blizzardm17

the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.




what does that mean to you, thank you for any replies

zendust

It means I got a seat even though I'm a hard-core atheist.

Ananda

for me it means that the bottom line is if you want to not drink than you can be a member of AA.

Taking5

There is not a lot of room for misinterpretation or personal interpretation of the 3rd tradition.

It means what it says.

Chops

That you can be drunk in a meeting and no one can say "leave", that no one can metric the need for and or put an admission criterea on a AA meeting, it is up the individual.

Pinkcuda

I prefer the long version.
"Our membership ought to include all those suffering from Alcoholism, hence we may refuse none who wish to recover".
To me it means exactly what it says.

Ananda

well... thinking about it I guess the wiggly part about the tradition is the judgement involved in whether or not someone "wishes to be recover" or "has a desire to stop using"....and who makes that judgement based on what criteria......as with most things there is A LOT of interpretation involved.

Boleo

Oddly enough, since I have been given the gift of sobriety, I no longer have any desire to stop drinking or even any temptation to drink at all.

Technically, I no longer meet the minimum requirement for membership. I still like to go to AA meetings to carry the message that there really is a permanent solution to alcoholism. I also look for opportunities to be of service to my fellow members but I don't really need meetings for selfish reasons anymore.

I now look at the 3rd tradition as being a double-edged sword that allows everyone to enter the program but also enables "lazy-bums" to remain "lazy-bums" for decades.

I think that a:

"honest desire to work the program"

would have been a more effective 3rd tradition and would serve more than the 1 in 20 that is the current efficacy rate.

Ananda

Would still involve judgement and who makes the determination B.

For myself I simply assume the person has a desire to not drink somewhere inside of them no matter how small that desire is.

Pinkcuda

How does one take the first step if they are not powerless over Alcohol? If they are not interested in the steps, why are they going to AA meetings?

Ananda

Pink....I guess my question is Who and by what process does an AA group or meeting determine if a person meets the membership requirement? What criteria is used? does it have to be the same for all AA...it gets quite comlicated. You seem to indicate that willingness is judged on the criteria of have they taken the first step, and seem to have determined that an interest (again who to determine and how if that exists) in taking the steps is a requirement of membership....

I admit that i don't agree with you, but i really am just trying to understand where you are coming from...so i hope you are taking this in the vein it is intended...or maybe I should PM you to discus? Just trying to understand
thx

freya

Well, I actually just posted this Bill W. quotation for another reason in another thread, but it definitely relates to this question also:

"We of AA cannot help but feel that great things certainly await those who earnestly try our 12 Steps, substituting their own distressing problem for that of alcohol.....To us, grace is an infinite abundance which surely can be shared by all who will renounce their former selves and truly seek it out." (Wilson, Wm., "Is AA for Alcoholics Only?", Guideposts, 1947)

Just some food for thought -- freya

Pinkcuda

Freya, Everyone is welcome to try the 12 steps as Bill W. said. I encourage it as well.
Addicts may try it in NA
Overeaters may try it in Overeaters Anonymous
Gamblers may try it in Gamblers Anonymous Etc...
The 12 steps have stood the test of time.
Bill Said to try the 12 Steps but did not invite everyone with a social disfunction to come to AA.
We are here to solve our "Common Problem" and Our "Common Problem is Alcohol Addiction.

Ananda. The criteria is determined by the individual only. The Individual must know the difference between Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This will come to light in meetings with other Alcoholics. A clear definition of what Alcoholism by AA terms is covered in The Doctors Opinion. Hopefully a Newcomer won't spend too much time in meetings before he/she is made aware of what is covered in this chapter.
Too many people spend too much time in meetings without a full understanding of what an Alcoholic really is. Shame on us for that!

Ananda

Thanks pink....that really clarified what you meant for me. Having the individual decide for themselves is very much in line with how I see membership.

freya

pink: Thanks for clarifying your position. The wording of your original question made it sound like you didn't see how anyone other than an alcoholic might even be able to make it out of the gate with the 1st Step!!!!

freya

RobbyRobot

For me that means no other members need to expect to carry me along with desire as i progress through the meetings and the Steps and the fellowship. It means i will be helped with recovery and not pampered thru my feelings and conflicts of wanting to be clean. My own consistent desire to stop using will eventually carry me beyond the problems of internal conflicts, confused feelings, thoughts, and all the rest that newcomers struggle with !! !!

As each member provides their own desire to stop, group effort is not wasted trying to convince some of desire. And so then others who already have desire are not sidelined or delayed in their efforts because of those reasons. It is important that the group be consistent and helpful to all members, not just the most in need at the moment. We are all equal before each other.

Convincing us on the how of being clean n' sober on a recovery path makes good sense for any group. Only individuals already infused with a desire to stop using will benefit from those group efforts. People in need of the why of being clean n' sober are not ready for recovery membership in any program.

Any persons suffering with or without desire to stop of course are welcome to attend the meetings anyways, but to be a productive giving member in need of recovery benefits and fellowship, a personal desire is absolutely required. That basic desire is a foundation to build a strong, real, beautiful, lasting, loving, and giving life of sobriety for one and for all. :ghug2

That only requirement for membership seperates the addicts active in recovery from the addicts at the meetings who are actively using...

