AA in p99

[Lexical]

Originally Posted by gotrocks [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

AA is not a church. just a heads up.

cool idea, will join in, will also help run meetings if you need it, picking topics, etc. have lots of experience running meetings in the seattle area.

Also, this definitely needs to be AA/NA, as lots of people here are not just or not at all alcoholics but instead have other substance abuse problems. I think this is a cool idea, and may in fact raise peoples awareness of addiction as a serious problem. Besides, AA meeting are for substance abuse as well, whether they are called AA or not. I am definitely not an alcoholic, but i find my favorite meetings are usually AA meetings anyway.

A good meeting with good people wont judge you for being addicted to drugs instead of alcohol, thats kind of the whole point of the program.

Lastly, I very much doubt he is trolling with this. he just put it in RnF because its "not safe for work" and also only vaguely related to p99 in that the meeting is being hosted on the server.

Anyway, good work, actually really excited to see this, send me a pm if you'd like someone to help run the meetings, i'd be more than happy to help.

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.

[Hailto]

Originally Posted by Lexical [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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.

Why do you no longer come to #p99?

[Lexical]

Originally Posted by Hailto [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Why do you no longer come to #p99?

If you say you miss me, I will come back [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Hailto]

Originally Posted by Lexical [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If you say you miss me, I will come back [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That is going too far.

[gotrocks]

Originally Posted by Lexical [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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.

[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Hailto]

Can i drink crown at the meetings like i generally do when i play EQ?

[gotrocks]

Originally Posted by Hailto [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Can i drink crown at the meetings like i generally do when i play EQ?

Yes [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] just dont glorify it.

[gotrocks]

Oh, there's one other thing I wanted to add about "religion" in AA, because in my personal opinion, and in the opinion of many others who have done AA, there is no "religion" in the AA program, its about faith. There's a big difference between "religion" (like Christianity) and "faith".

There's a saying in AA that sums this up pretty well. Alot of people have trouble wrapping their head around the whole higher power thing, but these people don't realize that its not required that you go and join a new religion or some shit, it just takes faith. The saying goes, 'Religion is for people who are afraid of hell. Faith is for people who have been there". That statement pretty much sums it up for me.

Anyway, I'll stop my AA preaching now, I know that nobody really wants to hear it. I just think that people who dismiss the 12 step program as being anything other than an extremely helpful and potentially successful tool for drug addicts/alcoholics are probably ignorant of what it really is. I'm not saying EVERYONE is that way, just most of them.

peace [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Hitchens]

AA isn't a cult, but it's definitely a Christian based organization. While AA does allow people to call nature or rocks or doorknobs a higher power, that's really only to make it more palatable to a secular society. The Big Book is a Christian work.

[gotrocks]

Originally Posted by Hitchens [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

AA isn't a cult, but it's definitely a Christian based organization. While AA does allow people to call nature or rocks or doorknobs a higher power, that's really only to make it more palatable to a secular society. The Big Book is a Christian work.

I've never been a meeting that pushed Christianity as the only way to dealing with addiction.

In fact, i rarely even hear it being talked about in meeting. I don't go very often anymore, if ever, but in all the meetings i've been to it almost never comes up, unless someone is talking about their own personal experience and mention that their higher power was jesus/god.