Well, I am finding the steps work I'm diong very helpful indeed! I spent a lot of time arguing about AA when I first came on here, but I think if you just read through the steps and think how it can be phrased in a way meaningful to you then really what you have is a program about how to deal with life. I need that. I need the element of spirituality/mental health (call it what you will) because nothing else seems to work.

I was thinking about this and maybe some of us have kneejerk reaction to some of the 'AAer's' here? I think I called poor cabledude santimonious. But ... maybe it's because we all see ourselves at different stages of alcoholism, so for those 'of the worst variety' AA was a miracle, but for those of us not as far down that path perhaps we still cling to this egocentricity and illusion that it's really not that bad, that we are in control.

I'm going to try something new. Tolerance. Apologies Cabledude. I'll try to keep my knees down.

let's say I was diagnosed w/cancer........ummmmm.....
As an educated adult w/ internet access, jeez all sorts of access'....
I would EDUCATE MY ASS OFF about my disease. I would advocate for my own well-being, using ALL AVENUES of information. Why in the world would I *Exclude* the one w/the most success?
I'm always amazed at ignorance.

Yep, it's BILLIE

I can't persuade anyone to go to AA, but sometimes I see someone struggling, I need to tell them where I got my solotion and that is all I can do, they have to pick up the reigns and go forward. I will always tell someone if they are struggling and in pain from alcohol that AA can give them peace. Well nick you said it just right, good message. I just know I needed it and would definatley be dead or in a hospital somewhere by now.

Dottygirl,

Whit's fur ye'll no go by ye!

Lochlass xx

Thanks for the post Nicky. The clarification was long overdue. I try hard to get the right balance here on the board. I don't want to shove AA up anyone's ass or down their throat but when newcomers are asking about what they can do to get well, then all I have is my own experience - and that is that I got sober in AA.

I, like you get a little frustrated sometimes when someone posts saying stuff like 'I get drunk every Saturday, am I an alcoholic?' and immediately a whole raft of posts appear imploring that person get to a meeting.

Not everyone who is drinking more than is healthy are alcoholics, if they can stop drinking upon a non-spiritual basis they don't need AA.

The public relations policy of AA is one of attraction rather than promotion.

holycrap - nope not at meetings of course i;ve only been 2, 3rd one today - When i came here is was looking for anything but AA, just didn't want to go there. - in this group there are a lot of aa-ers - and they try to help with what they know - but it should be presented as this is what helped me, not this is what you need to do

does that make sense?

oh and AA meetings are just meetings of a bunch of alcoholics, that in and of itself will not save you - there is more to it, which i am starting to learn

to go into an AA meeting cold - i think would turn anybody off

Wease, I don't see posts where the folks say you MUST go to AA. On the contrary, most people do say that AA is what works for them, but do whatever works for you.

Wease, I think that you are right about it being difficult to walk into your first AA meeting 'cold. This is why there is such a thing called a 12 step call.

This is where someone phones the helpline and they are asked if they would like someone in AA to contact them. Then, someone like me gets their details and we contact them and arrange to meet them. We explain how we understand alcoholism and if they want to know more we tell them about the solution that we have found in AA.

If they are still interested we arrange to go to some meetings with them.

These days many of them walk in 'cold' after getting meeting addresses from the internet and they never get the benefit of that initial contact.

I hope you find what you are looking for there and recover.

Lyn

AA is the only organization that would have me, a bunch of them are just like me. My story is just another story. I tell my story to a non-alcoholic and I get; Oh my god you should never want to drink again,,huh.
In the beginning there is a glitter of hope because AA has a design for living that works.
When you finally figure out that AA teaches you how to live without chemicals you will be grateful.

Nicky has a very good and SIMPLE message here. I think it fair to say that AA is whatever you want it to be. I have heard, "It's a selfish program." and "Take what you need and leave the rest." I guess that if you need nothing from AA, then you can leave the entire thing.

So many in the program try to complicate issues that really do not matter to the average drunk trying to stay sober. So, trial and error is a human way of learning. But the most important thing is to keep trying, whether you are still drinking, recently stopped, recently relapesed, or have 98 years of sobriety. The moment we stop growing, that is when we really start dying.