On a similar topic - AA actually isn&#x27;t that effective: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.salon.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;03&#x2F;23&#x2F;the_pseudo_science_of_alcoholics_anonymous_theres_a_better_way_to_treat_addiction&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.salon.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;03&#x2F;23&#x2F;the_pseudo_science_of_alcoho...</a><p>I haven&#x27;t read the book the above article is covering but it seems Dodes argues psychotherapy is a better alternative as &#x27;addiction&#x27; is usually just a manifestation of self-destructive&#x2F;self medication behavior ultimately due to untreated psychological issues.  In this OP&#x27;s case this is looks like depression.