The only requirement for membership: a desire to stop using speaks for itself

RR

Celebration1994

Originally Posted by blizzardm17
the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.
what does that mean to you, thank you for any replies


For me, when I go back to my early recovery...I went to meetings because I had the desire to not drink BUT I also went to meetings because I had the desire to drink.

NoelleR

I've been reading this thread since it started. I believe the original post's question was.........:
"the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.
what does that mean to you, thank you for any replies."

I believe it was Pincuda who wrote (according to AA).....:
"I prefer the long version. "Our membership ought to include all those suffering from Alcoholism, hence we may refuse none who wish to recover".
To me it means exactly what it says."

OK....so there are two versions of the third tradition....good....BUT all of a sudden I'm reading posts about folks in meetings, the criteria for attending meetings.....? Mebbe I'm wrong BUT............

.....since when does one need to be a member in order to attend a meeting....? If that were the case, there are some folks I know who'd still be out there (or dead) because they weren't sure if they were alcoholics, or if they wanted to stop, or if they needed AA, but they got that info at meetings.....uh oh....they weren't members at the time; do they have to give back their decoder rings....? lol

OK, I apologize; the devil made me do that....that last paragraph....just in case there were any readers who were curious about AA but might have been confused by some of the posts here and thought that one had to fit the criteria of membership before ever attending...NOT TRUE...come one; come all.... (o:

Now, in answer to the original question, I love that third tradition -- short or long version. The way I understand it is that as long as I have a desire to stop drinking and/or a desire to recover from alcoholism.....well, then I'm a member. Nobody could keep me out.....and believe me, there were quite a few who didn't want this lesbian, atheist, drug addict, alcoholic in their meeting. Well guess what..........I'M HERE!!!!! lol Oh yes, I got the condescending looks when I used an improper pronoun when referring to my S/O. I also got the all-famous quote (at least down here in our li'll corner of the Bible belt), "Get God or get drunk." (and of course it had to be their understanding of God.....of course).

It was that last statement that always raised the hackles on my neck and made me ever so grateful for that third tradition. So, if there are any of you out there who don't fit the mainstream of what some folks think AA and it's members should be..............WELL, fergitum!!!! as long as you have a desire to stop drinking and/or a desire to recover from alcoholism.....YOU BELONG!!!

So, welcome, keep coming back, don't drink (even if your ass is falling off).....etc., etc., etc. (o:


NoelleR

P.S. I noticed that I mainly used the terms alcoholism, drinking, etc., but I am a dues paid-up, card carrying member of both AA and NA. Sorry for the slight; it was not intentional..... (o:

P.P.S. ...and Boleo, I must say I truly luv'd your post (#8); you and I are probably 180 degrees different when it comes to most issues, but on this one I had to laugh....I've often felt....."Well, I guess I don't qualify as a member any more; I no longer have a desire to stop drinking and/or a desire to recover from alcoholism (drinking is a non-issue for me now, and I AM recovered from alcoholism)....hmmmm" (o:

blizzardm17

all i need is a desire to stop using, and that desire can be hidden by just a desire for the pain to stop. sometimes people come in totally confused, i did, and thats ok. nobody said i had to leave. nobody said i was too old or on drugs too long. they told me to keep coming back. i cant measure anyones desire so i dont have to worry about anyone meeting any requirements. if i say i want to be part of the program i am part of the program. period

all are welcome:ghug3

BeamMeUpScotty

Well, my name's Michael and I'm an alcoholic.

I stopped going to AA meetings about 6 weeks ago after attending about 6 of them. I'm still sober and feel confident that my decision to stop going was/is correct. I felt more like drinking after meetings than any other time during the week.

I saw the "only requirement" and I know from a previous experience the power of the fellowship of those who have gone through or are going through the same trials and tribulations as oneself, so I went. I had read the steps and up to the chapter on "We agnostics" in the BB. Some of the steps I was ok with, others not so much, and the Big Book I was ready to tear apart as its condescending attitude towards agnostics/atheists is reprehensible for an organization that claims no religious connection (I understand the history of how it was written, but there is such a thing as updating).

Trying to be short (it's 2:30 am), I don't believe in any higher power, and never will, as far as I can predict. I was told stories of other atheists who had come to terms with the term "higher power" and worked the program. I said that was fine with me for them, but that, as I saw it, there is no "higher power" and that was what I felt comfortable with. It became quickly apparent from my perception, I agree that I would be tolerated at meetings until I "came around" so to speak. The "only requirement" didn't seem to apply to me when push came to shove.

So, while I'm happy for anyone who gets help through AA, or any other system, I do not see them as conducive to helping anyone and everyone into sobriety. This is ok, as there is more than one way to skin a cat. The "only requirement" only seems to go up to a certain point, imho.

I hope this isn't rambling too much and I hope I haven't offended anyone, which is not my intention.

I'm tired. Good night.