Dallas BraggFormer crystal methamphetamine user, I help men who have sex with men break free from the addictive patterns associated with Chemsex. Currently expanding my expertise by seeking to become a Certified

Gaslighting in recovery community #addictionrecovery #sobercommunity

25 Jul 2024 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

In this YouTube monologue, Dallas Bragg examines the common 12‑step refrain “it works if you work it,” arguing that it often serves to shame and gaslight individuals who continue to relapse. He explains how the phrase frames the person as the problem, reinforcing feelings of inadequacy and self‑doubt. Bragg defines this dynamic as a form of gaslighting within the recovery community, where the language manipulates people into questioning their own beliefs and experiences. He urges listeners not to force the 12‑step program if it feels misaligned with their inner sense, and instead advocates for self‑connection, self‑empowerment, and the recognition that multiple pathways to sobriety exist, allowing each person to choose the approach that truly works for them.

Chapters

Let me tell you why you're working the 12 steps but you keep relapsing. Oftentimes it comes from one phrase: it works if you work it. There's many people who use this phrase in the context of, well, it worked for us, why isn't it working for you? If you are still relapsing, you are the problem. You're not good enough. You're not doing the program right. You're not following the, the rules that we set for you. And so therefore, It works if you work it. You're the problem. This is putting more shame on somebody who's already enveloped in shame. It's also called gaslighting, where you're manipulating someone to doubt their own beliefs and their own thought systems. If the 12 steps isn't working for you and you know it in your soul and your heart, don't force yourself to do it. What works if you work it is self-connection, self-empowerment. There are plenty of routes to sobriety. You pick the best one for you, period.