Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug Addiction
October 21, 2014 at 11:51 am
(This post was last modified: October 21, 2014 at 11:58 am by AceBoogie.)
As a child I attended many AA meetings with family members of mine, usually as a result of them not having anyone to babysit, etc. In AA they tell people that finding a 'higher power' is the only way to stay sober, claiming that addicts, 'left to their own devices' don't have the power to refuse a drug. They also claim that addiction is a disease and that once an addict puts a drug in his/her body, they become completely powerless over their behavior and thoughts, therefore the only way to stay sober is complete abstienence.
There are also a lot of interesting phrases and things repeated and regurgitated by AA members to other AA members (let go and let god, turn it over to your higher power, god gives you two ears and one mouth for a reason, take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth, meeting makers make it, etc.), specifically newer members, that make all sorts of interesting claims and declarations. I am not claiming that these sayings have no truth to them. While I feel like there is some merit to AA i.e. building a support group, having people to call in times of crisis, being around like-minded individuals who share the same issue as you, therapeutic benefits, etc. I also feel like a lot of what's in AA is just straight up bullshit. I don't mean to say that I don't support anyone that goes to AA to continue going to AA, nor do I wish to send anyone astray in convincing them that 'AA doesn't work,' because that is not the case. AA DOES work for many people in many parts of the world, but is AA honestly more successful than other methods of staying sober?
I am not so much looking for scientific studies or fact because I have some research into the subject. I am more looking for everyday people's rational, logical approach to AA and what they think.
There are also a lot of interesting claims in the Big Book of AA... A lot of these claims are based on a vast misunderstanding of how things in society work, in my opinion. There is a story in the Big Book about a man who went to see Jung for his addiction and it says that even after seeing the world-renowned physician and learning the 'inner-workings of his mind' he was still not able to stay sober. So now many people in AA have this idea that therapy cannot help addicts, despite the fact that meetings, 'fellowship' (as they call it), and building a support group are all therapeutic exercises. They claim that knowing things about your mind will not allow you to stay sober, disregarding the fact that therapy is not JUST about learning the 'inner-workings' of your mind, but also about learning tools and skills to deal with and manage your mind and your thoughts, in other words, learning to change your reaction to your thoughts, i.e. your behavior.
Though you won't hear very many people actually admit it, there is this all-pervading attitude amongst AA members that AA is the ONLY WAY TO STAY SOBER. They claim that if one stays sober without AA, they are not actually sober but rather a 'dry drunk' (a dry drunk meaning someone who abstains from drugs but does nothing to change who they are or their behavior outside of drug use) because there is no way to be sober AND be happy without 'having the steps in your life.' It's as if people in AA CANNOT fathom being sober with a '12 step program,' and that anyone who is sober without the 12 steps of AA is not actually sober but rather a dry drunk. I am aware of secular based sobriety groups and have heard AA members speak of certain groups with a sort of disdain and lack of effort to even attempt to understand any other sobriety 'program' besides AA.
There are many more examples I can give but I won't bore you, as I'm sure that if you are familiar with AA in any sense you have probably heard of, even in passing, some of these phrases or ideas.
What do you guys think?
I have a hard time being on either end of the spectrum, I more so think that while AA DOES have SOME merit, there is a lot of bullshit and misinformation spread between people in 'the program.' It comes to a point where all certain people do is talk about AA and spout 'knowledge' from the Big Book as if that's all their tiny little brains can fathom. Very interesting subject, in my opinion.
There are also a lot of interesting phrases and things repeated and regurgitated by AA members to other AA members (let go and let god, turn it over to your higher power, god gives you two ears and one mouth for a reason, take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth, meeting makers make it, etc.), specifically newer members, that make all sorts of interesting claims and declarations. I am not claiming that these sayings have no truth to them. While I feel like there is some merit to AA i.e. building a support group, having people to call in times of crisis, being around like-minded individuals who share the same issue as you, therapeutic benefits, etc. I also feel like a lot of what's in AA is just straight up bullshit. I don't mean to say that I don't support anyone that goes to AA to continue going to AA, nor do I wish to send anyone astray in convincing them that 'AA doesn't work,' because that is not the case. AA DOES work for many people in many parts of the world, but is AA honestly more successful than other methods of staying sober?
I am not so much looking for scientific studies or fact because I have some research into the subject. I am more looking for everyday people's rational, logical approach to AA and what they think.
There are also a lot of interesting claims in the Big Book of AA... A lot of these claims are based on a vast misunderstanding of how things in society work, in my opinion. There is a story in the Big Book about a man who went to see Jung for his addiction and it says that even after seeing the world-renowned physician and learning the 'inner-workings of his mind' he was still not able to stay sober. So now many people in AA have this idea that therapy cannot help addicts, despite the fact that meetings, 'fellowship' (as they call it), and building a support group are all therapeutic exercises. They claim that knowing things about your mind will not allow you to stay sober, disregarding the fact that therapy is not JUST about learning the 'inner-workings' of your mind, but also about learning tools and skills to deal with and manage your mind and your thoughts, in other words, learning to change your reaction to your thoughts, i.e. your behavior.
Though you won't hear very many people actually admit it, there is this all-pervading attitude amongst AA members that AA is the ONLY WAY TO STAY SOBER. They claim that if one stays sober without AA, they are not actually sober but rather a 'dry drunk' (a dry drunk meaning someone who abstains from drugs but does nothing to change who they are or their behavior outside of drug use) because there is no way to be sober AND be happy without 'having the steps in your life.' It's as if people in AA CANNOT fathom being sober with a '12 step program,' and that anyone who is sober without the 12 steps of AA is not actually sober but rather a dry drunk. I am aware of secular based sobriety groups and have heard AA members speak of certain groups with a sort of disdain and lack of effort to even attempt to understand any other sobriety 'program' besides AA.
There are many more examples I can give but I won't bore you, as I'm sure that if you are familiar with AA in any sense you have probably heard of, even in passing, some of these phrases or ideas.
What do you guys think?
I have a hard time being on either end of the spectrum, I more so think that while AA DOES have SOME merit, there is a lot of bullshit and misinformation spread between people in 'the program.' It comes to a point where all certain people do is talk about AA and spout 'knowledge' from the Big Book as if that's all their tiny little brains can fathom. Very interesting subject, in my opinion.
“Love is the only bow on Life’s dark cloud. It is the morning and the evening star. It shines upon the babe, and sheds its radiance on the quiet tomb. It is the mother of art, inspirer of poet, patriot and philosopher.
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
