out here in socal we have dual diagnosis recovery groups that use the 12 step model. there aren't many mtgs. available. i have tried to get one started in our little sleepy mountain town, but doing the feasibility assessment showed that in our area AA seems to meet the needs of many of the dually's, excluding the newcomer. thus the nearby jitterjoint, where i got stable and has a great DD group needs the newbie support is important. but, what is sad, and my question is that is difficult lies in that difficult 4th step. for me it was ez. i've been in therapy for so long, steps 4 and 5 are cakewalks. but for folks who are facing mental illnesses for the first time and maybe traumatized by some pretty crazy shit that have brought them into the mental health arena w/ substance abuse issues making a searching fearless "moral" inventory scares a dually right back to the depths of insanity. thus in dual recovery it is reworded to exclude the word moral. in a 12x12 AA last night, i happened to disagree w/ much of how the 4th step was presented preferring the BB presentation. we as dually's spend so much time beating ourselves up over our no fault illnesses and substance abuse masks we dont need to rewrite our masterpiece which many of us have written in manic moments and psychotic states anyway. we need the help of sponsors who understand our condition and therapists who understand the model to help walk us through e process. and we need to keep the newbie engaged so they dont slip thru the cracks. the books are available, as are the workbooks. and really , even if the mtgs, arent you can sit in the AA and NA and do your own thing w/ the dual books as long as you have the right sponsor. any thoughts out there???