Question by Tom: I have a love/hate relationship with alcoholics anonymous. Anyone else feel this way?
I like the fact that its a place where I can meet others that understand and support, but that’s about it. As far as almost everything within the big book and most of the steps, i think their bunk and cult-like. Does anyone else feel this way?

Best answer:

Answer by raysny
Sure do, except for the love part.

I bounced in and out of the rooms for years, never able to stop drinking for more than a few months at a time. I had to turn my back on AA and take responsibility for my alcoholism and my recovery. I had to unlearn the powerless nonsense, forget that I’m supposed to have a lifelong disease that I can never recover from.

I never received any support from members because I’m an atheist. They loudly predicted that I would die drunk in a gutter for refusing to find their God. Don’t believe their claims that your “Higher Power” can be anything you want, by their definition, their Higher Power is a pretty specific god, and one that is not entirely compatible with the Christian God or the God of any mainstream religion that I’m aware of.

I felt that if I could get help for the depression that fueled my drinking, I’d be able to stay stopped, but for years I couldn’t find anyone who would help unless I had a chunk of sober time through AA. So I’d try, I’d go to AA, get treated like dirt while my clinical depression merged with the chemical depression of early sobriety and I’d be suicidal.

Next month will be 11 years sober for me. I co-own the Yahoo group “without_aa”:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/without_aa/
which is about deprogramming from AA, alternatives, and the general weirdness of the rooms.

AA does NOT improve on the rate of natural remission, people quitting on their own. The vast majority of people quit without ANY type of treatment.

The NIAAA’s 2001–2002 National Epidemiolo­gic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions interviewe­d over 43,000 people. Using the criteria for alcohol dependence found in the DSM-IV, they found:
“About 75 percent of persons who recover from alcohol dependence do so without seeking any kind of help, including specialty alcohol (rehab) programs and AA. Only 13 percent of people with alcohol dependence ever receive specialty alcohol treatment.­”
http://www.spectrum.niaaa.nih.gov/features/alcoholism.aspx

Anyone having doubts about AA should do some poking around at this site:
The Orange Papers
http://www.orange-papers.org/

Add your own answer in the comments!

Ohio State sober tailgate provides 'college experience' for recovery group
The group has grown to 33 students who are in active recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. “We just want to provide a place for students in recovery to thrive academically and personally,” she said. The group holds meetings weekly to discuss … Read more on OSU – The Lantern

Recovery Group Holds Alcohol-Free Tailgate
People chose chili over the keg cups normally seen at Husker Tailgates. For clients with the recovery center, it was a way to take in the games hard hitting action and stay clean of harmful substances. "It just shows you can have fun without drugs and … Read more on 1011now

Former Sewickley woman returns to shed light on addiction
“For example, one gift will help provide transportation to someone in Narok or Kisumu, Kenya, to get to a recovery support group meeting,” she said. Webb said she and her late husband, Jack, to whom she was married for 58 years, are parents of three … Read more on Tribune-Review

1 in 6 unemployed are substance abusers
About 1 in 6 unemployed workers are addicted to alcohol or drugs — almost twice the rate for full-time workers, according to the government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey shows that 17% of unemployed workers had a substance … Read more on CNNMoney

Drug use, decision-making and the blunders of Rob Ford
Needless to say, the man has made some questionable choices recently. While Mayor Ford has vehemently denied all accusations of drug or alcohol dependence, this pattern of poor decision-making is reflective of impairments in self-control and … Read more on The Guardian

CARE brings its program to combat drug abuse into Collin County
Barker has 14 years of experience working with families in private and educational settings for adolescent substance abuse and addiction. She earned a master's degree in family studies and human development from Texas Woman's University. Barker is a … Read more on Dallas Morning News

Treating Alcohol Dependence: Medication Plus Therapy Leads to Longer …
However, in countries such as Germany and the U.S., medication and individual psychotherapy — either separately or in combination — are rarely used to treat alcohol dependence (AD). A recent study of AD patients who were given a stepped-care approach … Read more on Science Daily (press release)

ABC news anchor Elizabeth Vargas thanks fans after leaving rehab following …
She only revealed she was in rehab for alcohol addiction few weeks ago but Elizabeth Vargas is already home. The ABC 20/20 co-anchor, who has been off the air since October, took to her Twitter account on Tuesday to thank fans for their support as she … Read more on Daily Mail

Treating alcohol dependence: Medication plus therapy leads to longer abstinence
Alcohol treatment that incorporates a stepped-care rationale, in which services are escalated, appears to increase the overall efficacy of the treatment regimen. However, in countries such as Germany and the U.S., medication and individual … Read more on EurekAlert (press release)

Epilepsy drug shows promise in treating alcohol dependence
There are just three medications used to treat alcohol dependence that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. One drug called disulfiram discourages drinking by making it quite unpleasant it blocks the metabolism of alcohol and causes … Read more on Fox News

Calcium a treatment for alcoholics
The drug has been used to treat alcohol addiction for 20 years and it was thought the active ingredient was sodium salt, which was understood to interfere with glutamate receptors in the brain. This apparently led to reduced alcohol craving. Calcium … Read more on The Age

Gabapentin Gets A Boost In Treating Alcoholism
The volunteers averaged 14-15 years of heavy drinking and more than two-thirds had never sought treatment for alcoholism previously. Subjects were randomized to three groups to receive an inactive placebo, or gabapentin at a dose of either 900 mg or … Read more on Forbes

New study shows that gabapentin may treat alcohol dependence
Today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced results of a recent study showing that gabapentin may be an effective treatment for alcohol dependence. Gabapentin is an anti-convulsant medication that is already widely prescribed to treat … Read more on Examiner.com

Anticonvulsant Promising for Alcohol Dependence
The anticonvulsant gabapentin, a widely prescribed anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy and neuropathic pain, is showing promise in the treatment of alcohol dependence, new research suggests. Results from a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled … Read more on Medscape

Trazodone Addiction and Trazodone Abuse

Former 'Survivor: China' winner Todd Herzog has extremely severe alcohol …
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 11/17/2013. Todd Herzog has an extremely severe alcohol addiction and will discuss his life-threatening struggle during an already-taped appearance on Dr. Phil on Monday. Read more on Reality TV World

ABC's Elizabeth Vargas: 'I am dealing with addiction' to alcohol
(CNN) — ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas has gone public with her decision to enter rehab for alcohol dependence, hoping it will give others "the courage to seek help." "Like so many people, I am dealing with addiction," Vargas said in a statement to … Read more on CNN