Evangelicals are famous for their willingness to put out useful information about addiction in order to reach out and help other Christians with their addiction problems. However, when it comes to alcoholism and addiction recovery, some of the same old myths about alcohol may actually be counterproductive. The myth that alcoholism and addiction are just an individual issue that can be solved by the religion of programs is more and more discussed lately. This is not to say that alcoholism and addiction can’t be overcome within a Christian church. This article will show how the beliefs and approaches of many Evangelical churches can actually make recovery successful and cause less relapse in many cases.

One of the biggest myths about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is that it only works for men. While it is true that women can and do attend AA meetings, they generally do not speak about their drinking or seek treatment at the meetings themselves. Some say that it’s easy to understand why Alcoholics Anonymous and similar organizations would hold these beliefs since it’s all been said and done that men are the only people who can speak openly about their alcohol problem and get God to help them overcome it. However, the myth is not true – women can and do attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In fact, studies show that more than half of the alcoholics in recovery are women and the majority of them come to the meetings because they want to deal with alcoholism as well as other addictions such as drug addiction or gambling.

Also, statistics show that the rate of relapse is much lower for those who open the church up as a safe place for recovery than those who do not. Churches should and must be places for Christian recovery in order to be effective. There is nothing wrong with encouraging addicts to attend a Christian alcoholics anonymous meeting and some do not see why churches need to be inaccessible. Christian recovery works and millions of people are being set free!

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