Is AA Any Good? What Are the Benefits?
Question by GenericMan: Is AA any good? What are the benefits?
Do the AA meetings work etc? I have been to ONE meeting and found the people there either to be pathetic, highly insecure, neurotic (in the case of a woman there), blissed out on some buddhist mumbo jumbo, lying or just a bit stupid. I think it’s good for me as I walked out of there thinking ‘Wow, I’m glad I’m not like any of those losers’. The whole idea of ‘higher power’ sounds stupid to me – I have no spiritual feelings at all and find religion to be totally retarded. Also the idea of saying ‘Hi I’m John and I’m an alcoholic’ – it’s stupid, like constantly bashing yourself over the head with this ‘problem’ when you don’t want to have the problem, just want to move away from it.
I will probably go to another meeting because as I said it reinforces that I am much better than the lowlifes I meet there.
Sober: Nearly seven months.
Method: The White-Knuckled-Roller-Coaster-of-Fear.
Best answer:
Answer by melouofs
I often wondered what atheists do about AA. I attended an Al-Anon meeting once on behalf of my mother, who was in rehab at the time, and it totally turned me off. These absolute strangers were telling me they loved me, etc, and talking all about god,e tc. Like I said, it felt totally manufactured and fake and it turned me off completely. I know they do a great deal of good for those who accept their message, but for those who don’t, I can’t guess.
Answer by Andrea
AA works for some people but it’s certainly not for everyone….. Part of the reason for the ahhhh “class of clientele” is because it’s free…… but hey, whatever works for them….. I think it’s a bunch of crap. All 12 step programs are centered around giving your life up to a “higher power”. Personally I’d rather keep my life under the control of my higher power of reasoning…… I suppose if they don’t have that than any sort of higher power will do. 🙂