“I have been told not to criticize AA because it helps people, but as a decade long recovered addict who did not use a 12 step program, or treatment facility, I have a hard time believing that AA is any better than other forms of therapy or drug/alcohol abuse counseling. Steps 1. 2. and 3. 6. 7. all seem like complete bullshit to me. 11. and 12. also bullshit. There are other step programs that have simplified this process to 4 steps in a secular way with a focus on therapy, and counseling and self improvement. No need to make God responsible for your recovery. Personally, overcoming addiction was a life decision. I moved, ended an unhealthy relationship and started over. It was not easy, but it was necessary. I feel that no one has more power than ourselves when overcoming addiction even when we are at our lowest point. Rock bottom is a good place to start looking up. I have never been an alcoholic so I don’t really know what that is like, but I sure as hell know that I was far from powerless when I decided I didn’t want to be a tweaker anymore. God had nothing to do with restoring my sanity or helping me kick my veritable death brew of drugs. I suppose my concern lies in the use of AA as a government ordered “solution” to alcoholism, as it’s obviously far from Secular. I also feel it’s not helpful to tell people they are powerless.
The 12 Steps of AA-
1.We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2.Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4.Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5.Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7.Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8.Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9.Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for
us and the power to carry that out.
12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs.”
Kasey Lee
ive been off dope for 11+ years and i go to NA once or twice a month.
i go because thats where i met the people i needed to meet in the begining of my recovery.
i became an atheist(or just decided to come out if you will) in this program because i discovered that those who rely on a god to carry them thru relity usally always fail at recovery because they get lazy,or jaded or get the fuck its…the deal is if you want to stay off dope then stay off dope ,its that simple.i did this with the help of my wife and my kids and the few friends that have stuck around after i let them know that there is no god.only you ,you have to do this by yourself….if you rely on anything other than you ….you will fail….