Quote:
Originally Posted by Lexical
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Look at this fucking boyscout.
But in all seriousness, the only problem I have with AA is their puritanical standards which would diagnose 90+% of Europeans as alcoholics. Also, their 12 step program does hint towards some religious/spiritual context since number 2 is give yourself over to a higher power since you have no willpower blah blah blah and other bull crap.
p.s. this thread is definitely a troll.
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i know alot of people that have turned their lives around as a result of AA. To be honest, regardless of what you think of it, there are very, very few ways for hardcore addicts to get clean, and AA has shown more long term (as in lifetime) success than just about every other program out there.
And yes, it's true that sometimes AA can be a little overzealous about diagnosing alcoholism and addiction, but you'll rarely find an AA member getting in your face about it and trying to force you into a meeting. The majority of people in AA are there because they have hit rock bottom and want help, and their philosophy is that if you need help, you'll come and get it. There are exceptions, of course, but thats the same with anything. Alcoholism/addiction is actually very simple to determine: if it's heavily interfering with your day to day life, work, relationships, or causing problems for you on a consistent basis, you are very likely an addict. There's not much more to it than that.
Also, the religious context in AA is only what you make it. As it's been said many times in AA, your "higher power" is what you make it. I once knew a girl who's higher power was nature. I knew someone else who claimed his higher power was a random object that he owned, though he wouldn't tell anyone what it was. The whole higher power thing is really just used as a tool to give you strength when you have none yourself. There isn't anything about willpower in any of the steps, it simply states that you are powerless against alcohol and drugs, which is in fact the case for most people who come to AA.
I could probably argue about this for pages, but I really don't want to. I'm not some religious/fanatic nut about AA, I just believe that it works for a lot of people, and saves lives. I've got my views on AA, and everyone else can have theirs as well, but the bottom line that I don't think anyone can deny is this: AA has helped alot of people who simply couldn't get it anywhere else. It's saved many, many lives, and asks for nothing in return (AA does not require a fee to come to a meeting. The majority of people who run these meetings are volunteers, and the places they run the meetings at let them use that space for free). I'm not entirely sure how people could classify AA as a "cult" since it doesn't fit any definition that I've seen of what a cult is, but if you'd like to argue to the contrary, I'd be interested in seeing what you have to say.
Lastly, I sincerely hope this isn't a troll, as that'd be both stupid and a dick move. I really thought this was a cool idea, and if the OP doesn't follow through, I'll go ahead and run one myself. go boyscouts
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