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SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE.....

I have two friends that are arguing about AA & it's singleness of purpose. One says the singleness of purpose is that Alcoholics Anoymous is for alcoholics, & it can't help the addict. This is why AA loaned the addict the 12 steps, so they could start their own meeting. Now, this is for the pure addict, who is not an alcoholic, not so for the alcoholic/addict. But that when you are in an AA meeting you announce that you are an alcoholic. period. The other person says AA is here to help everyone. I guess they don't know about the pioneering times when AA tried to be for everyone, & it didn't work, that's how, & why they came up with the singleness of purpose. So I guess to this person the addict is welcome, so is the sex addict. the shop aholic, the overeaters, the gamblers, & on it could go. Nobody would be on the same page. And there would be many, who wouldn't know what anyone was talking about, cause maybe they don't have that particular addiction. Do you see where this is going? It dilutes AA, & takes from it, the very thing it is now doing to help the alcoholic, & it's not helping any of the others either. It's one alcoholic talking to another, or one gambling addict talking to another, etc. We are getting alot of addicts in our AA meetings, even the closed ones, it is not fair to the alcoholic who comes in an AA meeting to get help with his alcoholism, only to find a bunch of addicts talking about their drugs. We are also getting alot of treatment people who preach a drug is a drug is a drug. The treatment centers are making money on this. They do this because there is no money in treating alcoholics, who can get free help by going to AA. The treatment centers used to send them to AA, but don't anymore, because there is no money in it, so they treat the addict, & don't even let them say they are an alcoholic, because they say it is a drug, just like the rest. Funny, alot of normal drinkers drink their whole lives without becoming addicted, so the alcohol itself is not addictive, the person is. Not so with drugs. They are addictive in themselves, & will get the person taking it addicted. Does that make sense to you? It does me. I didn't drink my way into being an alcoholic, I was from the first drink. And yet, I know people who can drink one drink, & leave it alone. Me, I can't do that.

So the arguement continues. Whether or not to let the just addict, or alcoholic/addict come into an AA meeting & talk about their drug, rather than their alcoholism. It is not fair to the alcoholic, for one. Where does he/she go to talk & learn about their alcoholism? An NA meeting?! Ridiculous isn't it? This has really become a problem in my town. I know a guy who has 14 yrs. sobriety, & is going with the idea that AA can help everyone, in fact, he says AA needs to change to accept the addict.

What do you think? Actually it doesn't matter what any of us think. I'm not speaking from my opinion. AA states what the singleness of purpose is. AA has gone thru this with the addict before, years ago. What they said was Alcoholics Anoymous can't help the addict, but the 12 steps can, you are welcome to use them, & start your own meetings. Why do they still choose to come to AA meetings. Does anyone know? I have a pretty good idea. They're still different. They don't have to deal with their peers. One of the things we find, is when we come (I'm speaking of alcoholics) into AA, we are not longer unique, we're not different, we're in a room full of other alcoholics just like us, & it turns out to be one of the beauties of the program. Not so with the addict coming into an AA meeting, they can still be unique, & misunderstood, get the idea. This is my opinion, of why an addict won't go to his own meetings full of addicts just like him, hoping he can get away with something. I've said enough. I'm sick of this whole misunderstanding, & it's effecting my sobriety. I have friends that are just alcoholics, & I am concerned for them, I am for me too, even tho I have been into drugs as well. I was able to quit with a dr's. help, but I needed AA to quit drinking. So I need help with both, but especially my alcoholism. That's why I go to AA. I need the unity of AA, I need to be with other drunks, like myself, I need to know how you deal with your isms.

posted by sharonsjourney @ 10:08 AM