legna

Hello all. A bit of background to put my question into perspective: I am an alcoholic and a member of AA. I have been continuously sober now for a bit over twenty years. I am also an atheist. In the early days, this gave me a fair bit of difficulty but over the years I've been able to reconcile many of the sticking points I once had and allowed me to move past them.

How I did so has been gradual and had I not had so low a bottom and such a desperate condition, I don't suspect that I would have stuck around to have found the solution. As many would agree, the bottom in AA has gradually risen. People come in today who we never would have seen in the early days of this program and it has been my observation that many lack the desperation necessary to face themselves. I originally came into the program in 1978 (seven years dry followed by a seven year slip) and the idea of someone going more than a couple of months without doing a fourth and fifth step was unheard of - today it is not unusual to have people with four or five years being able to stay dry on meetings alone... not something I can relate to.

Anywho, to my question: In working with newcomers I've come across some lately who are, at the very least, agnostic and in some cases, atheist. More than a few, I suspect, are simply angry at the God of their understanding and will come around in time - others truly don't believe. I'm unsure of how to work with these folks.

We've all heard that we can choose a higher power of our own understanding and agnostic members have been told for decades that they can choose Group Of Drunks or Good Orderly Direction or any other of a long list of good intentioned suggestions. Almost in the same breathe though, you hear members telling newcomers that they need to 'turn it over' to that power greater than themselves.

Recently, an atheist newcomer, who I believe is sincere in her desire to quit drinking but acting out of frustration, dropped all he bills into the basket as the seventh tradition went around. She was frustrated and trying to make a point. What she said was this:

"Look, I know you all aren't going to pay my bills for me, but I really don't know what to do. You say that I can choose any HP I want and I've chosen the group - ya'll have stayed sober and I haven't been able to on my own so clearly you folks have something I want. Ya'll have told me that the group is a fine choice and that many have done so before me. But then, when I come to you with my problems you tell me don't drink, come to meetings and ask my hp for help. Well I've got 23 days without a drink, have been to 52 meetings and ya'll are my higher power. Ya'll ain't going to pay my bills, you don't want me doing the fifth step with the group...which I don't really want to do either but I would if it'd keep me from picking up a drink, ya'll aren't going to remove my shortcomings and you don't want me praying to you.

So how exactly can I use this group of drunks as my higher power?"

Thirty four years in the program and an atheist and really, I have no idea what to tell this young woman. How I did it will not work for her - and I don't see any alternatives. I would be grateful for any suggestions.