Article: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 75 years old

[rpm]

You can view the page at http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/content.php?755-Alcoholics-Anonymous-(AA)-75-years-old

 

[SlinkyMike]

Filthy, corrupt, religious fundamentalist organisation pushing religion on people at their weakest, replacing one addiction with another and parading as some sort of humanitarian organisation.

AA/NA is a religious cult. Know this and protect your loved ones from them.

 

[Balstrome]

Anyone know their success rate ? less than 1%. or about the same for giving up by yourself using your own willpower.

 

[TheRealKiller]

Hi. My name is Stephen and I'm an alcoholic.
I've never been near AA. I gave up booze myself with a little bit of motivation from some doctors and a coupla skriks from my body. If hadn't given up, I'd be seriously dead by now.
Many people need support from the AA setup. They just mustn't get addicted to it...

 

[Hosehead]

Anyone know their success rate ? less than 1%. or about the same for giving up by yourself using your own willpower.

Willpower alone does not help resolve addictions for MOST people with a predeposition for addiction to drugs and or alcohol (usually they are one and the same anyway- even prescription meds is drug addiction. it's not always street drugs.) There is no cure. There's only abstaining.
AA and NA fellowships have saved many many lives. Just how many? well we will never know because the groups are entirely self supporting and anonymous, but since they've been around so long (especially in the case of AA-- something obviously works.)
Private Treatment Drug and Alcohol inpatient centers success rate is measurable about 4%-6% and these revolving door for-profit making centers which ship people out to AA and NA groups (non profit) ANYWAY as part of a treatment program- with the person being treated,; expected to follow the AA or NA fellowship after discharge. The abstain part is all that matters. Unfortunately many groups become infested with predators who prey on the weaker and opposite sexes. And yes people often subsitute these groups for their life which could imply cult connotations; but for some people; the only alternative is death or insanity.

Neither are religious cults.

 

[souljazk]

positivity

My parents were both druggies/alcoholics until I was about 13, so Iv seen some ****, who hasnt? They mainly did heroin and injected legal drugs. My mother got off a 7year heroin addiction BY HERSELF.. Her motivation.. my brother and I.. Iv done my share of experimenting even though I have been told I am genetically predispossed to be a addict, I have never had any craving for anything, I enjoy the odd joint, but what 23year old doesnt..

Did my parents problems affect me, some what, I dont speak to my father, and couldnt be bothered. Why? Because he used to physically,verbally and mentally abuse my mother - something I will never forgive him for, but I harbour no hatred for him. I actually (deep down) thank them and him esp for f ing up, it made me want to never end up like them from the age of 8 or so.

I am 23 am paying for my own MCSE, working as a IT tech @ a very well know national company, and have many great things planned that would have made my father proud if he had not walked out on us, BUT I can tel you my mother is the proudest of all, she knows some of the things Iv seen and somethings tells me she cant believe I didnt end up a junkie ages ago.

What I would like any1 reading this to keep in mind is: Life is what YOU make it, oppertunities are CREATED NOT GIVEN and learning from our won mistakes is wise, but learning from other mistakes is true wisdom.

Any one out there addicted to anything can anf WILL get past their addiction if they WANT to..

 

[scatlett]

Filthy, corrupt, religious fundamentalist organisation pushing religion on people at their weakest, replacing one addiction with another and parading as some sort of humanitarian organisation.

AA/NA is a religious cult. Know this and protect your loved ones from them.

Many religions proselitize when people are at their most vulnerable - that's how they earn converts. When people are not desperate, they are more resistant to taking on other people's delusions.

That said, although I deplore their efforts to perpetuate religion amongst the un-healthy/desperate, you must give them props to helping at least some people through substance abuse. I would suggest their success can be attributed more to 'group support' than to their religion of choice.

Of course, when the afflicted get through it, they are now in the delusion that the deity got them through the difficult days and forget that it was the support from the group that actually did it. Unfortunately, they are, typically, now completely infected with the religious delusion and will go forth and infect others - testifying with conviction that it was the deity that did the grunt work.

 

[Dolby]

I wish it would just die now :/

Filthy, corrupt, religious fundamentalist organisation pushing religion on people at their weakest, replacing one addiction with another and parading as some sort of humanitarian organisation.

AA/NA is a religious cult. Know this and protect your loved ones from them.

+1

Anyone know their success rate ? less than 1%. or about the same for giving up by yourself using your own willpower.

