AA 30 years ago

Alcoholics Anonymous
Although there were Narcotics Anonymous meetings in Los Angeles, they were few and far between in 1977. And, when I went to them, not many people were staying clean at that time.One of the few meetings I could find was at a “treatment center” and was at least a ½ hour drive away. And when I went to the meeting I found that there was nobody with more than a few months clean.
So I found a home at Alcoholics Anonymous and began to find out what it was all about.I had experienced AA within the prison and now I was about to experience it on the outside. At that time, drug addicts with drinking problems were more or less tolerated in AA There were some kind AA’s who welcomed us but there were others who clearly resented our presence there and said so in no uncertain terms. ..
First of all, let me start by saying that Alcoholics Anonymous does performs a service in our society. And as someone who benefited somewhat from the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous I do not want to appear as an ingrate ,but nevertheless I believe it is important to be truthful. Over the years I have attended literally thousands of meetings of both Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The 12 Steps ,which the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, derived from the teachings of the Oxford Group (AKA First Century Christian Fellowship or Moral rearmament) and the New Testament are true principles for the most part. And it is also true that an authentic Spiritual Awakening is the solution to either an Alcohol or Drug problem. However, my experience within both AA and NA is that the majority of people merely substitute their addiction to drugs/alcohol for an addiction to meetings and the comforts and the friendships they find there. This is not to say that I don’t believe there are rare individuals, here and there, who actually do wake up from the psychic sleep they live in. If you are one of the many individuals who has benefited to some extent from these programs I hope you will realize that my criticism of the programs is well-meaning.And perhaps you will see through some of these programs institutionalized lies. It is the Truth that sets us free, not lies.
Amazingly, although I had attended AA meetings in the Institution for over a year, I had not read the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous which is the basis of the program of AA. At that time it was the Third Edition of the Big book that was being used.Some of the ideas presented in that book are valid,but not all. The teaching about resentment and anger can be life saving if taken to heart and applied with sincerity and honesty.
I started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly.I had an AA background from the Institution,and found meetings similar on the outside. As a matter of fact, some of the best AA meetings I ever attended were in Prison. At any rate, the meetings I attended in the Institution were mainly Speaker meetings so I started regularly attending a speaker meeting in Orange, California. During one of the meetings they asked for someone to be an intergroup representative. Nobody wanted to do it so I volunteered. I had no idea what an intergroup representative did but I had been told to be of “service”. In Southern California each AA group has an intergroup representative and they go to meetings of all the intergroup reps and discuss issues that effect AA as a whole. At one of my first intergroup meetings I witnessed the controversy that was wracking AA at the time: Should meetings for homosexuals be marked gay (G) in the meeting list?. During the late 1970’s homosexual activism was at it height.Homosexuals were clamoring for acceptance within society and were also seeking acceptance within Alcoholics Anonymous. The Aids epidemic had not yet reared its ugly head. Many of the intergroup representatives were adamant in their oppositon to the proposal. I remember one lady who walked off in disgust, shaking her head to and fro. In the end the proposal was sold to the crowd on the basis of: “If you know which meetings are gay then you know which ones to avoid”. That was the nose of the camel in the tent so to speak..
I began to be more and more steeped in the culture of Alcoholics Anonymous. After serving as an Intergroup representative, I was elected secretary of the Speaker meeting. I handled the donations and bought birthday cakes but the responsibility for getting speakers was left to someone else. For me, the Saturday night speaker meeting was an important part of my early recovery. I heard many interesting stories and while at meetings I stayed out of trouble. And some of the oldtimers had been there over 30 years which means they were early AA pioneers.
I distinctly remember one man I call 1-armed Charlie. He had been an AA member for over 30 years and regularly attended the meeting. I asked Les (the person who procured the speakers) why they never had him speak since he had been sober for so long. Les got a strange look on his face that I didn’t understand at the time. Apparently my comments had some impact.Several weeks later Charlie was a speaker. His story was interesting but not particularly impressive. I remember him telling how he won two lotteries when he decided to get sober; it sounded slightly improbable but I had heard so many improbable stories in AA I gave it little thought. I served out my remaining time as Secretary of the meeting, and then relinquished it someone else. Some afternoons I hung out at the AA club; I was becoming an AA regular. After a few months I noticed that 1 armed Charlie was no longer around the club. I asked someone: “Hey, where is Charlie?”. That’s when it was explained to me that Charlie had been involved sexually with some of the younger women in Alcoholics Anonymous in a way one would not want advertised in a newspaper, and had ended up killing himself with a bullet to the brain.
Despite the somewhat rude awakening with Charlie, I continued to go to AA
meetings. Usually 2 or 3 times a week. I was able to stay sober five years which was quite an accomplishment for me. Something I had not done for 1 ½ decades.

©2006 Christianrecovery.blogspot.com

Quote of the day

Ive had to temporarily disable anyone from posting comments on my recovery site. Apparently, someone is irate that I would challenge the accepted beliefs and is posting rude comments. I will enable it some other time.



"Almost everything that the American public believes to be the scientific truth about alcoholism is false.The facts are an open secret.That is, they are quite familiar to scientists and leading researchers in a variety of fields who read the major journals and books addressed to professionals. Indeed, the relevant scientific literature spans several decades of research that roundly contradicts the popular beliefs and suggests an entirely new perspective on alcoholism and heavy drinking.And yet the public-including many counselors and paraprofessionals working in treatment centers-remains in the dark, still holding, and encouraged to hold, beliefs that are 40 years out of date" --- Heavy Drinking BY Herbert Fingarette, PHD