In NA here there are pure alcohlics who get sober through NA, they have never touched a drug in there lives except alcohol, NA does not differenciate between drugs and state alcohol is a drug.

I am used to the mix , i cant understand people who are not, what are they scared of??

I don't know, Joel, apart from the fact that she would not have had that nice piece of birthday cake had she not been at your meeting.

I can only speak of the experience at my home group, of which I am a member and therefore part of the group conscience. As you are probably aware each meeting or group of meetings is autonomous.

My group consists largely of dual addicted people but their personal stuff regarding drugs is shared after the meeting or before with someone who understands. Our members have respect for AA's singleness of purpose and introduce themselves as alcoholics in an AA meeting.

At the moment I am coming to the end of my term of service as group secretary and over the past year I have had quite a few "situations" to deal with. Had this girl come in and tried to unload her crisis about drugs on the table in our meeting, I would have gently interrupted her and one of our dual addicted members would have swiftly (with a nod from me) escorted her out of the meeting to have a one-to-one talk with her in another room in the hospital.

That way, not only does she get someone's full attention leaving the meeting to carry on as normal for the alcoholics but she also gets some guidance and concern from another addict.

I have yet to go to a meeting where someone has said "Don't talk about that here!"

Part of our tolerance or enlightenment , depending on how you look at it comes from being so isolated. There was literally nowhere else for her to go. Urban people can't understand that anymore than I can understand it taking 45 minutes to go 5 miles on a daily basis. We don't have the same options.
This is a senasitive issue for me as at one time , long ago, marijuna was a relapse issue for me.
Are we not all addicts??

hi dontread it makes me proud that aa reached out to the suffering(addict in this case) particularly as you say no n/a in area.I live in a large city and some of the meetings i attend people share about dual addiction.Dont know why but there,s usually one or two members who really get annoyed by the mere mention of other drugs.Thinking about it they are usually people with long term sobriety but it puzzles me why they get so wound up by it.I have asked one guy why and got a very jumbled excamation "those drugys are full of crap" kind of line No help there so well done your group on helping ease that girls pain and she stayed for cake I like the thought of that ,Soooo simple

You ask "Are we not all addicts?" and I answer an emphatic "Yes!" When I go to an NA meeting I never introduce myself as an alcoholic, I say "My name is Gail and I am an addict."

To me, there are only two differences between alcoholics and drug addicts - a bit of government legislation and how it affects us in the nature of the substance - i.e. the cost, the ritual and the necessary "underground activity" all has an impact on where it takes us.

The reason I do not sponsor drug addicts is because my only drug has ever been alcohol (apart from when I used to smoke) and my world is different to theirs so I would not be the best option as a sponsor.

Joel, Glad to hear your group was not closed minded enough to kick hear to the street, so to speak.
This happened in a meeting I was in a few years ago and a young girl came in of the street seeking help and a long timer which was an ass hole told her she didn't belong here because THIS WAS AA. Well needless to say she bolted out the door I ran after her and tried to do the best i could with the situation.
After a few of the members in the group talked to the "old timer" never seen him back.

Thanks for reaching out your hand to suffering human being.

Joel, that's great. It works both ways yeah. Hey, I'm urban, and I understand. It also gives us a chance to practice some of what we have learnt about ourselves through the steps. Tolerance, patience, love and care. All traits I see your home group has. You could have just saved her life. Thanks for the share. Nice to hear. Coogee xxx

>> If we had said "Don't talk about that here!" What would of happened to her? How would we have felt?

Who really knows ... but y'all most certainly did the right thing!

Years ago in a Traditions seminar next to one of Charlie & Joe's Big Book seminars, a young man told about his N.A. group eventually getting started after some A.A. members had "sneaked him in" at their own group's meetings and had helped him recover and go get that group started. As I see things, their "group conscience" must have been working undercover that year!

I think in those circumstances my home group would welcome that person and allow them to stay in the meeting. However I do think that the greatest service we would be able to do for them is to put them in touch with someone who shares the same problem so that they are able to get the best possible help going forward.

This subject is covered several times in the traditions in the 12x12 and I am with BBH on this. I hope we never reach a point where PC is put ahead of the traditions in relation to " singleness of purpose". Sometimes what can appear to be the most loving thing to do is not the most loving thing at all.

>> "addiction is addiction" ... completely ignores the disease concept of Alcoholism ...

Sure, but that "disease concept" that "sets them apart as a distinct entity" is not essential to the actual matter of permanent recovery:
"The doctor's theory that we have an allergy to alcohol interests us. As laymen, our opinion as to its soundness may, of course, mean little. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense. It explains many things for which we cannot otherwise account." ("The Doctor's Opinion")

Our Traditions say we cannot refuse membership to any alcoholic who wishes to recover, and they also let us know our primary purpose is carry the message in our book ... and that includes this:

"... we are sure that our way of life has its advantages for all." (Foreword To First Edition)
"... it became customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be attended by anyone or everyone interested in a spiritual way of life." (pages 159-160)

If this is a God program, then Anyone should be welcome. The man who put the words down in the BB who said only alcoholics is wrong. Every think about what God would have us do? Tell them to lie and say they are alcoholic? Escort non alcoholics out?

If this is AA, I don't think I want any part of it. Cult comes to mind. Our own and screw the rest...no. Not what God would have us do I'M SURE!

So much more to say, but I have to go to work.

WWJD!!!

>> The man who put the words down in the BB who said only alcoholics is wrong.

Just for the record, Bubz: No such words are anywhere written there!

The reason AA exists today is the Traditions.

Agreed glad2b.

rainbow - the Traditions are all about what would god do - Tradition 2 "For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern."

i live in a small country town and have to go 7 miles to the other town to go to the meeting.........and there are a lot of addicts that show up at the aa meetings,my home group{i guess it is}is pretty cool.......they would do the same thing as your group would have................nice to hear.............