Originally Posted by ZombieAttack

Hi

When I first started investigating getting clean, I started seeing a lot of stuff about AA. I looked into that, but to me it seemed incredibly religious, in a Christian-American kind of way. This is massively removed from who I am as a person, and if I am totally honest, pretty laughable. It reminded me of a Free Mason induction ceremony.

I was put off attending mainly because this seemed to be the vibe of the whole thing, and I was wondering if anybody else has felt the same?

Anyway, to get to the main point of this post, I have been thinking over the past few days, that getting oneself off alcohol has nothing to do with divine powers or any of that stuff, and is merely a case of not drinking, and letting your body recover. Part of this recovery involves a great deal of mental / emotional anguish, which is no doubt the thing that drives people back to drinking, and is most likely what all this talk in AA about giving in to a power greater than yourself is all about; glamourising and dressing up a difficult part of recovery, which could be summed up better for a lot of people by just informing them that they are going to be feeling very upset, anxious, emotional etc, but that this stage will pass with abstinence.

Slightly rambling post, I realise, but I suppose my point is; I found it frustrating that the main group that seems to offer help to alcoholics prescribes a non-secular program, rather than one of simple, matter of fact scientific explanations and game plans / scheduling. I am in no doubt that they offer a very very important and worthwhile service, but it seems a shame to me that they have to bring 'God' into it all.

So there!

Ha.