Addiction/Support

I was just watching Flash Forward and one of the character's AA sponsors was encouraging him to attend "a meeting". The character had his 7 year sobriety chip but was worried about a relapse. I thought about how people attending AA meetings are urged to go regularly. They have to recall and remember why it is they don't drink and what effect drinking had on their lives on a regular basis in order to stay sober.

It struck me as interesting because this is something each of us really has to do for lots of things in our lives, just that most of us don't have recognized "support groups" to help us do so, but instead have to "bring... [ourselves]... to account each day"

What if there were rehab centers for things like gossiping, backbiting, lying, pride, materialism, etc.? What if we could go through a detox of these things and then have a means for follow-up, have weekly meetings where we recalled the negative effect these things had on our lives?

But then, is not this often the role of religion in our culture? Although my religion does not believe in confession of sins to another person, we still recognize our need to take daily inventory of our actions and ask for forgiveness for our transgressions. How do those without a delineated process or a call to action find the means and support necessary for permanent change and growth?

Just some thoughts.