Oh, Shoot! We missed it.

By on April 8, 2011

AnnaZed alerted me to this yesterday, and I missed it:

Attraction not Promotion

National Alcohol Screening Day (seriously).

Though some of us are just problem drinkers who  ” …do not necessarily need medical treatment, peer group support, or a spiritual awakening.”

You can’t make this shit up.

No, you can’t.

Happy Belated National Alcohol Screening Day Everyone! Maybe they’ll have some suggestions for you.

This entry is filed under 12 Step Treatment Industry, Alcoholics Anonymous, The Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous and tagged .
  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    They have an interesting 20 question test on that site that is similar to an Alcohol Abuse Evaluation that you take if you end up in court (the court one is much longer and usually consists of 2 tests and an interview). If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions you are usually sent to further treatment at a 12 Step facility. Just some background info.

  • Commonsense

    “Q: Do you turn to inferior companions and environments when drinking?” This is my all-time favorite arrogant drinking question! A: No. I only turned to inferior companions and environments after I stopped drinking and started attending AA.

  • http://www.thecleanslate.org Steven Slate

    It takes all the “willpower” I’ve got in order not to swear up a storm upon looking at that about.com page. Please Buddy T, tell me where you cross the line into diseasehood – is it just when you “feel” powerless? He found a very nice way to say that anyone who quits without treatment/12-steps isn’t a “real” addict/alcoholic, but those of us who know better can see right through this nonsense. Unfortunately, those who need to see through it will only end up confused and misled.

  • chris

    If you answered no to all the questions, they would say” Well, by you just TAKING the test gives me some concern of your of consumption.” I think you`re minimizing it. So, we`re gonna need you to go to treatment. And then the police officer would begin shouting “Stop Resisting, Stop Resisting”. Off to re-hab, AA, Screwed.

  • humanspirit

    OMG, head explosion. This is just a full-on advertisement for AA and 12-step rehab. WHERE is any real information here about the 12 steps, even in the bit that tells you “what to expect from rehab”? WHERE is there any attempt to talk about each of the 12 steps and to explain precisely what on earth it has to do, step by step, with overcoming addiction?

    Browse this site if you want evidence of the fact that the 12-step movement keeps very, very quiet with regard to what its agenda is really about and what 12-step rehab actually involves. (Until, presumably, a person actually pays to get into rehab.)

    Meanwhile, I was sidetracked into this thread entitled “Have You Been Playing A Role in the Life of an Alcoholic?” (Get the wording – “playing a role in”. What does that actually mean?) The thread is:

    http://alcoholism.about.com/u/ua/fam/roles.htm

    It has Al-anon-tastic comments such as:

    “Yes I had a problem with a Alcoholic drinker [note the capital letter]. I too thought that I could change that person and show him the way to stopping the drinking. then I found Al-Anon. I found out how to live my life for myself – that I had to let go and let God do his work.”

    And:

    “You have release to hold and let God take over. He will give you the strength to let go and go on with life.”

    It is interesting the way so many of the commentators here blame the fact that the man (it usually is a man) is being abusive, an arsehole, completely irresponsible, whatever, on the fact they are an alcoholic. This is bollocks. People can be irresponsible arseholes, abusive, etc. even if they never touch a drop. It is an unfortunate fact, but true, that “good”, decent, responsible people can also get addicted to alcohol, just as much as anyone, however “good”, can get addicted to tobacco. Addiction doesn’t just afflict the bad; it doesn’t make moral distinctions.

    Of course being drunk can lead a person with violent tendencies to be more violent, etc. Equally a quiet, withdrawn, depressed person will become even more so when they drink. But those tendencies are there to start with. Anyone who thinks that another person’s basic character will change if they stop drinking is either naïve or a complete idiot, IMHO.

