Honestly that would probably be the smart thing. I don’t know why but right now I don’t want to give it up completely. I’m hoping to trick myself. Say I haven’t drank in a month so what if I don’t drink for another month. I’m hoping that works, I haven’t had to deal with this exact situation before.
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Oh S***. Here around where I live, it’s like 12 step Nazi’s. They offer no help and no compromise. It’s like, if you’re not willing to turn your heart, soul and mind over to their “program”, then you’re still “out there”, which is like a paraiah, unclean, and unfit for their “organization”/I would say "cult’. Once you turn yourself over to them, that’s the total focus of your life. Rather than being a substance junkie, now you’re a 12 step junkie. NOW this is only my own experience here in XXXXXXX, I hope and pray that it’s better and more successful wherever you might be. Bless any and all who found relief through this avenue.
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I stay away from booze.
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Talking about it keeps me more level headed. the urge is still there but it’s less when I’m talking about it. I don’t know why.
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@Kurt_Weber That sucks. I think for some people that might be what they need. They need to replace the alcohol with something else although I don’t think that’s what everybody needs.
@Enlightenedbeing Not a bad idea
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I second this. I have had psychiatrists comment that AA members often benefit from the program when it comes to their schizophrenia for those who are dual-diagnosed.
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Some people are definitely better than others at AA…
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I hated the person at AA who started yelling at me for relapsing before …. I was like 27
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People are people. Members of AA are people and they’re not going to be perfect and sometimes they’re going to say or do the wrong thing. But being a staunch member from 1990 to about 2002 and going to over a 1000 meetings and working the steps with a sponsor I will say that being an AA, CA and NA member was an overall good experience.
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You sound as extreme about them as you make them sound extreme about you. No help and no compromise? That’s not been my experience at all. Maybe I’m being a little defensive but it’s posts like yours that scare people away from seeking recovery and perpetuate the myth that AA is a cult. It’s voluntary and as they say in every meeting, “the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.”
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I agree but I do have gripes with AA. A lot of cults are voluntary??? Doesn’t mean they’re not a cult. Maybe I have the definition wrong.
I always feel awful for several days after even a few drinks. So I guess it prevents me from being an alcoholic. I don’t drink much
IDK the definition either but I wouldn’t classify AA as one. I guess I had in mind those cults that keep people in them either from coercion or force.
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Cults are just like not so organized and smaller , religions.
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I reads two definitions of a cult: One, a small group who mainly focuses religious veneration on an object or person. Two, a relatively small group who’s practices seem strange or sinister to other people.
AA is not a religion.
Some of the guys treat it like religion tho. The big book>the Bible. Some will say maybe lol
I always though it is Was a cult myself
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That surprises me.
It’s funny because I didn’t start hearing the cult claims against AA until just about 8 or 9 years ago. Before that, I had never heard it called that in the first 10 or 15 years I was a member.
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Maybe everybody/everything is a cult!!! After all we are all followers of something.
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Holy Moses, I do believe you’re right. Experiences I’ve had DO NOT obviously speak to AA/NA situations in general. I suppose my own experiences feeling shocked and let down are completely my own opinion entirely, and I apologize for making gross generalizations on these programs as a whole. What works for one may not work for another.
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You may have run into some bad local groups or poorly run programs in your area. I’ve heard of it before. I had some excellent meetings in my area and was lucky enough to meet many AA members over the years who had good recoveries.
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