Good to have you Joe. I just put in an author request for you and once that's done, you should be able to post and then I can upgrade you to Publisher status too.I hope you don't mind me entering your first ummmm post. If you don't want it here, I'll take it down. I just thought it was very fitting here.
I agree, A.A. recovery rates are a foolish game, as is drumming up a rate for those who quit on their own.
Joe Cool writes:
Joe Cool has joined the blog.
Ref the AA Triannual Survey - it's a snapshot in time and that's all. GSO is merely interested in membership data, and the survey (which is available on the aa website) is not intended to make any predictions about success rates. If you ask, their response is "Rarely have we seen a person fail..."
Recovery rates are bullshit anyway. What's recovery? Staying sober for 5 years? Perhaps 10? I was sober for 10 years and went back out. Was I part of the success side one day and the failure rate the next? I know folks who have gone back out after 20 years. So how does anyone measure recovery rates when we can't even define the measurement criteria.
Leave the statistics to folks who like to write papers. They're all bullshit anyway. You say that 20% of alcoholics recover on their own. How did you find that out? Is there a registration site for alcoholics who don't use AA and stop drinking? Is there a list of people who walk out the doors and stay sober by some other means? Recovery rates are great for Rehab Centers who use bullshit data to attract new clients and get on the insurance companies' approved list.
On the down side, I recently read a member of Congress (woman, can't remember her fckn name) who objected to the new Health Care Bill including any federal funds for rehab of addicts and alcoholics since the recovery rate is so small. And she has a good point.
So I don't waste my time defending AA against the morons who are trying to sell their program by attacking AA and saying their recovery rate is better or saying that AA is a cult or any other such bullshit. If we ignore them, they all go away. If we defend AA we give them free publicity.
AA has been around for a long time. Consider that this program has no rules, no one in charge, abhors structure and authority and insists on anonymity for all its members. How does such a program continue to exist and grow if it isn't a success? We've been around a long time, we're here today and we'll be here for a long time to come. Don't like it? Well as I say on ** (and get edited out for saying it) I hope you have a good Plan B.
And that's my rant for the day.