    I get more infuriated with these Al-anon types who keep “sharing” about being enablers, etc. than I do with anyone in AA. I can completely sympathize with any abused spouse, victim of domestic violence, etc., and recognize that the difficulty of leaving such relationships isn’t as clear-cut as it seems to outsiders. But if these Al-anon people have specifically identified drinking in itself as the problem, rather than their partner’s basic character, why don’t they just bloody well leave if their spouse carries on getting drunk? Instead of just going to Al-anon, whining about the “alcoholic in their life”, and getting lots of praise for their “honesty” and martyrdom?

    Sorry for this rant, all. It’s just that this is an issue I feel very strongly about. I am forever brought back to the memory of trying to get help for my seriously ill partner, who was literally dying, only to get these 12-step nutters cropping up everywhere and trying to hijack the process at every turn, in the completely selfish interests of working their own 12th steps. They should just butt out of the whole thing until they learn to treat the issue of alcoholism with the seriousness it deserves.

  • Mona Lisa

    Well I didn’t want to get left out of all the fun, so I took the screening test. I haven’t had a drink in over 12 years, but, of course, prior to that time I was addicted and I went to rehab. So here are my results:

    “You answered 4 items out of 20 Yes.

    Your score is 20%. According to the Office of Health Care Programs, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, developers of this screening quiz, if you answered 3 of these questions with a Yes it is a definite sign that your drinking patterns are harmful and possibly considered alcohol dependent or alcoholic. You may want to seek an evaluation by a healthcare professional.”

    The 4 questions I answered “yes’ were the “have you EVER?” questions. Have I ever blacked out? Yes. Have I ever gone to the hospital because of drinking? Yes. And so on. This means, according to this test, that I may CURRENTLY be considered alcohol dependent and should go for an evaluation.

    You really can’t make this shit up.

  • humanspirit

    @Commonsense says

    “Q: Do you turn to inferior companions and environments when drinking?” This is my all-time favorite arrogant drinking question! A: No. I only turned to inferior companions and environments after I stopped drinking and started attending AA.

    This is one of my all-time AA favourites too. The phrase used to be “low company” rather than “inferior companions” What does “low company” mean? Short people? Working class people? Or does this mean evil foreigners of every description, or perhaps people of a different color?

    But I think someone on that page might have had the honesty to point out that this particular piece of incredible snobbery is copyright AA and has been one of their “are you an alcoholic” criteria for decades. (Oops, I just used the word “honesty” in the same sentence as “AA”)

    PS, I answered “no” to all the questions, but was still directed to seek advice for alcoholism at the end of it.

  • humanspirit

    Dick B mentioned seeking “lower companionship” on this forum recently. I would be intrigued to know who these people were . . .

  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    Another common question on these tests is “Have you ever been to an AA meeting?’, I wonder if you get marked of as 1 or 2 yes answers. There are a lot of people in those rooms with criminal backgrounds.

  • chris

    Stick with the winners. Who`s sponsoring the losers then? Loser sponsors? Who are the winners? People with time? You could show up in Idaho tomorrow and say you had 10 yrs. Who the hell knows anyway. A retard could have the jargon down pat in about a week. Nothing against Idaho or the mentally challenged, had to use some kind of example.

  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    Very politically correct!

  • humanspirit

    PPS, When I answered “no” to all those questions, I wasn’t necessarily being honest, just intrigued to see what the conclusion might be. It’s been a long time since I felt the need to answer any loaded question just because some anonymous and non-credited person asks it.

  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    So actually, by just taking the test you are in need of further evaluation no matter what you answer. Hmmm……. I’ll bet it usually ends up that you have to go to AA…….. the only real way to prevent being sent to AA is not take the test?

  • humanspirit

    JHR – Yes, I think you’re probably right. Not sure about the US, but in the UK in the 80s people’s life insurance premiums shot up if they said that they’d ever had an HIV test, even if the test proved negative. The thinking was, I suppose, that no-one would ever take a test unless they had reason to suspect from their lifestyle they might be HIV positive. whereas the majority of people who never got themselves tested were considered as being low risk by default. Crazy thinking by any reckoning, but nonetheless one that prevailed for a long time.

