aa Spoken Here Community Group
Fellowship Where you can share your thoughts, feelings, stories and get support to gain and continue sobriety.
I know for my part I do strongly believe in the steps and the program. In fact I did not work them properly for my first five years and it took another life crisis to get me going.
It's the absolute , almost scripture like references to the old program and portions of the BB in what I percieve to be a "my way or the highway" tone that flat out turns people off.
In other words when people say things like "real acloholics" I just tense right up. "No defense against the first drink"? Who among us never stopped on his own for at least a few days? I've seen dyed in the wool DT drunks stop drinking ( often miserably, but stopped just the same) without setting foot in a church basement. I've seen people with seriuos drunkalogs not drink in AA until , or even without taking the steps.
It almost sounds like someone is sitting back saying "If you didn't do exactly what I did to get sober then you're not a real alcoholic"
Some alcoholics DO have some defense against the first drink and they are just as "real" as anyone else.
Clearly, the book generalizes even uses metaphor. I believe the bible is a great literary work, but I don't believe the planet is only 4,000 years old! Same principal.
For some the layers of the onion peel slowly. Faster for others, yet I cannot imagine taking the steps at light speed.
This post is not to insight arguement but rather to discuss the core differences here on a specific thread.
It's the absolute , almost scripture like references to the old program and portions of the BB in what I percieve to be a "my way or the highway" tone that flat out turns people off.
In other words when people say things like "real acloholics" I just tense right up. "No defense against the first drink"? Who among us never stopped on his own for at least a few days? I've seen dyed in the wool DT drunks stop drinking ( often miserably, but stopped just the same) without setting foot in a church basement. I've seen people with seriuos drunkalogs not drink in AA until , or even without taking the steps.
It almost sounds like someone is sitting back saying "If you didn't do exactly what I did to get sober then you're not a real alcoholic"
Some alcoholics DO have some defense against the first drink and they are just as "real" as anyone else.
Clearly, the book generalizes even uses metaphor. I believe the bible is a great literary work, but I don't believe the planet is only 4,000 years old! Same principal.
For some the layers of the onion peel slowly. Faster for others, yet I cannot imagine taking the steps at light speed.
This post is not to insight arguement but rather to discuss the core differences here on a specific thread.
Maybe, or maybe not, but that is definitely not an opinion we should express even here on this forum ...
"... be careful not to brand him as an alcoholic. Let him draw his own conclusion. If he sticks to the idea that he can still control his drinking, tell him that possibly he can - if he is not too alcoholic. But insist that if he is severely afflicted, there may be little chance he can recover by himself." (page 92)
And of course, we have a suggested "test" for that:
"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself [if you are not already convinced you cannot ever again drink safely]. Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink [just one or two] and stop abruptly. Try it more than once [but not on the same day, of course]. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." (pages 31-32)
The issue of "real alcoholic" does not make somebody into any special kind A.A. member, it is simply necessary if Step One is to ever be taken:
"Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics ... bodily and mentally different from his fellows ...
"We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we [really] were alcoholics. This [smashing of the delusion we are like other people, or presently may be,] is the first step in recovery." (page 30)