So our beloved founder did acid and was considered sober till the day he died yet today I hear alcoholic upon alcoholic say you can't claim sobriety if you do drugs the same way that NA says you aren't clean if you drink. The judgement too many of my brothers and sisters have against drug users is sad and unnecessary. We are all working our asses off to become better people. I will NEVER turn my back on any addict wanting to be clean and sober in a meeting. They will always be welcome as my equal in our road to happy destiny. This hand of AA will always be there. We ARE family and we cannot do this alone. The only requirement for sobriety is the desire not to drink... THE ONLY REQUIREMENT... NOT ONE of the requirements. I don't want to drink today but I also don't want to do cocaine, acid, speed and the plethora of all the other drugs THIS alcoholic did. It's time to come together!
Dough - 8 years ago
Hi folks, my name is Doug, and I am an alcoholic,
"Big Book" thumping moment to follow.... And, please excuse the rant.
There is only one requirement for AA membership. The following quote is from Bill W. (our co-founder) in a Grapevine issue from 1948, and it is stated in Tradition 3 in the AA 12 Traditions.
Tradition Three. “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking'." Editorial by Bill W. "Our membership ought to include all who suffer alcoholism".
There are many who also suffer from other addictions (or co-addictions) as well. In my case, when I drank...all other forms of mind and body altering chemicals became an idea, option and decision, and money permitting, occurred. But alcohol always opened the doors, so it is my primary focus. Without AA, I personally, am doomed.
When I attend AA meetings, I follow what is almost always one of the meetings requests. "Keep your discussions confined to those issues concerning alcohol". Its there for simplicity, and primarily for meeting focus. There are some who have never experienced addictions from other sources and simply will not have anything to offer the suffering individual across the table.
Arguments following what is stated above almost always are based on personality, not principles. And we know where that leads us.....
As a personal thought...It has been my observation that small towns sometimes have very few AA meetings, and more often than not, fewer of our brother and sister program meetings. If possible, travel to the nearest community that supports your "primary focus of recovery". Find someone there that will help sponsor or allow you to call them for your support needs and meet when there are needs to do so. I have done this myself and It works. And almost always, someone will step up for the opportunity to help.
I did notice that your focus is Al-Anon. That is truly wonderful. As family members we can only offer options and direction to those affected by these diseases. If the message sinks in, the proverbial horse will take a drink of water(for a change). After that, love, tolerance and patience. But not at the cost of our own sobriety or sanity.
As a side note. If my spouse had not found her Al-Anon family first, my existence would have ended "very shortly" thereafter, for that my gratitude runs deep for A.F.G.. When appropriate, I will stand at any rostrum to scream this aloud. And finally, yes, a double-winner I am. My first sponsor thought that most all AA's would or should find Al-Anons doors for varying periods of time as needed.
.
From a distance, I feel that the most successful in AA have done so. However, I have yet to see any numbers to give weight to that thought.
Yours in sobriety,
Doug H.
PS...Turn it over !
Kathy Heider - 8 years ago
My family suffers from drug addiction and alcoholism. What I'm most angry about is the Alcoholic goes to the grocery/liquor store for their drugs. The drug addict goes to the streets in God forbidden neighborhoods for their drug(s). I have a double concern when my son relapses if he'll even come back alive. I've been in Al-Anon 26 years and my son has had 4 relapses but finds his way back to AA. AA has many more meetings to select from than NA. He's found many good friends in AA and I would hate to see that end just because some people think addicts don't belong. Grow Up.
I'm an advocate in Alanon to try and get approved the "Newcomers Welcome" to state that "those of you new to this program whose family members suffers with drug addiction are also welcome". Still haven't heard from District 33 if they approve. I'll keep trying.
Kathy Heider - 8 years ago
My family suffers from drug addiction and alcoholism. What I'm most angry about is the Alcoholic goes to the grocery/liquor store for their drugs. The drug addict goes to the streets in God forbidden neighborhoods for their drug(s). I have a double concern when my son relapses if he'll even come back alive. I've been in Al-Anon 26 years and my son has had 4 relapses but finds his way back to AA. AA has many more meetings to select from than NA. He's found many good friends in AA and I would hate to see that end just because some people think addicts don't belong. Grow Up.
I'm an advocate in Alanon to try and get approved the l"Newcomers Welcome" should state that those of you new to this program whose family members suffers with drug addiction are also welcome. Still haven't heard from District 33 if they approve. I'll keep trying.