  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    That happened in the US also from what I have heard. It is sad when you think of it. If you want to stay out of AA you have to make sure they never give you one of those tests.

  • mikeblamedenial

    Here are the results I got after honestly answering the questions to the best of my ability. I haven’t had a drink since the Clinton administration, and have no problems associated with my drinking for well over fifteen years.

    “You answered 6 items out of 20 Yes.

    “Your score is 30%. According to the Office of Health Care Programs, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, developers of this screening quiz, if you answered 3 of these questions with a Yes it is a definite sign that your drinking patterns are harmful and possibly considered alcohol dependent or alcoholic. You may want to seek an evaluation by a healthcare professional.”

  • humanspirit

    And I suppose the only question really is – why are they doing this?

  • http://anonymousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    Could it be that these tests are flawed? Who would do that? Who has the current power to do that? Who does everyone listen to when they talk about Alcoholism?

    And of course the most important question:

    Who makes money off of it?

  • Commonsense

    Any screening question that begins “Have you ever……” is a loaded question. For example:
    Q: Have you ever used drugs? A: Yes. I have used many drugs in the past (e.g. aspirin, antibiotics, etc.)
    Q: Have you ever had a drink in the morning? A: Yes. I usually drink some water after I get out of bed.
    Q: Have you ever had loose stools after drinking alcohol? A: Yes. It happened when I once ordered spicy hot chili and a beer.
    Q: Have you ever had difficulty sleeping after drinking alcohol? A: Yes. (see above about the chili and beer “incident.”)

  • Katieshrike

    I like “do you drink in the morning?” I work nights, so the morning is my evening.

  • http://deleted Primrose

    HS, that site comes up top in a variety of google searches. It speaks all the aa crap.

  • http://anonpmyousjr.keepandshare.com JR Harris

    There is always the infamous “Have you ever been diagnosed with Alcoholism?”

  • hulahoop

    Okay, I was up for the challenge. I knew this rigorously honest ™ quiz was loaded when I saw the post was by a person named Buddy T.

    More about Buddy T -
    Buddy T. is in recovery from the experience of living with an alcoholic. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on the web site.

    Experience:Buddy has been in recovery since July, 1989 and has been the Alcoholism Guide since February, 1997. Despite years of research and experience, he’s still asking questions and discovering surprising answers concerning this cunning, baffling, and powerful disease called alcoholism.

    Education:Buddy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

    From Buddy T:After years of recovery, I’m still trying to find all the information I can. Although my own recovery experiences have been through a 12-step program, I know there are many other approaches that work.

    “Cunning, baffling, and powerful disease called alcoholism.” That statement stands on its own. Sometimes I curse even knowing about AA and having been involved with it. Other times I am glad because at least I know a stepper and their agenda as soon as they express themselves.

    No Buddy, alcoholism is not a cunning, baffling, disease. The human brain and mind are. Some of us enjoy getting high more than others. Nobody really knows why some are more prone to it than others. Just as nobody knows why some are more prone to the bullshit AA brainwashing and dogma than others.

    Why that is and the ways to “cure” it are the bazillion dollar questions. Why do I enjoy a good buzz while my brother doesn’t? We come from the same set of parents. Why is my brother a liar and a con artist (but yet straight as an arrow when it comes to getting high) and really just a piece of shit while I work hard and am a straight forward person but have been known to enjoy an altered state of mind? Neither one of my parents drank. Granted, they were not the best parents in the world. I was never subjected to alcoholism nor drug abuse. None of that was ever an issue in our home.

    Why do steppers say they know there are “many approaches that work” when they don’t really mean it? I will quickly dismiss and disagree with a blue book bleeding stepper when they say AA is the only way, but at least they are straight up about it and do not pretend to be open minded.

