Originally Posted by
GetMeOut 
Originally Posted by
Gottalife When someone claiming AA membership tells me they didn't have to take the steps and therefore I wouldn't need to, not only is that not true, it is quite dangerous to me.
If you choose to believe him/her. It is also quite dangerous to others if one attempts to determine for them whether or not AA is suitable based upon a somewhat subjective determination of alcoholism.
It sounds like both of your are arguing over whether or not clumsy 12-Steppers, or perhaps even those outside of AA, are potentially "killing alcoholics" by dissuading people from attending AA, or from working the steps.
Does that about sum things up?
The way I see it, problem drinkers are acutely aware that they have a problem, usually because they drink entirely too much for their own good, or because they love drinking more than anything. They are usually looking for any possible way to avoid solving the problem, however, because they know that might mean -- gasp! -- no more drinking.
This is not 1935, however. All of the problem drinkers are keenly aware of the existence of AA, and most of them can easily find a meeting and read the grade-school-level Big Book in a day or two. No one is killing anyone, except possibly themselves.