Science proved there's no such thing as "ego" long ago

​Not only are the 12 steps of AA debunked, so is the whole theory of the ego. It does not exist. Freud's theory was entirely debunked. There is no such thing as an “ego” organ or part in our brains. Modern psychology and neuroscience proved it wrong and moved away from the structural model of the mind in the 80s. By the 1990s, the scientific community had officially declared that the entire Freudian system of id, ego, and superego has zero scientific or therapeutic value. It is considered dogma, which means it is a belief held without evidence.

We have identities, and we don't need to identify as a defect. Especially when a Substance Use Disorder can be rewired and recovered from entirely once and for all. I have. It took years of therapy, research and practice. But it worked.

​When you are told in meetings that your ego is the problem, you are gaslight, being fed a theory that was at its peak in 1935 and has since been dismantled by the discovery of neuroplasticity. We now know that the brain is plastic. It changes and it rewires based on our actions and our environment. If the 12 step idea of a permanent disease or a defective ego were true, neuroplasticity would not be possible. The fact that our brains can physically change proves that the identity of being an alcoholic is a lie and a trap that never ends.

​The behaviors that AA labels as ego are actually your brain and psyche doing their jobs using whatever survival strategies and coping mechanisms it has developed. There is no monster in your head that you need to smash or surrender. Science has mapped the brain and found executive functions and neural networks, not a destructive ego trying to kill you. Using this outdated language only serves to silence your critical thinking and keep you in a state of permanent recovery but never making actual progress. It is like trying to treat a modern infection with leeches still. It is not just old. It is wrong. You are not a disease in remission, and you do not have an ego to fight. You have a brain you get to DIY rewire! So, in conclusion, fuck the 12 steps, fuck the 12 traditions, fuck being gaslight by people who never got the memo, and fuck AA as a whole program.