better than nothing, not because it's religious overtones, but because of the sense of the community.

That's probably why religion thrives: it provides for the sense of community lacking elsewhere....