Twelve Step Program Experience ( On Topic Please)

[Integrity]

Anybody have any experience with any of the Twelve Step Programs out there?

I have much experience with AA,

little experience with NA(long, long time ago went to a couple of meetings,

knew someone who went to OA,

one of my friends goes to GA.

Any on topic contribution is welcome!

 

[Integrity]

Before I met AA, I was very selfish. I wanted my own way in everything. I don’t believe I ever grew up. When things went wrong, I sulked like a spoiled child and often went out and got drunk.

 

[Integrity]

AA has helped me not drink alcohol for 30+ years.

 

[burrheadd]

You ever meet Bill W.

 

[Integrity]

You ever meet Bill W.

No.

 

[bbsam]

Before I met AA, I was very selfish. I wanted my own way in everything. I don’t believe I ever grew up. When things went wrong, I sulked like a spoiled child and often went out and got drunk.

I’ve been in AA for 26ish years. I’m still selfish, want my own way in everything and probably have more growing up to do. I still sulk at times and love to indulge in self righteous anger at times. These I think are the root of my problem. Thing is, none of this is probably any different than any other human on the face of the earth. So now, with a different outlook and with practicing a few very simple suggestions, I get to experience every struggle and triumph, fear and jubilation, despair and contentment that life has to offer.

A guy once told me that he learned about God from a group of guys who smoked cigarettes, told dirty jokes, drank coffee, and swore with natural ability. Who woulda thunk it!

 

[Integrity]

I’ve been in AA for 26ish years. I’m still selfish, want my own way in everything and probably have more growing up to do. I still sulk at times and love to indulge in self righteous anger at times. These I think are the root of my problem. Thing is, none of this is probably any different than any other human on the face of the earth. So now, with a different outlook and with practicing a few very simple suggestions, I get to experience every struggle and triumph, fear and jubilation, despair and contentment that life has to offer.

A guy once told me that he learned about God from a group of guys who smoked cigarettes, told dirty jokes, drank coffee, and swore with natural ability. Who woulda thunk it!

Thank you for sharing this!!

 

[Integrity]

The Twelve Steps has helped me towards being more unselfish.

 

[Integrity]

When I first started my quest to stop drinking, I was told by a psychiatrist that his diagnosis of me was that I had alcoholism.

A disease.

I was also told if I did not accept that alcoholism was a disease, an illness of mind, body, and spirit, I would not recover.

 

[Integrity]

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is a gravely ill person?

or

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is just a loser who just needs to get his crap together?

What say you?

 

[bbsam]

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is a gravely ill person?

or

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is just a loser who just needs to get his crap together?

What say you?

I guess I’ve felt like both. In the end though, I came to the conclusion that it was absolutely unnecessary for others to believe as I did about addiction. I was the one dying. Whether others looked at me with sympathy or disgust wasn’t going to change the fact that my life was spiraling out of control. Lobbying others to see me as I wanted them to see me was a waste of time and in some cases probably counterproductive in a control freak kind of way. So I suppose I have no reason to disagree with the belief that alcoholism is a disease but with that comes the belief that it is treatable. And if a disease is treatable and someone refuses treatment even though it destroys himself and everything around him, then I have no problem with others washing their hands of him and leaving him to his own loser destruction.

And I don’t say that lightly. I’ve seen so many instances with families trying everything to accommodate an alcoholic. Trying everything to get her to stop and it inevitably destroys careers, lives, families, friendships, bank accounts, sanity, freedom and eventually kills. If walking away from that situation and calling the individual a loser prevents that, I’m all for it.

 

[quad decade guy]

I guess I’ve felt like both. In the end though, I came to the conclusion that it was absolutely unnecessary for others to believe as I did about addiction. I was the one dying. Whether others looked at me with sympathy or disgust wasn’t going to change the fact that my life was spiraling out of control. Lobbying others to see me as I wanted them to see me was a waste of time and in some cases probably counterproductive in a control freak kind of way. So I suppose I have no reason to disagree with the belief that alcoholism is a disease but with that comes the belief that it is treatable. And if a disease is treatable and someone refuses treatment even though it destroys himself and everything around him, then I have no problem with others washing their hands of him and leaving him to his own loser destruction.

