RE: Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug Addiction
October 22, 2014 at 10:09 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 10:13 pm by AceBoogie.)
I take the same stance as some of you, while there are many flaws and contradictory ideas in AA, it still has some merit. More specifically, I think having a support group of people who share the same issues as you can always be of help. I think, however, that this CAN become a problem when, using AA as an example, all you do is hang out with other AA members, go to AA functions, make AA YOUR LIFE. That is replacing one addiction with another and is a very close-minded way of living life i.e. thinking that other addicts are the only other people you can relate to. I think one of the points of getting sober is to have a full, interesting life. The idea is to be sober so you CAN live your life, in other words, participating in hobbies and things that interest you.
I think a lot of people need to stop making their addiction such a big deal. Stop letting it have so much power over your life. Do you need to watch who you hang with? Maybe so. Do you need to watch where you go? Maybe so. And I'm sure there are some key techniques and tools one can use to maintain sobriety, outside of willpower itself of course.
With that being said there ARE secular alternatives to AA, which I'm sure Dorian will be happy to here. There is LifeRing, SMART Recovery, SOS (Secular Organization for Sobriety)... There may be others but I think these are the most well known. However keep in mind that there are not nearly as many of these meetings as there are AA meetings. If going to meetings is something that helps you, maybe it isn't a terrible idea to attend AA meetings along with some LifeRing meetings or whatever. No one says AA can't be a supplement to your secular based support group.
I think a lot of people need to stop making their addiction such a big deal. Stop letting it have so much power over your life. Do you need to watch who you hang with? Maybe so. Do you need to watch where you go? Maybe so. And I'm sure there are some key techniques and tools one can use to maintain sobriety, outside of willpower itself of course.
With that being said there ARE secular alternatives to AA, which I'm sure Dorian will be happy to here. There is LifeRing, SMART Recovery, SOS (Secular Organization for Sobriety)... There may be others but I think these are the most well known. However keep in mind that there are not nearly as many of these meetings as there are AA meetings. If going to meetings is something that helps you, maybe it isn't a terrible idea to attend AA meetings along with some LifeRing meetings or whatever. No one says AA can't be a supplement to your secular based support group.
“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