    You answered 5 items out of 20 Yes.
    Your score is 25%. According to the Office of Health Care Programs, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, developers of this screening quiz, if you answered 3 of these questions with a Yes it is a definite sign that your drinking patterns are harmful and possibly considered alcohol dependent or alcoholic. You may want to seek an evaluation by a healthcare professional.

    “You may want to to seek an evalutation by a healthcare professional.”
    Wow! My floor is three feet deep in bullshit right now. Or as AnnaZed would say, “coal fired bullshit.” What he really means is “GET YOUR ASS TO THE NEAREST AA MEETING YOU CAN FIND PRONTO!!!!!! Get a sponsor, start the twelve steps, and work a good program.”

    My five “yes” questions -
    Q: Have you ever had a loss of memory as a result of drinking?
    Q: Do you drink alone?
    Q: Do you want a drink the next morning?
    Q: Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
    Q: Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

    Katieshrike says I like “do you drink in the morning?” I work nights, so the morning is my evening.

    Me too Katie. All night long. I can’t even begin to count the disaproving looks I received from convenience store patrons while I was purchasing alcohol at 7:00 in the morning after a hard night at work. The envious ones too. Sometimes someone would ask me about it or make a comment about it. I reached a point where I would tell them I was on my to work and needed a six pack for the ride. “Yup…it’s going to be a long day, ambulance driving is a tough job…” (PS, No…I am not an EMT.)

  • hulahoop

    Sorry about the unclosed tag above. Anyway, Buddy T is full of shit.

    Commonsense says “Q: Do you turn to inferior companions and environments when drinking?” This is my all-time favorite arrogant drinking question! A: No. I only turned to inferior companions and environments after I stopped drinking and started attending AA.

    When I read that question I thought, “Well, I do enjoy a good hole in the wall, dive bar.” I never considered those environments nor the people who were there inferior. They were places where the booze was usually cheap, the food was good (as long as you didn’t pay attention to the health inspector’s score posted on the wall), and the people were entertaining and real.

    I like commonsense’s answer much better than my own.

  • JD

    Not that it matters for most of you, but the directions for taking the test state you should reference the past 12 months in answering the questions. In other words, those who have not drank in the past year would answer no to all questions.

    It’s usefulness is limited to drunks who are wondering if coming out of a blackout under their halfway house manager’s car and then taken away to the nutward for the third time this week indicates they may have a possible small problem with alcohol.

    If people can believe the test is bogus and is only a slick and deceptive trick to force them into AA, which is hungrily waiting for their 44c in small change when the basket is passed around and they can stay away based on that solid and rational belief, then everyone wins.

    What I’m dismayed to read is the number here who trashtalk AA and then slink into meetings, or drag their poor drunk buds or relatives in when they’re feeling some kind of heat. Try harder to not be such hypocrites. If AA is bad, then at least act as if you believe that’s so, and stay completely away. No one wants to hear bizarre talk from nuts as to why they don’t want to be there but keep showing up anyway.

    Be proud of counting the weeks and months that pile up since your last meeting. I’ll certainly help you celebrate as you pass your milestones for not doing something you’d rather not do. Those who aren’t too medicated or loaded to cook safely could even try to bake up an sans-AA anniversary cake.

    But excuse me if I pass on my piece, as one never knows what might be in there in this crowd.

  • chris

    To JD: If AA works as well as you say it does, you don`t seem very happy dude.

  • http://anonymousjr.keepndshare.com JR Harris

    Q: Is drinking making your homelife unhappy? – Yes, my wife is a recovering alcoholic who was captured by the cult of AA. And does not think anymore and only talks in slogans and what her sobriety date is.

    Q: Is drinking affecting your reputation? – Yes, my wife joined AA after I mistakenly sent her there for help. Despite the fact that I sent her there, her sponsor and the groups she goes to slammed me for not becoming a full fledged member.

