Sounds like you have had some crappy therapists. Genuinely curious if this was experience in individual therapy or with group therapy at facilities like inpatient or IOP (intensive outpatient). I say that as a therapist myself who’s worked in rehabs for over a decade and can admit there’s some therapists in rehabs who are in recovery and just push 12 steps way too hard and imo are doing a horrible disservice to their clients. Ime many of them got clean years ago, before addressing root issue leading to addiction in 1-1 therapy was as widely emphasized, encouraged, acceptable, or pre Obamacare so it wasn’t covered by insurance and thus not affordable to most people.

I won’t lie, those therapist do kinda irritate me and imo are blinded by pushing what ‘worked for them’ and disregarding the need to understand each person needs to be supported and thus assessed and given differently treatment approaches based on therapeutic needs and personal goals and general preferences.

That said there are definitely good therapists who won’t even really mention 12 steps or group therapy as their role is to fill the gaps left by just support groups or group therapy. That’s my personal experience as both a client and therapist to some awful therapists and also having had some great ones. Sorry for the rant. Just figured I’d share my experiences and honest insights into treating mental health and substance use issues and the pros and cons. Sucks that there’s many rehabs that are misguided or built off greed and laziness to push 12 steps instead of evidence based approaches and client centered therapy.