It's interesting that Alchoholics Anonymous and most similar programs that attempt to deal with various addictive behaviors include confession to God ("a higher power") and to another human being as part of the process of recovery. (See step 5 below)
(Incidentally, this is not exactly the Catholic approach to confession.)The Twelve Steps of A.A.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for
knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice
these principles in all our affairs. How much of a confession do we need to make of our sins. Is it enough that we confess our sins to God or is the catholic approach better where you go and actual tell others of your sins.
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