I care not if people think I’m being corny when I speak of my recovery from alcoholism as being empowering. I just do a little mental jig and go my on way, smug in the knowledge that I am happy. That’s right, happy. Oh I have my spells and my spats. I still drop of the deep end of depression or get irrationally angry- comes with being human. But overall, I am happy.
I attribute much of this to the portion of my recovery that enables me to deal with my stress and problems as if I were playing whac-a-mole… just as soon as they peep their furry little heads out of the hole I slap them down! Most nights when I lay my head down to sleep, that is what happens; I sleep. No swirl of thoughts keeping me awake because during the day I have already put to rest my problems. It is amazing how well you can deal with work and family problems when you have your own personal issues squared away.
There was a time that I thought this was my only tool necessary; that I had saddled recovery and I was going to ride it down the road of success for all it was worth. Then I got married, then I got into sales and business development, and then reality dawned. My wife didn’t want me to solve all her problems, she wanted me to listen. Business opportunities could not be rushed because credibility and trust had to be established first. I found that by letting some problems run their course that resolutions just occurred naturally and usually better than I could have accomplished.
I have worked my recovery diligently for so long that it is always my first nature to use a sledge hammer to solve my problems. It is quick and very effective, but maturity has taught me this is not always the wisest course of action. I learned that by reining in my horse of recovery, that I could travel much further than I had ever thought possible.
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A recent copy of Reader's Digest has a couple of articles on Alcoholics Anonymous. The crux of the articles is that the famous 12 Steps, don't work at all. Apparently, there's no data to support the claim that Alcoholics Anonymous is successful at getting people to stop drinking. From my own experience, the 12 Steps, shut down the critical thinking section of ones brain. What do you think? Comments are welcome!!
PEACE BE WITH YOU
MICKY
It took me a little while to find the article but I assume it is the one condensed from Timothy Hunt's larger article feaured in Saturday Night a few years back. If so, I felt it seemed to be more of a hit piece and personal vendetta written by a media hog for attention rather than a true critical analysis of the success of 12 steps and AA in particular.
Now with that out of the way I will say that I also have a few criticisms of AA (mostly involving what I would call the "AA Fundamnetalists"), but in general think almost all AA, NA, and similar 12 step programs are a very good thing and I have personal experience verifying their effectiveness. In general, I am a big fan of all recovery programs and methods but until I see free 90 day in-patient rehab facilities, walk-in meetings with certified CBT therapists, and groups that have support structures numbering in the hundreds of thousands I will speak critically only to improve AA, not attack it!
I am curious about your comment of the 12 steps having the power to shut down the critical thinking section of your brain? What step was it?
Hi Micky. I too have my disagreements with AA, but its more to do with people in it and how they interpret the steps than the program itself. As for whether it works or not--the fact that I am standing in a room full of these people, discussing how to work together in spite of our differences so that we can continue to help newcomers tells me all that I need to know, at least for myself. All I have to do is remember the stories of some of these individuals as well as my own, and I have no doubt that it is nothing short of a miracle that we can be in the same room together, let alone figure things out. In the past, none of us would have been any where except in the bottom of a bottle or trouble some where.
I tried everything I could think of during my twenty years of drinking to get sober, including the help of doctors, do it yourself programs, and religion. It seemed like AA was the last resort--for some reason, I wouldn't consider it, probably because that would mean I really had a problem. I was actually a classic case, really, going to my first meeting in a hospital, enthroned in a wheelchair, complete with pee bag and rolling IV stand. I had nothing left to lose, literally, except a very thin attachment to life on this planet.
It is now five years later, and AA works for me. As for shutting down the critical thinking parts of my brain--I have to say it--not nearly so well as alcohol did. As a matter of fact, I have in the past couple of years gone back to school to finish the degree I started eons ago, and I find my critical thinking skills are just fine. I am not afraid to think these days, and to be involved. I can see the bigger picture and I do a lot of volunteer work for environmental and agricultural groups as well as advocacy for people with disabilities. I am part of the world as a whole, and AA opened the doorway for me to be able to do that--to use my brain to figure out how to do something besides pay for my next drink.
Nothing in this world, especially when it comes to dealing with people, is ever perfect. However, I can personally testify that the 12 steps do work, and I have actually done them. I don't believe like some die hards do that the 12 steps are the only way, but at the present time, they still seem to be the best thing around for people with addiction problems. Norma
"As for shutting down the critical thinking parts of my brain--I have to say it--not nearly so well as alcohol did."
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