What AA did for me.
I've been to thousands of AA meetings. I know what I'm talking about when I say that AA members are brainwashed parrots. 16 years in and out of AA with no results except a broken spirit, and confusion that I can't even describe... that's what AA did for me... and before you say that I didn't work the program the way it's laid out, or that I was never an alcoholic to begin with... I was on my knees morning and night begging God to clear my head and keep me away from a drink. I quit drinking after I left AA and found naltrexone and SMART Recovery. Never in my life have I been so fucked up and confused as when I was in AA. The worst thing you can do to someone who is trying to quit drinking is ask them to define God. It's a question that has confused mankind since the first religions, and asking a blurry eyed drunk to answer it is not only harmful, it HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH QUITTING DRINKING! So you can sit there and present AA as a cheerful fellowship that has nothing to do with religion... you can eat your stale cookies and drink the muddy coffee... You can praise that sicko cult all day long, but more and more people are becoming aware of the lies, the sexual misconduct, and the religious quackery that's happening in church basements throughout the world. The jig is up.... The cat is out of the bag. Karla Brada went to AA meetings looking for help, and what she got was a stone cold killer who had been sentenced to AA meetings over 50 times. You know the kind... The guys who say that thanks to the fellowship they have a life second to none. The kind who learn the lingo, parrot slogans, and become the leaders of your cruel and vicious religious cult. AA causes more harm than good. Wake up and snap out of your trance! Other than that I have no strong feelings about AA.
Replies
When I approached AA as a social club that shared a common interest, (stopping drinking) and swapped opinions (recipes) on staying sober it worked best for me. That attitude worked well for a very long time. I did learn some very good things that help me to this day. My built in forgettor must be seriously broken. The steps are far too negative for me as they were written by a very depressed person. For example: Step 10: \"Continue to take personal inventory. When you are wrong promptly admit it. \" My death throes in AA was when I would talk about how I \"worked\" Step 10: basically I continue to take personal inventory and when I did \"right\" I promptly gave myself a pat on the back. Re-writing the steps is a very dangerous thing in AA, approaching heresy. On balance my experience with AA was somewhat positive, but after a point became more and more of little or no help. I felt sponsorship was becoming more of a power trip for me so I stopped and would just be a \"friend\". Eventually, helping others branched out to other areas and the break with the insular AA world was complete. I understand and agree with the criticisms and harm done of large parts of AA, but would add the caveat that one must be aware of the predators in any large group. Further, one persons junk is anothers oracle, and vice versa. I guess to each their own...