[CarolD]

The orginal thread starter

What's the deal with AA?
I'll bite.

If I do continue to contribute to this board, many will find that I tend to play devils advocate.

First, however, thanks for all the advice on my insomnia thread. It actually was quite useful and I am sleeping now (and sober). I'm on day 10 or so (I try not to KEEP count - don't want to become obsessed with something different).

I'll try to keep this short - but it might be difficult. The only reason I will pose these kinds of thoughts is because of what I've read here. Everyone on SR seems pretty nice and open minded (to an extent... but, then again, we all have our vices and points of view).

AA

I've been there. In Japan it is still a bit rare (most alcoholics in Japan, if they seek help, end up hospitalized for long periods of time and, if you you go to a NON-AA meeting about alcoholics here, most of the old guys there will tell you that they were almost dead, not just struggling with marital or social problems) to find AA groups. However, in Osaka, I was introduced to a group through a friend of mine who has been drinking pretty hard for the last 20+ years. I see his situation as a success story, though he still drinks. AA has given him a lot of structure and aim in his life that he lacked before. He is an American and grew up on the streets and without a lot of parental supervision. In addition to alcohol, he has done just about every drug in existence. But, at heart, he is good.

I call him a success story because he learned to control his drinking. He binges about once a month, but that is not at all usual in ANY place. People like to indulge in the "pleasures of life", even if they are harmful. There are PLENTY of things besides alcohol that are harmful. Some hypochondriacs could go on and on about all the poisons we put in/on our bodies.

So why is this "disease" different? And I am not one bit convinced it is a disease. There's a big difference between willpower and cancer.

It seems to me that most people in AA have replaced an obsession/addiction to alcohol with the obsession of abstinence. In my book, any obsession leads to destructive behaviour. I have seen AA members preach to others about not drinking, and it is, frankly, kind of sickening. It's like having a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness come to your house and try to save your soul. Life is something that we each deal with on our own terms. Some are christians, some buddhists, some hindu, some agnostic (me - to a fault probably).

I 100% applaud the people who get good help from AA. But AA seems to be the ONLY ANSWER to a lifestyle issue that many people have - alcohol. Why is it the ONLY solution?

I know on this board there is a specific message not to push AA on people who are not willing to accept it or ready for it, but what is the alternative? Even in THIS forum, where pressure to go to AA is discouraged, you see AA pop up ALL THE TIME in posts.

AA is a POSSIBLE avenue to changing the way one thinks. IT IS NOT THE ONLY SOLUTION. AA is also riddled with christian over/undertones that make it incredibly inaccessible to a large portion of Earth's population. Higher Power? Yeah, it could be your parents, or your piano, but what AA is really trying to get everyone to do is accept a god into their life and to give up control because we are, apparently, "incappable" of making choice for ourselves. This seems incredibly self-defeating to me.

I made a conscious choice not to drink and, other than the insane physiological symptom of not being able to sleep, it has proven to be absolutly no problem for me.

I guess what I just don't understand is the need for only ONE cure to a life-choice problem. Cancer has options. Alzeimers has options. Drinking too much? GO TO AA!!!!! Why!?!?!?!

To meet and talk to other people that share the same problem.

So why the heck isn't there a group that doesn't base their conversation on something other than 12-stepping. I don't feel any particular desire to own up to people I may have hurt by drinking - we hurt people (as humans) in an infinate number of ways besides drinking. Why does drinking rate a step where we bear our souls to people that probably FORGOT about what we did to them? What about the school bully that screwed up my life? He was 10 years old - not at all a heavy drinker. Where's his apology? Why do I have to give my life over to someone else when human beings are perfectly capable of taking charge of their own lives? It might not be easy, BUT LIFE IS NOT EASY.

As far as I can see, the "recovery" system is vastly flawwed.

I don't believe in god or higher powers. I am worm food. I try to live my life as best I can and do good to those around me. I have even been able to do a lot of good when I was drinking - lending an impartial and overly-honest ear to people in need. How is that bad?

Your thoughts are welcome.

Other than not being able to sleep as much (which is kind of nice), not drinking has not IN ANY WAY changed my lifestyle. I still waste as much time playing video games, watching simpson's episodes, and doing my job.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes. I type fast - and don't check.

Cheers? - sorry, that might be a bad word.

-wordtank