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Al-Anon

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Carrie♥

msg local #55557

posted Fri Nov 6 11:48 am	1014 posts · tenured: may '05	Delete Edit
Has anyone attended Al-Anon meetings in Southern Indiana or Louisville?

Jen The Great

msg local #8487

online

posted Fri Nov 6 12:30 pm	13225 posts · tenured: Apr '04	Delete Edit
Isn't it supposed to be anonymous?

my sites: I can't believe you said that! Twitter! Jen The Great Dot Com My Blog

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Fri Nov 6 1:55 pm	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
That's some cult shit right there. If you need help with addiction, HB me. I have first hand experience with such.

frogbert

msg local #3399

posted Fri Nov 6 2:47 pm	39823 posts · tenured: Jan '04	Delete Edit
I was a friend of Bill's about 25 years ago.

Carrie♥

msg local #55557

posted Fri Nov 6 3:59 pm	1014 posts · tenured: May '05	Delete Edit
Not for myself, someone very close to me is an alcoholic. The Al-Anon meetings are for family members, wives, s/o, etc....Or so this is my understanding. Was just curious if the meetings were helpful to anyone?

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Fri Nov 6 6:57 pm	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
Well the very first step is for these fuckers to make you convince yourself that you have no power over your personal demons. ( step 1 ) Followed by: You're insane and only a higher power can save you. ( steps 2, 3 & 6 ) God, not you, is going to remove all of your shortcomings ( step 7 ) God will sustain all of these personality traits that he has magically, and through no effort on your part, granted you ( step 11 ) And it is now your duty to recruit others to believe the same ( step 12 ) Other than that, and 9 times out of 10 it being nothing more than a place for alcoholics to make new drinking buddies, it's just fine. First: He / she must want to be sober. And more importantly know what his or her personal reasons and motivations are to become so. Second: Why you ( he / she ) drink must be established and the root cause addressed and resolved. Third: Drinking is not God's fault, nor is it anyone elses but your own. No one ever put a gun to my head and told me to do anything without me telling them to fuck off and shot me out of shear spite alone. We are all responsible for our actions and lack thereof, and as such we must learn to deal with our own problems. This is not to say you must do this alone, but is to say that you will be the one having to carry yourself. If there is a God, and his divine plan was somehow fucked up along the way, I'm sure he'd much rather help little Timmy who's dieing of cancer before devoting second one to someone who thinks it's his responsibility alone to stop you from doing something bad for you. Fourth: A good support system AA ( and like ) is not. It is important that you know you're not alone, but it's even more important to see more people who have recovered from the same problem, not people who go to the meetings just to say they tried.

Aircooled

msg local #9514

posted Fri Nov 6 9:26 pm	13130 posts · tenured: May '04	Delete Edit
Al-Anon, like AA is made up of many different folks. Some fabulous, some full of shit. Don't take Arden's critique too seriously, it's his opinion and nothing more. It IS importnat to note the difference between "God", which neither AA nor Al-Anon pushes, and "a power greater than yourself". These 12 step programs have helped MILLIONS - some for more years than Arden has been on the fucking planet. HB me if you like.

Kool Jerk

msg local #63765

online

posted Fri Nov 6 10:34 pm	17783 posts · tenured: Jul '05	Delete Edit
If I was an alcoholic and I went to a meeting and God was mentioned, I would walk out. I should be drunk every night as it is. It's rare that I drink. In 2005 I drunk posted on Mojo and people realized it.

my sites: UltraBuys

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Sat Nov 7 1:19 am	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
Air would be correct, it has helped people before and may help the person in question. But AA, and such, has a much higher failure than success ratio because of the fact that most of them don't teach you to stand on your own two feet. There are a few that don't preach God, but near all preach "a higher power", and if you start mixing superstition with any mental or behavioral issue it leaves you very vulnerable to much worse issues than addiction. I would recommend professional one on one help to address the underlying issues of why the person in question does what he / she does. I have helped many of people get started on this road, and as a rule I don't help friends, so everyone can remain objective.

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Sat Nov 7 1:33 am	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
Here

stephi

msg local #285130

posted Sat Nov 7 6:02 am	51 posts · tenured: Nov '08	Delete Edit
Went to meetings in the past to help understand why some members in my family are alcoholics God was not the main topic for quiting. Actually God was only mentioned briefly. 1 of my other sisters went with me and it helped both of us come to understand the sickness of being an alcoholic.

Aircooled

msg local #9514

posted Sat Nov 7 10:32 am	13130 posts · tenured: May '04	Delete Edit
But AA, and such, has a much higher failure than success ratio because of the fact that most of them don't teach you to stand on your own two feet. I know many who have, and continue to benefit from Al-Anon. As for AA, I have NEVER seen anyone not recover from alcoholism unless they had serious organic mental imbalances (very rare), or they were unable to surrender to their disease and live the principals of AA (not uncommon at all). Just my experience over the last 24 years.

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Sat Nov 7 2:53 pm	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
I've been to many meetings in many different groups as a mentor. It really does depend on where you go. Some, the concept of God doesn't come up; others that's all they ever talk about. I quit every drug known to civilized man ( save for coke and heroin, which I've never done, so I won't comment on ) without any support group because I did recognize the most important question of why. On the other hand my aunt's been warped out of her damn mind by AA into believing that she's not responsible for her actions because if God didn't want her to drink he would have stopped her. One of my former acquaintances relapses every time he misses a meeting. The question you need to ask is do you want to trade one addiction for another, or do you want to be addiction free? I ask because the only way to stay free for life, is to tailor the approach specifically for you, think of AA like an assembly line, some will succeed, others won't. And Air: Surrender to the principals of AA may prove very difficult to people who need the control in their lives to not surrender to things. Surrender to Drugs / alcohol, or surrender to AA, is still surrender all the same. Edited Sat Nov 7 @ 03:01 PM

stephi

msg local #285130

posted Sat Nov 7 3:54 pm	51 posts · tenured: Nov '08	Delete Edit
drug and Alcoholism is a desease. Some may argue that. I was raised with both parents being alcoholics. Not a fun way to be brought up. I have a sister that refuses to go for help for her drinking. She did give up the drugs years ago. She is now facing Hep.C at the age of 54 it is in the serious stages. I have a brother that is a drug addict and an alcoholic. My youngest son is also a drug addict. I love them but hate what it does to them. I know it is their choice to choose to use drugs or drink but it was not their choice to be this way. Again this is the way I believe it to be. Others may think differently.

Kool Jerk

msg local #63765

online

posted Sat Nov 7 4:11 pm	17783 posts · tenured: Jul '05	Delete Edit
Some people have more will power than others. If will power can cure some people of Alcoholism, I don't know if it's a disease or not. It's less likely that will power will cure someone with brain cancer.

my sites: UltraBuys

Arden

msg local #7657

online

posted Sat Nov 7 4:21 pm	3862 posts · tenured: Mar '04	Delete Edit
Physical dependence is a disease, a mental addiction is behavioral, either way; for long lasting success I would recommend an approach that WORKS for you, regardless of if it's AA or professional therapy.

stephi

msg local #285130

posted Sat Nov 7 5:39 pm	51 posts · tenured: Nov '08	Delete Edit
Arden if that is the case.It is a mental desease. Why does drug and alcoholism run in families? Why are some family members alcholics and some not? My moms dad was my mom was. Out of 7 kids 2 are the rest of us aren't. only 1 grandchild is. It can't be a behavial thing either my sons were not raised around drunks or drug users. Anyway this is not what the OP was asking.. If one can find a good Al-Anon to go to then I say go for it. We found a great group in Etown but that has been quite a few yrs.ago.

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