And I don’t say that lightly. I’ve seen so many instances with families trying everything to accommodate an alcoholic. Trying everything to get her to stop and it inevitably destroys careers, lives, families, friendships, bank accounts, sanity, freedom and eventually kills. If walking away from that situation and calling the individual a loser prevents that, I’m all for it.

But yet....what about the hate? Somehow it's justified?

I wondered where the hate comes from on BC.

Do you think many of those like you(in your responses and such) are just angry drunks? Not only hateful responses but said and used against others with your power(Mod). Where there is no ability to respond for the victim.

Are you attempting to destroy those of dissent(BC) as in people not embracing your addictions?

 

[bbsam]

But yet....what about the hate? Somehow it's justified?

I wondered where the hate comes from on BC.

Do you think many of those like you(in your responses and such) are just angry drunks? Not only hateful responses but said and used against others with your power(Mod). Where there is no ability to respond for the victim.

Are you attempting to destroy those of dissent(BC) as in people not embracing your addictions?

You seem to have read the opposite in everything I wrote. I approve of dissent. I often times am the dissent. And as a mod, I rarely delete anything no matter how offensive it might be.

 

[quad decade guy]

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is a gravely ill person?

or

Do you believe a person with alcoholism/addiction is just a loser who just needs to get his crap together?

What say you?

I do. Think they are both.

I watched my Father drink himself to death. In the end, two gallons of Bourbon a week.

They say 1 out of 2 children will become an alcoholic from a parent who is....

My Brother is such.....we are of a 2 children family. He married a meth head. Their Son is a felon in and out of prison. My Brother lost everything he owned, ran up huge debts and lost half his pension(to the meth head). Still an alcoholic......married now to a 5 time loser of marriage with nothing to her name.....they are both 60.

My life and career are polar opposites of my Family. Perfect? Far from it......

Never smoked, never tried weed and drink very little really. A drink or two a week?(weekends only). Sometimes not.

My Parents and Brother were/are(Brother) heavily addicted to nicotine, alcohol and prescription drugs.

I made a decision early on that I didn't like who my Family was and moved Heaven and Earth to not be that way.

 

[quad decade guy]

You seem to have read the opposite in everything I wrote. I approve of dissent. I often times am the dissent. And as a mod, I rarely delete anything no matter how offensive it might be.

Well you sure piled on me. In one of my threads. It was a pure attack. Now, I understand where the hate comes from.

Btw, offensive to who? Lot's of hate on BC......most of it gets a soft pass.....and very political even with mods.

 

[Integrity]

I do. Think they are both.

I watched my Father drink himself to death. In the end, two gallons of Bourbon a week.

They say 1 out of 2 children will become an alcoholic from a parent who is....

My Brother is such.....we are of a 2 children family. He married a meth head. Their Son is a felon in and out of prison. My Brother lost everything he owned, ran up huge debts and lost half his pension(to the meth head). Still an alcoholic......married now to a 5 time loser of marriage with nothing to her name.....they are both 60.

My life and career are polar opposites of my Family. Perfect? Far from it......

Never smoked, never tried weed and drink very little really. A drink or two a week?(weekends only). Sometimes not.

My Parents and Brother were/are(Brother) heavily addicted to nicotine, alcohol and prescription drugs.

I made a decision early on that I didn't like who my Family was and moved Heaven and Earth to not be that way.

Thank you for sharing these personal things!

 

[MECH-lift]

marijuana is the safer choice if you must choose

 

[burrheadd]

Well you sure piled on me. In one of my threads. It was a pure attack. Now, I understand where the hate comes from.

Btw, offensive to who? Lot's of hate on BC......most of it gets a soft pass.....and very political even with mods.

do you ever get tired of hearing yourself ramble on ?

serious question....

reminds me of a song....!

 

[burrheadd]

 

[MECH-lift]

Zeppelin the best , although when I see some 14 year old with a zeppelin shirt I want to beat him up but that’s another story.