+1

Even worse when you add spontanious remission into the equation. Quite often NA/AA has a negative success rate

I've never been near AA. I gave up booze myself with a little bit of motivation from some doctors and a coupla skriks from my body.

+1

Yup - NA/AA love to tell you it can't be done though

Willpower alone does not help resolve addictions for MOST people with a predeposition for addiction to drugs and or alcohol (usually they are one and the same anyway- even prescription meds is drug addiction. it's not always street drugs.) There is no cure. There's only abstaining.
AA and NA fellowships have saved many many lives. Just how many? well we will never know because the groups are entirely self supporting and anonymous, but since they've been around so long (especially in the case of AA-- something obviously works.)
Private Treatment Drug and Alcohol inpatient centers success rate is measurable about 4%-6% and these revolving door for-profit making centers which ship people out to AA and NA groups (non profit) ANYWAY as part of a treatment program- with the person being treated,; expected to follow the AA or NA fellowship after discharge. The abstain part is all that matters. Unfortunately many groups become infested with predators who prey on the weaker and opposite sexes. And yes people often subsitute these groups for their life which could imply cult connotations; but for some people; the only alternative is death or insanity.

Neither are religious cults.

-1

Sounds exactly like a therapist with NA/AA sounds

Any one out there addicted to anything can anf WILL get past their addiction if they WANT to..

+1

Unfortunately, they are, typically, now completely infected with the religious delusion and will go forth and infect others - testifying with conviction that it was the deity that did the grunt work.

+1

 

[noxibox]

Anyone know their success rate ? less than 1%. or about the same for giving up by yourself using your own willpower.

Reasonable estimates put it at 5%, the same as for people who quit without assistance. In the past AA and similar organisations have shown themselves to be quite hostile to attempts to assess their true success rate.

Willpower alone does not help resolve addictions for MOST people with a predeposition for addiction to drugs and or alcohol

Nor does AA.

There is no cure. There's only abstaining.

Abstinence does not work for everyone. Just because it is what typical rehabilitation promotes as the only way does not make it so. And what would count as a cure?

Yup - NA/AA love to tell you it can't be done though

This why I find them and the traditional rehabilitation industry so insidious. The for profit places obviously have the money motive for promoting the idea that they're essentiall to bringing someone's drug use under control. AA just gets people trapped into going to their meetings.

 

[assagai]

I find these comments about aa and na a little ignorant. The groups are non-denominational and most certainly are not cults.
A meeting may have a majority of members who belong to any particular religion, and this may sway the personality of that particular group, these majorities naturally vary depending on area.
Some groups are filled with fundamentalists ands some with really open minded secular folk, each group does not represent the entirety of the organizations.
Of course if you want to judge based on some story you heard from a friend of a friend, go ahead. Seems there's also some knee-jerk anti religious sentiment in the responses here. Just understand
that these organisations are non-denominational and do not push any particular religion by way of policy. If a group is doing that then it's time to leave that group.

 

[DJ...]

The one thing that's always struck me as ironic, is that the first thing you do when getting up to speak at this anonymous group is introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is John and I'm an alcoholic

Not so anonymous...

 

[noxibox]

You're not supposed to give surnames which effectively makes you anonymous. I don't recall any requirement to even use your real first name.

I find these comments about aa and na a little ignorant. The groups are non-denominational and most certainly are not cults.

Being non-denominational does not change the religious underpinnings of the organisation. Besides which that is only one of the things that is wrong with these organisations. It's sad really that they get shown so regularly on TV and in movies, but I think that may have more to do with the meetings lending themselves to use in the medium than any illusions about the effectiveness of the method. It does however give the general public the idea that the method is the best thing since melted cheese on toast.

The fact that people are encouraged to subsume themselves to the group makes the organisation very cult-like and they most certainly promote the idea that discontinuing attendance will lead to doom.

 

[Goldenrule]

Filthy, corrupt, religious fundamentalist organisation pushing religion on people at their weakest, replacing one addiction with another and parading as some sort of humanitarian organisation.

AA/NA is a religious cult. Know this and protect your loved ones from them.

My higher power was positive thinking. I don't believe in god. AA helped me a lot after booze almost ruined my life. Sometimes people are down and need the support of like minded people rather than social scorn. No one forces you to join but when your life is truly in the dumps it's nice to have somewhere to turn. Life isn't always rainbows and bunnies but I hope you never find that out as I wish you all joy and peace.

I still enjoy a light beer or 6 by the way. But I have my golden rule. wink. Intolerant ****ers.