How did 13th stepping become so common in the recovery world and who can hold people accountable? Lauren looks into the history of the addiction treatment industry; goes in search of the people, government agencies, and industry groups that are supposed to oversee it; and does a deep dive into its most pervasive cultural force: AA and the 12 steps. She finds a lot of good intentions, alongside a lot of problems.

The 13th Step Episode 4: A Wild (Wild?) West

Document is a narrative-driven reporting project committed to long-form, enterprise and investigative journalism.

More at nhpr.org/document.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

News

Documentary

True crime

A chance encounter leads to a surprising discovery that changes the course of Jason Carroll's case.

Bear Brook S2 Ep 8: The Box

How could someone possibly confess to murder if they didn’t do it?

Bear Brook S2 Ep 7: This Side of the Line

Jason Carroll stands trial twice – and the juries come up with their own versions of what happened.

Bear Brook S2 Ep 6: ‘Don’t Roll the Dice’

A new true crime story is told and when juries hear it, it leads to different results for all three defendants.

Bear Brook S2 Ep 5: Trial in a Trial

One set of confessions leads to another and three men are arrested for Sharon Johnson’s murder.

The 13th Step Episode 4: A Wild (Wild?) West

Download our free app to listen on your phone