Judge backs Redding atheist who balked at religious anti-drug program

Hazle was ordered to attend a 90-day, inpatient drug treatment program. He agreed to the program but even before his release told prison officials he wanted to be sent to a "treatment facility that did not contain religious components," federal court papers state.

Instead, he was assigned to the Empire Recovery Center in Redding, a 12-step program pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous and featuring a strong religious overtone, utilizing references to God and "a higher power."

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I've read an AlAnon book. It is annoyingly religious. It would be nearly impossible for me to sit through it and pretend to participate.