AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5 to 10 percent success rate-- hardly better than no treatment at all. Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs, and explores the entire story of AA's rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.