Christian Alcohol Rehabs Focus on The Bible’s Influence On AA

Sometimes, an alcoholic enters a Christian Substance Abuse Treatment Center hoping to avoid participation in Alcoholics Anonymous. Many Christian alcohol rehab patients believe that they should not participate in a program that does not recognize Jesus Christ as the one true savior of the world. The belief that AA is anti-Christian or anti-Jesus is untrue, however. Christian Substance Abuse Treatment Center pastors and leaders make a point to reveal the truth about AA’s Christian roots when faced with a patient who is strongly against receiving help from the 12 step program.

Although Alcoholics Anonymous does not claim to be connected to any one faith or denomination in its Preamble, which is heard at meetings to encourage all inclusive membership for anyone with a desire to quit drinking, the early pioneers of the AA movement believed strongly that the answer to their problem with alcohol could be found in the Bible.

Christian Alcohol rehabs do not shy away from this fact for obvious reasons. These Christian Substance Abuse Treatment Centers realize that membership in AA has enormous benefits for alcoholics of every denomination, and they also know that many Christians consider the AA program a "cult" that is against the Word of God.

Christian alcohol rehabs realize AA is not a cult. It does not claim to be a Christian program, simply because to acknowledge this fact might deter a non-Christian from "sticking around" to hear the message, and in turn, this person could lose a chance at recovery, and in recognizing God’s call to replace the bottle with Him.

Early AA pioneers believed that if a person became involved in the 12 step program, God would reveal Himself to the member through no human influence. Christian Alcohol rehab pastors admire this willingness to accept God’s dominion over all without the need for human influence.

Early members such as Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson acknowledged that the ideas contained in AA’s basic text were extrapolated directly from The Bible. The three parts of The Bible that early pioneers considered imperative to recovery from alcoholism were The Book of James, Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and Paul’s commentary on love found in 1 Corinthians 13.

In the book, Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, and in several early AA pamphlets, the above mentioned Bible passages are mentioned as essential literature for members, to improve upon their spiritual life. Bill Wilson famously remarked that The Book of James was the early members "favorite." In fact, pioneers came very close to calling AA, "The James Club," because of this Biblical chapter’s influence on their sobriety.

Dr. Bob believed strongly that believing in the words presented in The Book of James, The Sermon on the Mount, and Corintheans could not only grant an alcoholic spiritual nourishment, but heal him, enlighten him, and forever change him.