What Works?

Here is the list of non-cult, sane, evidence-based methods and support groups:

• Sensible Evidence-based Recovery and Support Groups

And here is the Top 10 reading list, which really numbers closer to 30 items, which can also give you much good information:

• Top 10 Reading List

And here is my own description of what worked for me, with links to many more lists of treatment programs and ratings of their effectiveness, and also links to more discussions of what has worked for other people:

• How did you get to where you are?
• Also see this reader's addendum to the "Play the tape to the end" idea:
  http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-letters366.html#RAH
• How did you get and stay sober?
• The magic moment of quitting
• How to avoid relapsing
• The Lizard Brain Addiction Monster
• Learn to Set Your Intention
• Dealing with recovery depression
• Rat Park and Other Children's Stories
• A biography written for SOS
• emotional recovery
• managing anger
• Getting back some short-term memory at 9 months and 5 years.
• More early recovery experiences.

Here is a list of discussions of what other people found helpful:

1. A 20-year oldtimer gives his methods
2. suggestion 1: just don't drink
3. get over drugs and alcohol
4. Cost-Benefit Analysis
5. one woman finds WFS very helpful
6. not powerless
7. what is the answer
8. more suggestions
9. Just don't drink any more alcohol, not ever, not for any reason.
10. quit now and save a brain cell
11. my 'Four-Step program'
12. the one-step program
13. better than A.A.
14. what's helpful
15. do it yourself
16. more suggestions, groups
17. do it yourself — the most successful program
18. do it yourself some more
19. more of what works
20. the phases of quitting
21. More advice here
22. more advice.
23. more advice.
24. Bruce: "What is the answer?"
25. Susan: "What works?" again
26. Naltrexone and the Sinclair Method
27. Scientific Studies of Naltrexone
28. Baclofen worked for her.
29. Consider a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD.
    Also see this letter about how a diagnosis of "alcoholism" immediately prevents any other underlying diagnosis like depression or ADD. The "authorities" claim that alcohol caused the mental problems, not that the mental problems caused the drinking.
30. Consider a diagnosis of thyroid disease.
31. 10 Steps to Loving Yourself

Then these are slightly off-topic, and discuss alcoholism in general rather than "what works":

1. A study by the NIAAA found that mutations of the gene that grows dopamine receptors in peoples' brains makes some people get much more pleasure out of alcohol than other people.

2. Information about the shrivelled-up Cerebellar Vermises that sexually abused children have.

Search the Orange Papers

Click Fruit for Menu

Last updated 20 October 2015.
The most recent version of this file can be found at http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-what_works.html