It's called Alcoholics Anonymous but the first thing you do is stand up and say, "My name is Mike..."!
It's called Alcoholics Anonymous but the first thing you do is stand up and say, "My name is Mike..."
Half of the Twelve Steps explicitly mention "God," "A power greater than ourselves," or "Him"!!!
Are the 12 steps effective?
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Additional Details
2 days ago
11th step: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying for knowledge of His will for us, and the power to carry that out.
12th step: 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.
For 40 years since its inception in 1935, AA and the Twelve Steps were the only national self-help organization for alcoholics. The religious aspect of the program was a matter of concern for some agnostic, atheist, and religious minority alcoholics who needed help; but didn`t want to seek Him.
2 days ago
Is AA effective and is faith at the center of it? Perhaps people who read the discussion might join AA, or be inspired to change (drugs, booze etc) using the 12 steps.
I believe in the program, and I have friends in AA. Since I don;t drink they feel "safe" around me.
I stopped drinking in 1981, and I have no need of AA.
My best friend in college was litterally a "falling down drunk". He really embarrassed me at times.
In fact he was worse than that...he was an oblivious "voiding" on a public sidewalk, in broad daylight kind of drunk; but he gave it up without AA, much to my amazement.
I now have a lot of very good "alcoholic" friends. Some are "reformed", "on the wagon", and in the AA program. But two are still drinking, despite my best efforts.
One guy that I tried to help, drank himself to death, curled up like a fetus on the floor with two half drank bottles in his hands. I pray that he is in heaven, free of his addiction and happy.
I offer you an ear
Answers: 2 days ago
11th step: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying for knowledge of His will for us, and the power to carry that out.
12th step: 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.
For 40 years since its inception in 1935, AA and the Twelve Steps were the only national self-help organization for alcoholics. The religious aspect of the program was a matter of concern for some agnostic, atheist, and religious minority alcoholics who needed help; but didn`t want to seek Him.2 days ago
Is AA effective and is faith at the center of it? Perhaps people who read the discussion might join AA, or be inspired to change (drugs, booze etc) using the 12 steps.
I believe in the program, and I have friends in AA. Since I don;t drink they feel "safe" around me.
I stopped drinking in 1981, and I have no need of AA.
My best friend in college was litterally a "falling down drunk". He really embarrassed me at times.
In fact he was worse than that...he was an oblivious "voiding" on a public sidewalk, in broad daylight kind of drunk; but he gave it up without AA, much to my amazement.
I now have a lot of very good "alcoholic" friends. Some are "reformed", "on the wagon", and in the AA program. But two are still drinking, despite my best efforts.
One guy that I tried to help, drank himself to death, curled up like a fetus on the floor with two half drank bottles in his hands. I pray that he is in heaven, free of his addiction and happy.
I offer you an ear Looks like some people still have issues with drinking. I have heard the program praised by many, reviled by a few. The important thing with addiction is to keep trying something new if your treatment isn't helping. Many people succeed after failing earlier. Keep hoping. You know I am happy to call myself "weak" if that can help a brother or sister see God. God won't enter a "full" person. If you are full of yourself, maybe that is part of the problem. The Steps are very effective if you want to quit drinking and you work a good program with your sponsor, but you can and should modify the gender of the higher power if male isn't the way that would help you attain and retain your sobriety.
I change the words mentally from He to She in the 12 Steps, and when I am called to read them, I say She and Goddess, and if anyone doesn't like it, they have the decency to keep it to themselves.
I haven't done this in a while, so a lot of people have never heard me say these things, but in meetings during sharing, when I share, it is ALWAYS the female higher power that I refer to, and that is cool with my groups.
I actually have been tempted to take a group conscience and ask that we occasionally say the "How It Works" using the She and Goddess, or at the very least say She, and God, bc God could be considered genderless, so 50 50 is fair, but I think it would get voted down. Still, what do you think?
I think I will.
Thanks,
Blessings!
Lady Morgana )0( Hello, my name is Adam and I am.... This crap only works for the weak minded. If you are a truly intellectual person and in the back of your mind know that religion is a hoax and used to control people, it wont work.
What really matters is who you are and how you feel about yourself.
If you lack self esteem. If you lack motivation. If you lack the ability to look inward and embrace who you are you have no chance.
I have been to AA meetings. They suck. The ones I went to were boring and everyone was smoking like a chimney. In my book smoking is the first noticable sign that you are not a happy person. And they proved it week in and week out.
I wanted to slit my wrists after an AA meeting. Just a bunch of unhappy people making things worse.
Now put yourself in charge of your twelve steps. YOU have the power to change your life. YOU have the power to say NO to alcoholism. YOU can pray to yourself and ask yourself to give you the power. That is all you are doing when you pray. YOU are instilling words and thoughts into your subconscience to help you remember that you do or dont want to do something.
I would say a psychologist would be better but all these overpaid idiots do is ask you questions. In the end you figure out your problems and they get paid for it.
Remember only this...
It only matters what you do and how you feel about it.
If everyone on this earth would look at themselves in the mirror and try to take care of their shortcomings the world would be a much happier place. BUT
Most people like to nitpick what everyone else does. Make fun of the disabled or people who dont have it so easy. They would rather put someone down to make themselves feel big.
The only thing you need to know is that it is your responsibility to take care of yourself and your feelings. NOBODY can help you get better. Only you have the power to get well.
Life is a game, learn the rules while you play. You are going to get beat, you will lose, and you will run into alot of problems along the way, but keep playing and you will learn the ultimate rules and start winning.
The first step is a joke. You are never powerless unless you choose to be.
The third one is funny as hell. If God is real we already turned our lives over to him. and the AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM? so we have a choice as to what he is? This should answer all your questions about God.
Admitting to everyone that you are a failure is a great way to get out of the gutter. You only need to admit to yourself that there is a problem.
Since when can God remove all defects of character? If he could would he?
What shortcomings?
The past is over you dont need to apologize for being human.
If God created everything, shouldnt he be the one to apologize for this mess? More than anything. You MUST WORK the program. It changes people for the best. What exactly is your question? If you want to know about the anonymous part, no one is aloud to tell anyone outside the group who you are, and no one is aloud to talk about the group (outside of the group.) 50% or more members of AA are agnostic, atheists, or deistic.
This power may be any power that works such as the group whole that can do as a group that an individual cannot do on their own power.
In AA just sit back an listen eventually you will find a great number of people that feel about the "God stuff' just the same as you.
These that feel this way and stay sober can tell you what they did that you too can use.
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