I have been to a few Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in my time, and I have always been struck by the level of encouragement, empathy, and support you find at these gatherings. I often wish Church was more like that. Everyone is accepted, victories are celebrated, people who have deserted the meetings for years are welcomed back with open arms, and a moment of silence is observed for the addict still out on the street. And there is usually coffee and doughnuts.

Everyone at an AA meeting has something in common: addiction. They are there because they have recognised their slavery to addiction and their own inability to deal with it. So they come to get help, from each other, from sponsors, from the 10-step program, and from a “Higher Power.”

The Higher Power part of AA has always fascinated me. The program was created by two Christians who themselves had been ravaged by addiction, and who wanted to help others find the freedom they had found. In order to make it more accessible to everyone, they chose to generalize the faith aspect and not make it specifically Christian. So while you have to depend on a Higher Power for help, it can be any Higher Power of your choosing, even one you make up on the spot. You have to put your trust in “God, as you understand Him (or Her).”

AA is also very adamant that they are not a religious group. Religious people, they say, are afraid of Hell. Addicts have already been to Hell and back, and so have nothing left to fear.

AA really has done an incredible work in our world. Where the Church had and has been failing addicts, AA has stepped in and provided hope. They have helped literally helped millions of people learn how to manage their addiction. But I still contend that only Jesus can set people free.

At an AA meeting, if you want to speak, you are supposed to introduce yourself by your first name, and by the fact that you are an alcoholic or addict. The idea is that no matter how long you have been in the program, no matter how many years you have been off drugs and alcohol, you are still an addict. This can help people to remember where they came from, to continue to rely on their Higher Power, and to have empathy for those still in active addiction, but I have to wonder if it might be a little damaging as well. Are we ever free from our addictions? Is that even possible? From what I understand, AA says no, you can never be totally free. From what I understand, Jesus says yes, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” (John 8:36) and “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)

I don’t say this to downplay in any way the power and the pain of addiction. No one wants to be a slave to addiction, no one wants to be controlled by their cravings, and many find it near impossible to find any relief from this bondage. And so I recognise that learning to manage addiction is a positively good thing, something to strive for. But isn’t complete freedom better? Isn’t that what Christ died for? Humanity, all of creation really, longs for this freedom from sin and despair and corruption and decay, and God’s offer of freedom was bought at a terrible price. Why settle for less than what is offered us?

I have some friends who went through addictions programs. They learned how to control their addictions, how to manage them, how to go through the ten steps when they fell or were tempted. But they found that it wasn’t really enough. They wanted more. So they turned to Jesus, and asked him for freedom. Now, when they go to meetings in support of friends who are dealing with addiction, they do not identify themselves as addicts. They identify themselves as having been set free, as being grateful for their recovery and freedom. Sometimes they get in trouble for that, but they won’t lie and tell themselves that they are addicts anymore. The Son has set them free, and they are free indeed.

Alcoholics Anonymous has branched into a number of different areas now, and programs are offered for Narcotics addicts, Sex addicts, Crime addicts, anything you can be addicted to really. This is important, because addiction is not all about chemical dependency. How many of us are addicted to lust, greed, slander, hate, gluttony, or entertainment? Addiction is not an issue where anyone can afford to look down on others and believe we are unaffected. We have all been slaves to sin.

The question is ... do you want freedom?

If you do, there is good news: