Cliffside Malibu Approach vs AA Approach
What Is the Cliffside Malibu Approach?
Cliffside Malibu has an evidence-based, well-thought-out three-fold approach to addiction treatment that creates the foundation for lasting recovery—different from AA. When all three are used together, the outcomes are more effective than any individual part on its own.
Those three approaches are:
- Intensive one-on-one psychotherapy using the Stages of Change model.
- Complement intensive therapy with carefully chosen, evidence-based holistic treatments.
- Employ both tools together to create changes in the brain consistent with neuroscience research on overcoming addiction.
The focus of our treatment is to go back in time—not just “stick a bandaid on the symptom,” so to speak. We dig deep into past traumas and pains that act as the root cause of addiction and trigger addictive behaviors. Working through this trauma, while learning healthy habits, helps individuals move forward and handle life’s challenges without the need to use. We also help repair relationships damaged by addiction, creating a strong foundation for future healthy connections.
What Is the AA Approach?
AA stands for Alcoholics Anonymous and is also known as the 12 Steps to Recovery Program. It was created as a guideline to help individuals overcome alcohol addiction. Due to its popularity, it has been adopted and adapted for other addiction support groups (e.g., gambling, shopping, sex). The 12 Steps are based on spirituality but are often used by non-religious individuals as well.
The 12 Steps are not necessarily tackled in order. Some individuals may spend longer on one step, revisit others, or skip around. There is no right or wrong approach.
The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
What Is the Difference?
AA and the 12 Step model have long been the default treatment path for addiction due to their longstanding history. For decades, they were the only option available for many addicts and alcoholics. Only in the past 20 years or so have more evidence-based and highly effective models gained traction.
So why is the 12 Step model still so popular? Simply put: it was the only treatment method available for a long time. In Dr. Lance Dodes’s book, The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry, he estimates AA’s success rate is only 5–8%. This means that at least 9 out of 10 people who try AA leave within a year and either do not recover or seek alternative treatments.
It’s important to find the treatment program that works best for you. Just because AA has been around the longest doesn’t mean it’s the most effective. Cliffside Malibu offers evidence-based programs with significantly higher success rates for long-term sobriety.
More About Cliffside Malibu
Cliffside Malibu helps individuals live a life free from chemical dependency and negative patterns through a whole-person approach. We use the Transtheoretical Model, also known as the Stages of Change, rather than the 12 Step model. This framework sees behavior change as a continuum:
- Pre-Contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
After a full assessment, each person is placed into their appropriate stage, and a custom treatment plan is created to meet them where they are.
We ensure all individuals who present with chemical dependency and/or mental health issues are assessed for the appropriate level of care. Cliffside offers a full continuum of services: medically supervised detox, residential treatment, day treatment, and outpatient support. Our programs are designed for those who need a supportive environment to achieve lasting sobriety.