RE: NA/AA is bogus
April 25, 2014 at 7:03 pm
(This post was last modified: April 25, 2014 at 7:07 pm by vorlon13.)
The 'Spiritual Experience'
(this is my opinion, I do not represent AA)
For some/many/most alcoholics/addicts, it is better if they attribute their success in abstinence to a 'Higher Power' of some sort than to themselves. If an addict (in general) thinks he is in control, then there is that impetus to resume some bad habits, in moderation. And as it turns out, that doesn't work.
So, it becomes a necessary fiction to ascribe success to God, Higher Power, the group, whatever, as long as it's not the addict even if it really is.
And beyond the Higher Power angle, as folks acclimatize to sobriety, there is a progression towards better behavior across the board. This basic attitude shift is what the 12 Steppers refer to usually as the Spiritual Experience. It just means you're not stabbing people in the throat with scissors because they looked at you funny while you're jonesing for a gin and tonic.
For myself, in the first few months of sobriety I had quite a bit of anxiety shopping for groceries as all the stores in town had liquor departments. That hasn't been a problem for 25 years for me now, I can be in someone else's home, alone (I'm a service technician) with a fully stocked bar with no problem. I work on equipment in bars from time to time without temptation, but I rarely go to bars during open hours as I don't like being around drunks. I can (and have) purchased alcohol for 'Aunt Edna' in the nursing home and deliver it to her unmolestered.
And while I didn't go to rehab, prior to 12 Stepping, I was seeing a psychologist for stress, anxiety, depression, violent mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. I was trying to get help from the 'shrink' to make drinking work better for myself, as it turns out, he had other ideas when he realized how far gone I was into alcohol. After one session, he asked in passing for a favor. He said he had another client, very fragile in his condition, that might benefit from a particular AA meeting in town, but due to his precarious condition, he wanted me to go, sit in the back, and then report back, just as a favor to him and this other client.
My psychologist was a SNEAKY RAT BASTARD !!
The 'fragile client' was ME !
And to make it worse, it is my firm belief he called them, told them I was coming, and to give me the "shock and awe" treatment (to borrow a phrase not yet coined at the time).
It really worked, although the risk was considerable that I might kill myself instead of attempting sobriety. It was a VERY bad night, but I got through it.
(this is my opinion, I do not represent AA)
For some/many/most alcoholics/addicts, it is better if they attribute their success in abstinence to a 'Higher Power' of some sort than to themselves. If an addict (in general) thinks he is in control, then there is that impetus to resume some bad habits, in moderation. And as it turns out, that doesn't work.
So, it becomes a necessary fiction to ascribe success to God, Higher Power, the group, whatever, as long as it's not the addict even if it really is.
And beyond the Higher Power angle, as folks acclimatize to sobriety, there is a progression towards better behavior across the board. This basic attitude shift is what the 12 Steppers refer to usually as the Spiritual Experience. It just means you're not stabbing people in the throat with scissors because they looked at you funny while you're jonesing for a gin and tonic.
For myself, in the first few months of sobriety I had quite a bit of anxiety shopping for groceries as all the stores in town had liquor departments. That hasn't been a problem for 25 years for me now, I can be in someone else's home, alone (I'm a service technician) with a fully stocked bar with no problem. I work on equipment in bars from time to time without temptation, but I rarely go to bars during open hours as I don't like being around drunks. I can (and have) purchased alcohol for 'Aunt Edna' in the nursing home and deliver it to her unmolestered.
And while I didn't go to rehab, prior to 12 Stepping, I was seeing a psychologist for stress, anxiety, depression, violent mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. I was trying to get help from the 'shrink' to make drinking work better for myself, as it turns out, he had other ideas when he realized how far gone I was into alcohol. After one session, he asked in passing for a favor. He said he had another client, very fragile in his condition, that might benefit from a particular AA meeting in town, but due to his precarious condition, he wanted me to go, sit in the back, and then report back, just as a favor to him and this other client.
My psychologist was a SNEAKY RAT BASTARD !!
The 'fragile client' was ME !
And to make it worse, it is my firm belief he called them, told them I was coming, and to give me the "shock and awe" treatment (to borrow a phrase not yet coined at the time).
It really worked, although the risk was considerable that I might kill myself instead of attempting sobriety. It was a VERY bad night, but I got through it.