So our beloved founder did acid and was considered sober till the day he died yet today I hear alcoholic upon alcoholic say you can't claim sobriety if you do drugs the same way that NA says you aren't clean if you drink. The judgement too many of my brothers and sisters have against drug users is sad and unnecessary. We are all working our asses off to become better people. I will NEVER turn my back on any addict wanting to be clean and sober in a meeting. They will always be welcome as my equal in our road to happy destiny. This hand of AA will always be there. We ARE family and we cannot do this alone. The only requirement for sobriety is the desire not to drink... THE ONLY REQUIREMENT... NOT ONE of the requirements. I don't want to drink today but I also don't want to do cocaine, acid, speed and the plethora of all the other drugs THIS alcoholic did. It's time to come together!
Hi folks, my name is Doug, and I am an alcoholic,
"Big Book" thumping moment to follow.... And, please excuse the rant.
There is only one requirement for AA membership. The following quote is from Bill W. (our co-founder) in a Grapevine issue from 1948, and it is stated in Tradition 3 in the AA 12 Traditions.
Tradition Three. “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking'." Editorial by Bill W. "Our membership ought to include all who suffer alcoholism".
There are many who also suffer from other addictions (or co-addictions) as well. In my case, when I drank...all other forms of mind and body altering chemicals became an idea, option and decision, and money permitting, occurred. But alcohol always opened the doors, so it is my primary focus. Without AA, I personally, am doomed.
When I attend AA meetings, I follow what is almost always one of the meetings requests. "Keep your discussions confined to those issues concerning alcohol". Its there for simplicity, and primarily for meeting focus. There are some who have never experienced addictions from other sources and simply will not have anything to offer the suffering individual across the table.
Arguments following what is stated above almost always are based on personality, not principles. And we know where that leads us.....
As a personal thought...It has been my observation that small towns sometimes have very few AA meetings, and more often than not, fewer of our brother and sister program meetings. If possible, travel to the nearest community that supports your "primary focus of recovery". Find someone there that will help sponsor or allow you to call them for your support needs and meet when there are needs to do so. I have done this myself and It works. And almost always, someone will step up for the opportunity to help.
I did notice that your focus is Al-Anon. That is truly wonderful. As family members we can only offer options and direction to those affected by these diseases. If the message sinks in, the proverbial horse will take a drink of water(for a change). After that, love, tolerance and patience. But not at the cost of our own sobriety or sanity.
As a side note. If my spouse had not found her Al-Anon family first, my existence would have ended "very shortly" thereafter, for that my gratitude runs deep for A.F.G.. When appropriate, I will stand at any rostrum to scream this aloud. And finally, yes, a double-winner I am. My first sponsor thought that most all AA's would or should find Al-Anons doors for varying periods of time as needed.
.
From a distance, I feel that the most successful in AA have done so. However, I have yet to see any numbers to give weight to that thought.
Yours in sobriety,
Doug H.
PS...Turn it over !
My family suffers from drug addiction and alcoholism. What I'm most angry about is the Alcoholic goes to the grocery/liquor store for their drugs. The drug addict goes to the streets in God forbidden neighborhoods for their drug(s). I have a double concern when my son relapses if he'll even come back alive. I've been in Al-Anon 26 years and my son has had 4 relapses but finds his way back to AA. AA has many more meetings to select from than NA. He's found many good friends in AA and I would hate to see that end just because some people think addicts don't belong. Grow Up.
I'm an advocate in Alanon to try and get approved the "Newcomers Welcome" to state that "those of you new to this program whose family members suffers with drug addiction are also welcome". Still haven't heard from District 33 if they approve. I'll keep trying.
My family suffers from drug addiction and alcoholism. What I'm most angry about is the Alcoholic goes to the grocery/liquor store for their drugs. The drug addict goes to the streets in God forbidden neighborhoods for their drug(s). I have a double concern when my son relapses if he'll even come back alive. I've been in Al-Anon 26 years and my son has had 4 relapses but finds his way back to AA. AA has many more meetings to select from than NA. He's found many good friends in AA and I would hate to see that end just because some people think addicts don't belong. Grow Up.
I'm an advocate in Alanon to try and get approved the l"Newcomers Welcome" should state that those of you new to this program whose family members suffers with drug addiction are also welcome. Still haven't heard from District 33 if they approve. I'll keep trying.