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Old 03-15-2019, 04:55 AM
  # 6 (permalink)  
Eddiebuckle
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NC
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Originally Posted by CaiHong View Post
Alcohol was/is her problem and AA helped her to recover. Dope smoking for her is not a problem so no problem.
Speaking only for me and my understanding of my addiction, I would disagree strongly with this statement. It may sound like splitting hairs, but looking at addiction solely in terms of ones drug of choice is to deliberately avoid the root of the problem. At the end of my drinking career I drank because I was physically addicted to alcohol. But how I got to that place (and now how I stay sober) was rooted in how I dealt with "life on life's terms."

If we don't have a solution that enables us to live (usually) happily without a chemical escape from reality, in my view we've missed the point of the 12 steps. It is a spiritual program - spirituality is about connection to ones higher power. We can make and sustain that connection through service to others, connection to nature and the world around us, attending religious services, meditation, music, art, whatever. But it is done while being fully present - us, as flawed as we are, present with the awesome reality and complexity of the world in which we live.

My two cents, apologies if this seems like a ridiculous tangent to the OP.
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