    Q: Have you had financial difficulties as a result of drinking? – Yes, my wife joined AA and does not want to work, she just wants to do service work for AA and have me pay for it.

    Q: Has you physician ever treated you for drinking? – They must have made a mistake on this one. Typical of something that AA members do constantly. Tell you to only count the last 12 months and then ask you if you EVER (meaning your lifetime) had this problem.

    Q: Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking? – Another one of those EVER questions – Typical AA type mind bending stuff.

    SO – it would seem that this test is still flawed

  • Ben Franklin

    JD “What I’m dismayed to read is the number here who trashtalk AA and then slink into meetings, or drag their poor drunk buds or relatives in when they’re feeling some kind of heat. Try harder to not be such hypocrites. If AA is bad, then at least act as if you believe that’s so, and stay completely away. No one wants to hear bizarre talk from nuts as to why they don’t want to be there but keep showing up anyway.”

    I stay completely away from AA and have not heard of anyone here who trashtalks AA and slinks into meetings. It might happen-who knows. We also have people who post here giving false information or have their sister post on their computer. But, in all reality the people here who might go to AA are forced into it by the courts. If you don’t want hypocrites in your meetings then maybe you can start a crusade to outlaw this. We would be all for it. You could do AA a favor by trying to improve it from the inside instead of wasting your time here with us apostates.
    Also speaking of hypocrisy, I find it hypocritical for someone to spend so much time 12 stepping while their tween son gets trashed.

  • JD

    So much time? Oh do tell us of the fantasy playing in your mind as to how much time that was. I’ve never said, so it’s apparently something the voices are whispering to you.

    How much time are the voices telling you that I devoted to AA, Ben? Do they say ‘JD put a lot of time into getting and staying sober?’ Or do they say ‘JD went once a week and some weeks not at all?’

    Please share what you believe for no rational reason at all to be fact, Ben.

    “not heard of anyone here who trashtalks AA and slinks into meetings”…there’s 4-5 on the only the last page of the Neverending thread…don’t you ever read the posts there, or do the voices also tell you what’s going on with your fellow ST members as well as how much time I devote to my sobriety? Hopefully casting this light on their foolishness will stop that.

    AAs have enough to do helping the semi-sincere ones recover from alcoholism. Lame fringers can stay at home and stew over their troubles instead of keeping the back bench warm.

    @Chris…I’m very happy most of the time…spent a gorgeous Sunday puttering in the yard. I’m on 1/3 landscaped acre, and it’s a huge joy every am to see Spring coming in here. Had some outstanding news from my Son this week and am looking forward to flying back there in a few weeks time. Won’t be too very long before we set up a new house on the Oregon coast, hugely jazzed about that. And if we can’t get our friends to leave Scotland for a visit here, we’re talking about another trip over there soon.

    No complaints whatsoever, and almost every good thing in my life can be traced to taking the actions in AA a very long time ago.

  • chris

    You have plenty of complaints JD, but, I`m glad to hear you got some good news about your son

  • http://www.stinkin-thinkin.com friendthegirl

    JD sez, “What I’m dismayed to read is the number here who trashtalk AA and then slink into meetings, or drag their poor drunk buds or relatives in when they’re feeling some kind of heat. Try harder to not be such hypocrites. If AA is bad, then at least act as if you believe that’s so, and stay completely away. No one wants to hear bizarre talk from nuts as to why they don’t want to be there but keep showing up anyway.”

    I know that this has broken your brain before, but maybe you’ll get used to it the more you’re exposed: People who post here do not walk in lockstep. There’s nothing anyone’s supposed to do or believe. Sometimes we discuss things and hash things out and disagree with each other. We come to different conclusions, have different levels of involvement in AA.

    Some people are completely out, some people are still attending. Some go to support friends or because they are mandated. Some people find that AA has a place and a purpose, and others think it should be eradicated. It’s amazing, I know. We’re all here just hanging out, and we don’t feel threatened by each other, even though we all do and think different things! Even you’re here!

