"12 Step" groups are free, confidential, and a rich resource for guidance, support, inspiration and accountability for people dealing with a wide range of problems. The benefits they provide are generally unattainable from any other source, including professional counseling. Yet many people refuse to attend them, including those who would benefit the most by doing so. This reluctance tends to be based on one or more fairly common objections, many of which stem from misconceptions about the nature of 12-step groups. In an effort to provide some much-needed clarity on the subject, here are the twelve most frequently used arguments against attending 12-step groups and responses that address each concern.
