Step 1: Admit That I Don't Get It

In yet another case of someone who just doesn't get it, a woman arrested on drug charges and found guilty is suing the judge for making her attend a 12-Step Narcotics Anonymous Program.  Her reason for the suit: 12-step programs have a "religious component as their central theme and require everyone to pray at the end of each meeting," according to a recent Morning News article.  The judge was willing to suspend a 30-day jail sentence under the condition that she attended the 12-step rehab program.  At this point in her life, a heavy dose of prayers is probably what she needs the most.  As one person who commented on the article put it, "Don't buy or use drugs and you too can avoid jail or AA meetings."   With our culture clumsily battling to determine the appropriate balance between church and state, a widely successful program like the 12-step approach that emphasizes contrition, retribution, forgiveness, and selflessness as a means of rehabilitating oneself is certainly something that warrants the state's support.

Craig Richardson