4 ms·
It works for a lot of people. For many people, particularly the worst cases, it does not. Most people who end up in AA have tried self-help already.
by billjings 7y ago
It works for a lot of people. For many people, particularly the worst cases, it does not. Most people who end up in AA have tried self-help already.
- snurfer 7y agoFor people who lack willpower and who suffer the continual moral failing of their dependency on alcohol, AA is an option.
- billjings 7y agoI really take issue with this characterization. Please have some respect and humility: addiction is a serious matter, and this characterization of addicts as weak-willed and immoral is inaccurate and misleading for anyone out there who is seeking a way out.
- snurfer 7y agoWho said anything about "addicts"? I was talking about drunks.
- sfkdjf9j3j 7y agoModern medicine treats alcohol abuse and addiction as similar to other chemical dependencies. I don't know what to tell you. Your callous dismissal of the seriousness of alcohol dependency is an ideological position, not one based on reason or science.
- snurfer 7y agoExcuse me, but I offer a rational alternative to the religion of Alcoholics Anonymous. Would you say AA is the bastion of reason and science?
- alexilliamson 7y agoIt's also great for people who have alcoholism
- snurfer 7y agoAlmost certainly, anyone who calls themselves "alcoholic" should probably give Alcoholics Anonymous a try. However, alcoholism is not a disease and AA isn't the only answer.
- bones6 7y agoYou left out the phrase "in my opinion" from your very strong opinion statement that alcoholism is not a disease. You could qualify your opinion, such as "in my professional opinion as a psychologist", or "in my layperson opinion through my experience with people who believe they are alcoholics". Or even better perhaps "in my opinion as someone who thought I was addicted, I solved my problem this way...". Try harder.
- jl2718 7y agoI don’t agree with either of these characterizations. It is not a disease because the cure comes instantly by a decision from within. It is not a moral failing because the substance subverts moral reasoning. I am not religious, but I find the religious view to be accurate: a good soul fallen, that needs to be saved. Source: a lifetime of addiction in my family and loved ones. Some made it out. That transformation is astonishing. Others didn’t. When you think it can’t get any worse, it can. It’s made me realize that we are all addicts. There is always some void in life that becomes deeper by the behavior used to fill it. Everybody.
- daseiner1 7y agoI'm sorry, but I sincerely question your understanding of addiction, the program, those closest to you if you genuinely believe "the cure comes instantly by a decision from within." If this were true then chronic short term sobriety followed by relapse wouldn't be so common. My impression is reinforced with, imo, your trite "we're ALL addicts" platitude. Yeah, we all get distracted sometimes and get hung up on the bit of cleaning. That doesn't mean we all have ADHD and OCD. There are ways to establish a middle ground without downplaying legitimate disorders.
- metabagel 7y agoI don’t consider alcoholism to be a moral failing. It’s more of a life hurdle. In general, the benefits of alcohol are overrated, and the drawbacks are underrated in our popular culture. Alcohol consumption increases anxiety and depression. This doesn’t get enough attention.