I'm glad the 12 steps are working well for you. I don't mean to be a prick, I'm just being my inquisitive self here so I hope you don't take it too personally, but the whole experience, strength and hope line pisses me off. You don't mean to imply that this kind sharing your (or anyone's anecdotal) "experience, strength or hope" is more significant to recovery than empirical evidence based medicine and public policy that treats substance use as a public health issues instead of merely a public safety issues?
I mean, it's so hard to actually get quality, let alone truly evidence based (grounded in actual scientific research that is not still considered experimental, as most forms of commonly available addiction treatment - including 12 step modalities - are) treatment, but so clearly access (and the politics of the war on drugs for that matter) are probably bigger issues in the grand scheme of things.
Perhaps for those of us who don't know the meaning of mental illness, poverty, social alienation, and other more significant barriers to accessing foundational tools necessary for making one's way through early recovery, experience, strength and hope are enough.
Personally, I've seen enough hypocrisy, contradiction, exploitation and predatory members in 12 step communities and 12 step culture that, when I hear those words, I puke a little in my mouth. You have no idea how hard I have to work to remind myself that, indeed, there any many very helpful and responsible members to the 12 step community and do a whole hell of a lot to make recovery possible for many, many people. But I honestly feel like that is less a product of anything inherent to the 12 steps or its culture and everything to do with the fact that it is the single largest recovery community out there, and certainly the most socially, culturally and political accepted one given it's focus on abstinence.
Oh yeah, that's where I get caught up with 12 step shit, the whole abstinence only thing.
Fuck me, I'm sorry for this rant of a post. I must be tired... I apologize for being a prick, it you did take this personally (like I said, this isn't directed at you, especially if you have benefit from it all, do what works for you). I just can't stand other less mature steppers who push the whole thing like it is the only way to recovery (which is pure poppycock - it is one road among many that lead to the same place).
Okay, I've said my piece, I'm done (for now LOL)... 8)