"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance -- that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
HERBERT SPENCER
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 4th Edition, Page 568
After attending my first few meetings of AA, I pretty much thought these people were full of crap. Don't get me wrong; they were nice people and I made a few friends very quickly. That's why I kept going back, besides trying to save a washed-up relationship.
But all this talk of God turned me off. They talked about having a psychic change, a spiritual awakening. They spoke of practicing the steps of AA. I heard people who said I would have to help others get sober. And they said they couldn't stay sober alone; that it was a WE program.
It was obvious to me that while they were nice guys, they didn't have a clue where I was coming from. None of these guys drank for more than 3 decades; they couldn't imagine what I was going through. I was glad it worked for them, but it could never work for me.
And I told them this.
They told me to keep coming back. They said to be honest (with myself), open-minded (to what they said) and willing (to try something new).
I did.
I was.
It worked.
1 comment:
It seems like every alcoholic tells some variant of this story: it might have worked for you, but it'll never work for me. But if, like you, they do and are, it does.
Namenlosen Trinker
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