Agreement among the views

Our division of the recovery culture into three Views is somewhat artificial.  In reality, there are many recovering people whose recovery philosophy represents a mix of two or more of the Views mentioned above.  Recovery culture represents a wide spectrum of belief and experience, and there are many ways in which each of the Views can be adapted to match each of the others.  For example, the Conversion Experience is a powerful mental experience, and can be understood in Psychological terms.  Mutual support networks and Re-socialization clearly have a Psychological benefit as well.  And Conversion Experience, in its need to be shared with others, has a strong social impulse and a clear desire to help others Re-socialize themselves.  However, our depiction of the three Views of recovery should help our understanding of the Twelve Steps by revealing the major themes that are present within all Twelve Step recovery programs.  By looking at each View in its purest form, we can get a clear picture of the kinds of programs and experiences that are available in recovery culture.

(back to Three Views of Recovery)