    Considering that your point of reference is that people do not break ranks or dissent or think or question or “do it their way”, I understand how our all these different voices here might be confusing to you. Shouldn’t we all be doing exactly the same thing in the same way?! Just what the sam hill is going on here??

  • http://anonymousjr.hushmail.me JR Harris

    It would appear that any time not spent with your child keeping them from the evils of alcohol is too much time. People should be taught responsibility in the programs they join and to be honest and honorable.

    I am glad that your son has recovered from his problems. You must be very proud of him, not many sons could be a raging alcoholic at 12 years old, finally go for help in AA at 18-19, then go to college, medical school and internship to become a full fledged doctor at 29-30.

    I can understand that your explanation sounds unbelievable and am sure you are being rigorously honest. Do you know Daniel Bennison,DannyB II, Heretik, Heretikreb, Cuggle or Diablo? I want them to meet my friend Junior and his cousin Jane R. who are also referred to as JR that use my computer

  • chris

    JD also said, “no one wants to hear bizarre talk from nuts as to why they dont want to be there, but keep showing up anyway”. I thought they were suppose to “fake it till they MADE IT”. and, “don`t leave before the miracle happens”, but then still stay. Your right JD, no one wants to hear bizarre talk from nuts, at least I don`t. That`s ONE of the reasons I don`t go to AA anymore.

  • JD

    ftg, I understand the folk here are scattered and shattered, save your news. What seems to be too great a challenge for your mind to stretch thinly but completely around is the flexibility among AAs. No one of the thousands I know believes the same things or does the same things with the same regularity.

    Picture if you will people picking and choosing their individual conceptions of something (gasp!) greater than themselves. Making their decision about their level of involvement. Deciding how much help to ask for and receive. Making the choice of how best they can maintain what they have. Not having anyone in a position to order them to do a thing.

    If you simply can’t make the stretch, then accept that as a limitation of imagination and quit announcing it’s unavailable to others who live their lives out exactly that way.

    @JR, the reasons are, as I mentioned several times, inherent in the nature of alcoholism about which you’re clearly clueless. Not my job to fill you in, or dumb things down to compensate for your lack of understanding.

    Around the end of this year I’ll fill you all in on something very funny if I still feel the time is right then, as it makes the lot of you look completely ridiculous. I find the matter good for some huge smiles whenever I stop by.

    Actually, with the right point of view it’s even likely to be funny to most, but not all here.

  • SoberPJ

    Bullshit Alert – ” No one of the thousands I know” .. Sorry JD.. I’ve been to around 4,000 meetings and seen probably 3-5 times that many people in those meetings and I can say without any doubt you are full of shit if you say you KNOW thousands of people. Like me, you may have seen them, maybe even talked to a lot of them, but you do not KNOW them or precisely what they think or believe or do. I will make it my job to fill you in and dumb it down so you can understand – you are clearly and unequivocally full of shit !

  • flannigan

    @JD
    Does AA actually work? Is AA an effective treatment for “alcoholism”, however one defines that term? This is the crux of the matter and all else is just window dressing.

  • flannigan

    Please cite sources for your response, not just your observations. Thanks.

  • Ben Franklin

    JD: “So much time? Oh do tell us of the fantasy playing in your mind as to how much time that was. I’ve never said, so it’s apparently something the voices are whispering to you.

    How much time are the voices telling you that I devoted to AA, Ben? Do they say ‘JD put a lot of time into getting and staying sober?’ Or do they say ‘JD went once a week and some weeks not at all?’

    Please share what you believe for no rational reason at all to be fact, Ben.

    How about this JD: Enough time for your 12 year old kid to get trashed.

    Are you really this stupid? Do you really think people here are going to believe your bullshit slung on an almost daily basis? I have already spelled out in so many words why you have lost the moral high ground and why it is futile for you to post here. We can no longer dumb it down further for you. Yet you insist.

