Originally Posted by
courage2 
I never understand why people get in such a fuss about other people's recovery programs, UNLESS there's a serious cost or willful chicanery.
I mean, in the peer-support based programs, you can always just walk away, right? In fact, people do, all the time, at no particular consequence to themselves. No one stalks them or hounds them, right? And there's no bait-and-switch (sorry Dee for using the phrase before, it was poor word choice then) involved -- no one says, "Ha! You thought you were walking in the door of a church basement for recovery, but here's the contract, sign away all your possessions!"
So for free programs, why does anyone care whether they're helpful for other people? I'm only interested in whether they're helpful for me. And I sure as hell don't expect any program to recover me or get me sober. That's my business.
It's like borrowing a book from the library. At worst, I'm only wasting my time.
It seems to me that the issue is only important if I'm buying the book.
What am I missing here?
With regards to AA what you`re missing is there are a lot of well-meaning (as well as screwed up) individuals/groups who will take it upon themselves to make sure you follow their "suggestions" and heaven help those who don`t.
Because it doesn`t take long for some members/groups to make you feel unwelcome if you do not.
Now, the primary purpose in AA is to stay sober and help the other alcoholic achieve sobriety.
If one is not following the suggested steps exactly as outlined in the BB yet keeps coming back without picking up a drink and their life improves that`s what it`s all about. And if Bill Wilson were around today I think he would agree.
I`m here to help and tell those new (if asked) what I did to get sober in AA. And anyone with time knows there`s no guarantee who will stay sober and who won`t.
We`ve all been surprised.