i didn't mean to turn the thread into an AA bashing thread at all. To me the program was very valuable in my recovery especially working and practicing the steps. I still speak with many people from AA and they make up most of my social circle my gripes with the meetings are my own gripes and I only got that way by going to many many meetings, in the beginning all the meetings and mantras and such were new and insightful. Another reason I do not go as much is because its a personal hardship for me. I live in a suburban area where travel is difficult without a license. Mine was revoked for ten years and I am now a convicted felon as a result of a third dui conviction. To be honest I was not even intoxicated. The reason I do not drink is because it will kill me not because of my dui. I work as an electricians helper making a fraction of what I could truly make if I could drive. In my free time im stuck as home. I feel very disinfranchised and feel that as a society we have many problems here in America. A growing police state in which an illegal alien has more rights then citizens. I never stole anything never hurt anyone of did anything violent. For me another part of meetings I can't stand is I feel alot of the old timers are out of touch with the times. Im younger about 30 and most of the folks in AA are at least a decade older. To them they got busted drinking and driving a million times, never had the kind of consequences as I had. They think life is great that they stopped drinking to me its not so great and my loss of license is the least of my problems. I see a growing totalitarian state with not so great of a future so I chose to get involved in activism because the way i see if we as a society and a country stay on the course we are on there will be no future for folks to ever care about their sobriety in.... To me drinking and drugging is not an option because its a war out there and only the strong will survive.