When doing scientific research, absolutely. When making a personal decision, it's foolish to ignore first-hand experience just as it's foolish to ignore advice from experts.
Not exactly. You can have the opinion that Homeopathy as a medical treatment is a complete sham and 'does't work' and back up that opinion with research, but while there is debate as to the relative merit of 12-step programs compared to other forms of treatment, it would be strange to assert that they simply don't work for anyone ever.
Good point. I think homeopath is a load of bunk, but behavior modification deserves to be in another category. Especially considering the independent variables (going to an AA program) and dependent variables (substance abuse) tend to be clear in this case.
For example, saying "I put cumin oil in a vaporizer and now I don't get colds as often" is different than saying "I joined an AA program and now I have been sober for 10 years".
* observation is simpler (are you in AA? are you still drinking?)
* so measurement is simpler (how much blortzroot do you add to your lotion to clear up that rash? can you show your rash is 65% better than last week?)
* AA attempts to provide a permanent solution, not a remedy for symptoms, so it's more clear when AA fails.
* Also the things homeopathy "cures" tend to be in a completely different class and severity than chronic substance abuse
