MYTHS IN AA
Published in the July 2008 BETTER TIMES, a monthly newsletter for AA Members in The Greater Toronto Area.
Myth 1: 90 meetings in 90 days. Not in our Big Book. Therefore not something the founders of our program suggested as part of the program of recovery. It may help some people but it is misleading, in that it suggests this action will help a still-suffering alcoholic recover and takes the focus off the 12 Steps. I have witnessed hundreds of members recover in 7 days or less by taking the Steps. Many have never gone to a single AA meeting, let alone 90.
Myth 2: Get a Sponsor. I have seen many recover by following the suggestions in the Big Book and none of them ever had a sponsor. Sponsorship as it is practiced today creates a human dependence, which is entirely opposed to creating a dependence on a God of our own understanding.
Myth 3: Join a Group. A group is not a Fellowship. A Fellowship venerates, cherishes and honours the newcomer. It does not celebrate those who have already achieved sobriety. A true Fellowship does not care for chips/medallions to honour recovery.
Myth 4: Don't date in the 1st year of recovery. What nonsense! This is not a suggestion in our Big Book; in fact, it says the opposite. "Once a man has recovered, he can come and go as he pleases as long as his motives are good". This myth has found its way into AA via treatment centres. Not part of the program.
Myth 5: Don't work with others until you have 5 years or more. Nonsense. The Big Book says "unless a man enlarges his spiritual life through self-sacrifice and constructive work for another alcoholic, he cannot survive the trials ahead. If he does not do this work, he will surely drink again." The Big Book tells us to work with others RIGHT AWAY.
...There are MANY MORE MYTHS I CAN SHARE with you if you have an open-mind and don't mind the truth, as opposed to most of the myths I read in the Better Times. Perhaps the name should be changed to "Better Myths" or maybe "Deceitful Times." If you read this, have even 1 ounce of integrity left in your soul, I challenge you to publish a further article about all the myths I have found that are not intended to be in our program. However, if you have no integrity left in your soul, then I welcome you to go to 90 meetings in 90 days and try to find some.
All the best -- Cora G.
Disclaimer: The content on this site, posted Big Book meetings, upcoming events, links and resources are for information purposes only.
Remember, we recover by the steps we take NOT the meetings we make!
Download this FREE 12 Step workbook that guides the newcomer through all 12 steps in approximately four hours!
Want the original, undiluted 12 step format that produced a 50% to 75% recovery rate from alcoholism/addiction during the 1940's? Listen to Joe and Charlie talk about the original 12 Step Solution:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
This same solution can work for any and all addictions and obsessive compulsive behaviours.
Looking for a Big Book Sponsor? Leave a message at: 416-533-6024
Are you an addict? i.e. alcoholic, drug addict, food addict, crack cocaine addict, sex addict, gambling addict, cocaine addict, crystal meth addict, substance addict, heroin addict, methadone addict, marijuana addict, nicotine addict, cigarette addict, smoking addict, drinking addict, crack addict, sugar addict, self-harm addict, self-injury addict, ectasy addict, benzodiazepines addict, barbiturates addict, GHB addict, Rohypnol addict, Special K addict
Big Book Sponsorship has helped people with addiction. i.e. alcohol addiction, drug addiction, food addiction, crack cocaine addiction, sex addiction, gambling addiction, cocaine addiction, crystal meth addiction, substance addiction, sugar addiction, heroin addiction, methadone addiction, marijuana addiction, nicotine addiction, cigarette addiction, smoking addiction, drinking addiction, alcoholism, crack addiction, self-harm addiction, self-injury addiction, ectasy addiction, benzodiazepines addiction, barbiturates addiction, GHB addiction, Rohypnol addiction, Special K addiction
Tom S. Toronto Intergroup, CPC committee
Published in the August 2008 BETTER TIMES, a monthly newsletter for AA Members in The Greater Toronto Area.
