November 14, 1993
Bill Nist, a member of the independent gay Catholic group Dignity, is assigned an adversarial role in the article “Diocese Pushes Gay Chastity” (Nov. 1) which describes the Courage support group, a 12-step program for chaste gays. Mr. Nist holds forth with his personal opinions, sarcasm and the pithy nihilism of whatever it is he says he is.
Along the way, he misleads the unwary about Alcoholics Anonymous, the behavior-shaping program that introduced the 12 Suggested Steps
(in pdf) to a grateful world. It is a model which has proven very successful with most of the several thousand alcoholics I have worked with professionally during the past 13 years. The same 12 Suggested Steps have also been adapted by compulsive gamblers, spouses of alcoholics, abusive parents, overeaters, narcotics addicts and other people who wanted to change their behavior for the better.
Yet, Mr. Nist opines that “the 12-step model presupposes that you are recovering from a disease.” He is wrong.
The 12 Suggested Steps never mention the word “disease.” In fact, the 12 steps were originally written by a recovering alcoholic layman who codified the strength, hope and experience of nearly 100 of his recovering alcoholic companions nationwide in the late 1930s.
Bear in mind also that the American Medical Association did not even call alcoholism a disease until 1956.
The 12-step program is now being adapted by the Courage program of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, which is co-sponsoring the support group for homosexuals who want to be chaste. In other words, they want to change their behavior.
If alcoholics can do it, anyone can.
JACK O’NEIL
Sewickley