See my "Intro"

There is no "intro."

WHAT??

Nope. Nada.

see my "Intro"

In direct response to your query, the answer is no! AA is not the answer only the most visible. It is the most available and therefore the most effective resource as a means for addressing addiction.

Wondergirl is right. No "intro" (that I can find) or related subject matter. But I think your subject matter is very, very important, so please rescribe the matters that you previously related (terribly sorry for the loss) and you will get quick response.

Great question.

And thanks for discussing it here.

What Loss?

Was referring to the intro that you mentioned... lost or I couldn't find.

My experiences with the AA program vary greatly.

From my initial exposure in 1984 up to the last few years have been from exciting to dull and just grit my teeth to get through another meeting, not necessarily in that order, :p

AA,NA,CA,etc, they all have the same 12 step processes,based on the same readings/writings from Doctor Bob and Bill W.It's the personalitiesin those meetings that make or break a fellowship,a support group,etc.

While meetings are to be based on principals not personalities,we still have to accept that;
1) We are all there for the same reasons
2) We might not have gotten there from the same directions,with the same pasts,etc,but the result needs to be the same,the relief of the addiction.
3) We only get out of a meeting what we put into it.If I go in with attitude,grumpy and self defeating,I probably won't get much out of it,much less any friends who are my recovery support.

The best I could do got me into trouble(namely meetings as a result of that trouble)Now what are the options,to continue the way I did things and get what I always got?

Or...

Try to accept that those people who put me in the meetings have my best interest in mind and try to do for me what I didn't do in the past?

They tell me the chaos is totally refundable,all I have to do is drink again.I think you understand that(unfortunately,through money and therapists,etc.)

If you want to write further about this,I will try to guide you in a direction you might find less thorny than the one you perceive now,ok:)

Ken

I have issues with AA .

I cannot believe that admitting that you have no control over your life , and the only hope is to turn your life over to a "higher power" is the method for facing the fact we addict ourselves.

What we do for fun, or to ease pain, escape reality, be accepted by peers can lead to addiction and we are our own leaders walking the path with our eyes open and mind set on it not happening to us because we'll know when to quit.

I believe accepting the responsibility for our actions and knowing we are the only ones who can stop us is where the truth is.

God didn't do it. He may help you stop, but YOU have to stop.

The percentage of those who succeed by AA or on their own is the same.
AA is a money maker and you can be forced by the court to go , and they don't want to be bothered with the facts and figures of the reality of the situation..

If our culture would stop punishing nonviolent addicts and putting them in prison where they really become criminals. And spend less money for treatment than it takes to lock them up like animals, they could have a better chance of help and the money saved could be used for prevention education.

But there is as much chance of that happening as there is of taking the military budget of the US and using it to feed, clothe and educate every child on this planet, not missing one, and have enough left over to explore the universe together.

End of rant

I have issues with AA .


The percentage of those who succeed by AA or on their own is the same.
AA is a money maker and you can be forced by the court to go , and they don't want to be bothered with the facts and figures of the reality of the situation..

AA certainly isn't for everyone. There is no universal remedy for alcoholism. About the best that can be said for AA is that it is the most accessible intervention available. It has been my experience that AA is minimally effective (%) which makes it the most effective resource in the total abstinence model. That is due to the accessibility factor(s).

While there have been many attempts to establish the comparative effectiveness of AA, the very construct of the organization makes that impossible. Combining the coercive power of government (courts, probation, etc) with the self-help paradigm of AA further convolutes such attempts. These are fundamentally incompatible models. The 12 step model did not contemplate becoming a vehicle for legal interdiction.

While the research literature supports your contention that AA is no more effective than spontaneous recovery (which converts to personal resolve), the same holds true for medical inpatient treatment rendered on the total abstinence model. Alcoholics recover on their own at a rate of 10-1 as compared to those that receive treatment of any type.

It has been my experience that AA does work for some. Probably in the vicinity of 7% (which gives it about a 2% advantage over spontaneous recovery). Your philosophical disagreement with the AA principles would render it ineffective for you, and, in all likelihood, most people. But it works for a few. It is free and easily accessible to those who do find it useful. Therefore, I believe it has significant resource value despite the low % of effectiveness.