  • tintop

    JD is full of shit. And, that is putting a sugar coating on it. Sugar coating shit may be difficult; but, life is hard at times.

    Give it the mushroom treatment. Put it in a room. Close the door. Periodically, open the door and throw manure on it.
    Create a thread for JD alone. Move all of his posts to that thread. No one responds to any of those posts.

    That thread will be JD’s private place to share its’ innermost thoughts and feelings.

  • http://www.stinkin-thinkin.com friendthegirl

    JD sez, “Picture if you will people picking and choosing their individual conceptions of something (gasp!) greater than themselves. Making their decision about their level of involvement. Deciding how much help to ask for and receive. Making the choice of how best they can maintain what they have. Not having anyone in a position to order them to do a thing.”

    Sounds fantastic, JD. What program is that?

    Just because you can call your “something greater than yourself” whatever you want to call it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t behave in exactly the same way as every single solitary other “something greater” in AA. If it doesn’t, then you can’t work the program. Calling it what you want is a superficial decision. It still must conform.

    You can work the program with “Plate Tectonics” or “Nature” or “God” or anything as long as it is willing to abide by the steps. Does plate tectonics have a will for you? (*SMASH*)

    Also, people cannot make decisions about their level of involvement in AA if they are “real alcoholics” and if they want to live. Right? Saying that people aren’t forced to do anything is ridiculous. No one is forced to do anything anywhere, unless they’re children or somehow institutionalized. Outside of that, vulnerable people can be manipulated.

  • http://anonymousjr.hushmail.me JR Harris

    “I’ll fill you all in on something very funny if I still feel the time is right then”

    Is this the magical “Miracle” that I have heard so much about? I realize that I do not have any clue about alcoholism. I just had a wife who drank two 1.75 litres of booze a day while I was at work to support her for many years. I chose to get her help. Unfortunately I chose a 12 Step program that promised a “Miracle”, what I got was a bunch of unqualified people acting as psychotherapists.

    The “Miracle” she got was the ability to not work for money, take an unpaid internship where she advertises, does free work, gives people rides all for a Corporation in New York called “ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC”.

    If she starts now she can be on the fast track to being a doctor by age 50. Or at least that is what she can claim. You see the people who are captured by this cult, think it is OK to tell these little “white lies”.

  • chris

    Picture if you will, a sign post ahead. It reads, AA is a SELF HELP GROUP JD. NOTHING ELSE!

  • chris

    AA is the real twilight zone-picture gallery in one. JD is Rod Serling.

  • Martha

    FGT said:
    You can work the program with “Plate Tectonics” or “Nature” or “God” or anything as long as it is willing to abide by the steps. Does plate tectonics have a will for you? (*SMASH*)”

    In the late 1980s I heard an interview with Shirley McClain where she was talking about the “harmonic convergence.” According to her there were energy zones crisscrossing the Earth which she tried to connect to tectonic plates. What was hilarious was that she kept calling them “Teutonic plates.”

  • MA

    So AAs have the right to name AA God whatever they want. Wow! I want one of those! I think I’ll name mine, “JD,” cuz he never answers my fucking questions.

    Why do AAs think changing the name of something makes a fundamental difference? It’s like Diablo changing his name to “Cuggle,” or “heretikreb,” and him thinking it somehow changes his personae. I don’t care if you call him “Jesus,” he’s still a sociopathic nutbar. Names mean nothing.

  • chris

    To JD: Do you think the Big Book was divinely inspired?

  • Lucy

    Martha – I laughed. What an idiot.

  • Ben Franklin

    MA says

    So AAs have the right to name AA God whatever they want. Wow! I want one of those! I think I’ll name mine, “JD,” cuz he never answers my fucking questions.

    Ain’t that the truth. Also after you point out the absurdity of being a parent of a drunken tween and being so high and mighty moralistic towards us- he disappears for a while, only to return like it never happened.

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