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" The core tenant is that alcoholism is a permanent 'spiritual' disease" Well, what you hear may vary from one AA group to the next, but I don't think the core

" The core tenant is that alcoholism is a permanent 'spiritual' disease" Well, what you hear may vary from one AA group to the next, but I don't think the core point is that it is spiritual, only that it is permanent. (Assorted official books from AA may say otherwise, but actual AA groups very in the application of the key principles.) The idea is that some people keep chasing the idea that they can drink just a little then stop, yet fail again and again. If you can get them to just give up on that idea they'll be better off. "AA's own self-published census shows that it is overwhelmingly an American and Canadian phenomenon, with some small sprinkling in the UK. It basically exists nowhere else in the world, except for expatriates from the US." Do you have a link for this? These sites suggests otherwise: http://www.aa.org/lang/en/aa_international.cfm?origpage=31 http://www.aa.org/lang/en/aa_international.cfm?origpage=31 http://markybaby.com/legacy/book/links_index.php http://markybaby.com/legacy/book/links_index.php

tumult 16y ago
Do you have a link for this? These sites suggests otherwise Yes I do. Outside of U.S./Canada 704,266 Members Total Reported 2,103,033 Members In other words, 33% of all AA membership is not within North America. This is from their own material, the 2007 survey. http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/m-24_aafactfile.pdf http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/m-24_aafactfile.pdf 33%? That's still a lot, right? Occurrence of AA membership in North America: 1 in 265 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+united+states+%2B+population+of+canada)+/+1300000 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+united+s... Occurrence of AA membership the world, excluding North America: 1 in 9207 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+world+-+(population+of+united+states+%2B+population+of+canada))+/+700000 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+world+-+... It makes sense that their international presence is played up heavily on their sites and other material, so as to make it seem as if they are expounding some universal truth, rather than a localized phenomenon. The idea is that some people keep chasing the idea that they can drink just a little then stop, yet fail again and again. If you can get them to just give up on that idea they'll be better off. Yes, that is one of AA's core ideas, and not backed up by scientific research or studies. Just because a lot of people (where you live) say it very loudly and frequently does not make it true. This is exactly what I just talked about in my previous post -- people accept these statements as if they are inherently true, without examining them critically.

tumult 16y ago

Do you have a link for this? These sites suggests otherwise Yes I do. Outside of U.S./Canada 704,266 Members Total Reported 2,103,033 Members In other words, 33% of all AA membership is not within North America. This is from their own material, the 2007 survey. http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/m-24_aafactfile.pdf http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/m-24_aafactfile.pdf 33%? That's still a lot, right? Occurrence of AA membership in North America: 1 in 265 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+united+states+%2B+population+of+canada)+/+1300000 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+united+s... Occurrence of AA membership the world, excluding North America: 1 in 9207 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+world+-+(population+of+united+states+%2B+population+of+canada))+/+700000 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(population+of+world+-+... It makes sense that their international presence is played up heavily on their sites and other material, so as to make it seem as if they are expounding some universal truth, rather than a localized phenomenon. The idea is that some people keep chasing the idea that they can drink just a little then stop, yet fail again and again. If you can get them to just give up on that idea they'll be better off. Yes, that is one of AA's core ideas, and not backed up by scientific research or studies. Just because a lot of people (where you live) say it very loudly and frequently does not make it true. This is exactly what I just talked about in my previous post -- people accept these statements as if they are inherently true, without examining them critically.