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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A.A. or the Highway



A newbie (antiAAer in disguise) at SR:
Why do all AA members believe AA is the only way to stay sober? All people I have encountered who go to AA believe and preach the steps, and that the AA way is your only chance at sobriety. I went to AA for the first 3 months of sobriety, and I feel like it helped me greatly. Now I feel that everything is so repetitive. I understand some people may need that repetitive message to stay sober, but I think some may practice abstinence other ways. Looking for some feedback, and peoples opinions. Thanks Yall!

Then... some seemingly and truely nonAAs step in and defend the Program a bit and say that's not really what A.A. is about and it's not just about repetitive meetings.

The antiAAer in disguise -er- newbie:
Im by no way cured. just feeling good about being sober, in other attempts at sobriety I was angry and not truly wanting it. yjis time im feeling different, and my attitude is different

Well good for you. Why do you give a fuck if A.A. says this or that? If it's not for you, leave. Do something else.

Or better yet, let's stand this question on its head and see what the antiAAers claim;

Kurtrambis:
There are millions of routes to sobriety, even within AA, there is no unique solution. Most alcoholics who do quit drinking do so without any kind of help at all.

There are millions of routes to sobriety.
Even within A.A.
There is no unique solution.
Most alcoholics who do quit drinking do so without any kind of help at all.

Translation:
A.A. is a fucking scam, a cult, a waste of life, dangerous, opportunistic, and domineering empire run by white middle-aged men for white middle-aged men.

So, the real question would become, "Why go to A.A. at all?" Why do it the hard way when any alcoholic anywhere on the planet can just "choose" to drink or "choose" to not drink?

The antiAAers want to make it abundantly clear that they are the "good guys." They care about you... the suffering alcoholic. But the A.A. empire? Bad. The people in A.A.? Bad. They satire and make fun of those who live on Middle-of-the-road treatment center induced slogan sobriety. So the "fundamental" by-the-book hardliners, big book thumpers, recovered real alcoholics are the real culprits... the real bad guys... even though... we're sort of fighting the same fight... bad A.A. But to them, we're the real ones who are to blame... even though we try to separate the wheat from the chaff... or... the alcoholics from the non-alcoholics.

Maybe some of you hard drinkers or alcoholics who have "not lost their reliance on things human" can recover on something less than a spiritual experience... a psychic change... maybe, just maybe, some of you have a choice.

But I don't have a choice. No matter how many times you throw stats at me and tell me I don't need the A.A. program to remove the obsession in order to stay stopped... to stay "quit"... I just know it is a lie for me.

It may be possible that there are others like me... that may need this same help... just maybe...

But nowhere in the A.A. book does it say in there "A.A. or the highway". A.A. says "We have a design for living that we think would benefit all." But... IMO, most who aren't alcoholic wouldn't bother with these 12 drastic proposals.

Now, many antiAAers are quick to point out how drastic these proposals are. In fact, there's a whole gaggle of antiAA geese that spend their precious waking moments digging up articles and stories about how this A.A. industry is the bane of modern society. They must be on somebody's payroll, because they bash A.A. and offer basically nothing... except links to Rational Recovery, Life Ring, SMART, Moderation Management... endorsed by Stanton Peele... until Audrey Kishline killed a man and his daughter while moderating at 0.26, etc. who do what? Sit around and bitch and moan about A.A.

So... given that little history lesson, I can't for the life of me figure out why A.A. would endorse and talk about the benefits of A.A. Oh, except for the fact that "It works". It works for real alcoholics.

2 comments:

  1. I believe the book says the opposite.
    Unfortunatley most in AA have never read the book.
    But they have to say something.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There again... don't know whether he's a true newbie or an expert antiAAer. You guys will find out soon enough.

    ReplyDelete