Yet, on the other hand, I don't think taking the valium would make me a failure - I think AA would tell me I was a failure.
Not the AA I know, there was years ago some in AA that felt that way, but if they had read the BB they would have found that this was not AA. AA is for ones alcohol problem, not for taking any meds prescribed by a doctor/dentist and taken as directed.
I would highly reccommend that you PM Noelle and talk to him about working AA successfully as an atheist, I am not an athiest but one of the better talks I have heard given was by an aethiest in AA, he explained how he worked his program with great success, he had a Higher Power, but it was not God, nor was it a doorknob!!!!
The most interesting thing I found about his talk was that one of his sponsees was a Minister!!! Yes a Minister is being sponsored by an aethiest!!! They are best of friends and they each have a Higher Power of thier understanding.
Noelle you could be of a great service to others here of the aethiest clan if you could help others of like mind by sharing how you have worked AA as an aethiest.
So many folks have it in their heads that AA is a religion or a religous program and it is very difficult for those of us who do beleive in God to convince them that it is not. You and many others aethiest who have stayed sober using AA are living proof that that beleif is not true.