This reminds me of a Mohandas Gandhi quote:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
I am not posting this as a religious attack. I post because it's the same with AA, I think. The program, at its core, seems set on helping people get through their addiction and live a better lifestyle. I've read several things in AA literature, including the BB, basically stating that AA was not intended to be the only way, that it should not be drawn into public controversy, and it is there for the benefit of the people who get something out of it. Basically, if you think AA is not right for you, don't use it.
The conflict starts when people who feel they can't get sober without AA feel that no one else can, either. AA says people should be wary of this attitude, but some people get a little self-righteous about it (this could be said of
any other program as well). I've noticed that it is often the people early in recovery who feel this way. The longer someone has been sober, the more they seem to chill out to a "whatever works" attitude. We've all been through early recovery-- I'm still there-- and my emotions are FRIGGIN' CRAZY. Constant ups and downs. So anything that helps is likely to be latched onto and defended vehemently on an emotional level.
I don't do AA, but I think it has a lot of valuable tools. So my quote, with apologies to Mohandas Gandhi:
I like AA, I do not like some 12-steppers. 12-steppers are so unlike AA.