It's a long time since I have had such a good laugh as when I read the article "Myths in AA". (July 2008)
For those who find it hard to attend meetings, the author says she "has witnessed hundreds of members recover in 7 days or less by taking the Steps. Many have never gone to a single AA meeting..." I mean, who needs meetings? As far as getting a sponsor, the author has "seen many recover (there's that word 'many" again). How many is "many'? 5, 500? And none of them ever had a sponsor." (Quotes from the article)
To say that "Sponsorship as it is practiced today creates a human dependence" is vague, though possibly as true, as saying that sex as it is practiced today creates cases of venereal disease.
Why bother joining a group? Just because the Traditions, Concepts and General Service structure are predicated on the group doesn't take away from the fact that "a group is not a Fellowship." Since, "A true Fellowship does not care for chips/medallions..." I suppose those poor dupes who have received chips or medallions can consider themselves seriously deluded.
So much for joining a group.
However, here's some good news! For those like the hundreds of members, though without a group or sponsor, who have been witnessed by the author to recover in 7 days or less, they can start dating, as it says in the Big Book," Once a man has recovered, he can come and go as he pleases as long as his motives are good". The myth about "Don't work with others until you have 5 years or more." Being described as "Nonsense" seems self-evident. Is there anybody in AA who can name 3, or even 1 person who seriously believes and would admit to cautioning newcomers to wait until they have 5 years or more, before they work with others? It doesn't say 5 years of what.
Hats off to Cora G. for having the courage to point out the myths of the diluted AA rhetoric we hear so much of in the AA rooms today.
I sure she took some criticism from many in the fellowship, particularly from those who practice a weak program of "Don't drink and go to meetings, get a sponsor and join a home group". This approach, by the way, was given to us courtesy of the Treatment centre industry which has inundated our fellowship with "hard-drinkers", that is non-alcoholic types, along with a proliferation of recovery rhetoric from a professional class of therapists, counselors, and treatment center personnel.
Thank God for Big Book Sponsorship. Here we can find the original, undiluted recovery recipe that the original 100 forged to help "real" alcoholics recover from a seamingly hopeless state of mind and body.
This "third-party expertise" helps: as a reference to quote for any spouting the untruth; as confirmation of my own experience.
Appreciatively,
Trevor Field -- Australia
After 18 years and thousands of meetings
it is still interesting to study the myths and miracles of AA.
With the opinionized BS that is the norm rather then the exception it is no wonder the attrition is so great.
AA, practiced as it is laid out in the BB still works for me and countless others.
Take care.
Meeting makers don't make it. We Recover by the Steps We take not the meetings we make. AA is full of opinions, I found out the hard way and suffered in and out of AA Meetings for 16 years. The main offenders were folks with double digit sobriety who told me lies based on parroting others opinions. Today I know the truth that the AA Recovery program is located in the Basic Text. I know that the sooner I do the Steps the sooner I will find the solution to all my problems. To put it simply I was an Alcoholic who could not manage my own life and no Human Power ( Meetings ) could relive my Alcoholism, that God could and would if I sought God.
When I first read the last paragraph in Bill Dotson's story ( Alcoholic Number 3 ) I thought to myself "ah that's nice but not for me". Today I realize too, that I came to AA to try to get sober but I too found a loving God and it is about the most wonderful that can happen to a man.
The AA message, the real AA message is in the 12th Step. It is about waking up to this loving source that removes the obsession (The main part of the illness) This happens by doing all 12 steps. It guarantees Permanent recovery too!
The main problem in AA today is poor and in effective Sponsorship and watered down A.A. (http://www.bigbooksponsorship.org/index.cfm?Fuseac...) Gresham's Law by Tom P. Jr. explains this well. So at the end of the day it is up to us, the Recovered members in the fellowship to rise above the tide of weak contemporary AA and start telling the truth ( Rigorous Honesty) about Where the AA Program is located and How to get to the Solution ASAP.
Brilliant. I have recently very gently given my views on sponsorship and been shouted down - why? I am following the Big Book and Living Sober AA Literature. I totally agree that today's sponsorship - yes, it maybe helpful in the beginning but seems to have developed into a life sentence...for both parties. That is NOT what the Big Book Advocates...The Big Book advocates 'freedom' from many things...not suffocation.