Guest guest Posted December 12, 2000 Report Share Posted December 12, 2000 steve, you and i think alot alike. this is a good time to write about this author gerald may, author of " addiction and grace " what a load of bunk! first of all he says flat out we ALL are addicted. an addiction being defined by him as ANYTHING which gets in way of god's will for us. but how do we overcome addiction? by turning our will over to god. its some of the most self serving, religious double speak i have ever seen. it was given to me by a old friend who was a alanon member, had a mom who was in AA. i see where she got her the bite > Hello All, > > .......... been out surfing and diggin' and completely mystified at the > vacume of sites about this insidious cult. I am absolutely amazed, it being > so obvious to me, that more people are not aware ....... Jeez, it appears the > whole world is " stepping " off the deep end. > I for one would never " get into " anything that I did not first research it's > hystory , its practice and methods, some practical evidence of success, and > any possible negative attributes ........ I don't care if it's a ceramics > class or a game of " Go Fish " , I read first, talk to more than five people > with experience, and as many without, just to ballence things out, and then I > sit back and watch long enough for the mystery to wear off ...... and, above > all, if I ever hear the word god, I know it's a bunch of hokie nonsense. > I was fortunate in having an epiphany when I was seven years old, sitting in > the Assembly of God church in a small town in NH, I was suddenly struck with > the knowledge that the whole god thang was a load of bunk. I have never had > one doubt since, and has allowed me to see the world through a fairly > uncommon perpective. I have since adolescence chosen two " gods " ; science and > " I don't know " . My overlying philosophy is and has always been " fuck it " . I > am here to have fun and, to me, there is gracious joy in simply dancing with > the wonder of it all ..... > > peace in all your hearts > > Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2000 Report Share Posted December 12, 2000 Hi Steve, One doesn't always have the chance to think things over rationally before getting involved in AA. Let's say, for instance, you've been drinking a lot and you kind of lose track of what's going on... and then the next thing you know you just 'came to' in a strange place, physically wrecked, confused, panicked, delusional, and hallucinating. Gradually you come back to reality, and it seems that you're being taken care of by doctors and mental health professionals ... and you are sort of eased into this brainwashing process called 'treatment' ... and by the time you get out it has become totally obvious that you should go to 90 meetings in 90 days, get a sponsor, join a group, work the Steps etc. etc., and if you fail to do these things then you'll surely drink again and go mad or die. This is one of many roads that lead to Step City. --wally mystifried Hello All, .......... been out surfing and diggin' and completely mystified at the vacume of sites about this insidious cult. I am absolutely amazed, it being so obvious to me, that more people are not aware ....... Jeez, it appears the whole world is "stepping" off the deep end. I for one would never "get into" anything that I did not first research it's hystory , its practice and methods, some practical evidence of success, and any possible negative attributes ........ I don't care if it's a ceramics class or a game of "Go Fish", I read first, talk to more than five people with experience, and as many without, just to ballence things out, and then I sit back and watch long enough for the mystery to wear off ...... and, above all, if I ever hear the word god, I know it's a bunch of hokie nonsense. I was fortunate in having an epiphany when I was seven years old, sitting in the Assembly of God church in a small town in NH, I was suddenly struck with the knowledge that the whole god thang was a load of bunk. I have never had one doubt since, and has allowed me to see the world through a fairly uncommon perpective. I have since adolescence chosen two "gods"; science and "I don't know". My overlying philosophy is and has always been "fuck it". I am here to have fun and, to me, there is gracious joy in simply dancing with the wonder of it all ..... peace in all your hearts Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2000 Report Share Posted December 13, 2000 Steve- I think there are two Gods out there. There is God and there is God that is a literary character. About God I won't say much except to mention that it's like the definition of pornography "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it." About God the literary character: From the day God created the heavens and the earth, God has been on the best-seller list. Define him however you like, use him to justify what's going on between your ears, and then claim your definition to be true because, well, it's God. At what point should we label this thread "Off topic?" Nate mystifried Hello All, .......... been out surfing and diggin' and completely mystified at the vacume of sites about this insidious cult. I am absolutely amazed, it being so obvious to me, that more people are not aware ....... Jeez, it appears the whole world is "stepping" off the deep end. I for one would never "get into" anything that I did not first research it's hystory , its practice and methods, some practical evidence of success, and any possible negative attributes ........ I don't care if it's a ceramics class or a game of "Go Fish", I read first, talk to more than five people with experience, and as many without, just to ballence things out, and then I sit back and watch long enough for the mystery to wear off ...... and, above all, if I ever hear the word god, I know it's a bunch of hokie nonsense. I was fortunate in having an epiphany when I was seven years old, sitting in the Assembly of God church in a small town in NH, I was suddenly struck with the knowledge that the whole god thang was a load of bunk. I have never had one doubt since, and has allowed me to see the world through a fairly uncommon perpective. I have since adolescence chosen two "gods"; science and "I don't know". My overlying philosophy is and has always been "fuck it". I am here to have fun and, to me, there is gracious joy in simply dancing with the wonder of it all ..... peace in all your hearts Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2000 Report Share Posted December 13, 2000 The saying " your best thinking got you here " comes to mind from what you just wrote, Wally. Apparently, it would be more accurate if they said your worst thinking, or your lack of thinking are what got you here. I agree that folks generally aren't too good at decision making when they find themselves in their first AA meeting or in treatment, etc. That explains why they continue with the charade. mystifried Hello All, .......... been out surfing and diggin' and completely mystified at the vacume of sites about this insidious cult. I am absolutely amazed, it being so obvious to me, that more people are not aware ....... Jeez, it appears the whole world is " stepping " off the deep end. I for one would never " get into " anything that I did not first research it's hystory , its practice and methods, some practical evidence of success, and any possible negative attributes ........ I don't care if it's a ceramics class or a game of " Go Fish " , I read first, talk to more than five people with experience, and as many without, just to ballence things out, and then I sit back and watch long enough for the mystery to wear off ...... and, above all, if I ever hear the word god, I know it's a bunch of hokie nonsense. I was fortunate in having an epiphany when I was seven years old, sitting in the Assembly of God church in a small town in NH, I was suddenly struck with the knowledge that the whole god thang was a load of bunk. I have never had one doubt since, and has allowed me to see the world through a fairly uncommon perpective. I have since adolescence chosen two " gods " ; science and " I don't know " . My overlying philosophy is and has always been " fuck it " . I am here to have fun and, to me, there is gracious joy in simply dancing with the wonder of it all ..... peace in all your hearts Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2000 Report Share Posted December 13, 2000 Hi Wally, and all others, I simply cannot imagine a state of mind where>you've been drinking a lot and you kind of lose track of what's going on...< I personally do not believe "alcoholism" is a disease so what gives ..... ? What happens in your brain, mind, soul, spirit, or body that this happens with a person? Sincerely curious, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2000 Report Share Posted December 13, 2000 Howdy Steve, I don't consider it a disease either. But I do believe that heavy drinking can become a very bad habit, and that different people react very differently to alcohol. What happened to me should not be too hard to imagine. I started having a couple of drinks after work every day, and gradually, over a period of 10 years when I was in my 20's, the amount I drank increased and my tolerance for alcohol increased. I drank to self-medicate for anxiety and depression, for relief from the day's tensions, to escape, to get some sleep -- for any number of reasons. Ultimate underlying reason, as the novelist Percy put it once: "Because life is boring and frustrating, whereas alcohol makes you feel good." (Or something like that.) I presume you've been drunk at least once, and woke up the next day with a hangover? Just imagine that the hangover is a *really* bad one, and that you know starting to drink will make you feel much better. Imagine being unable to think of any good reason not to start drinking again. (Imagine, if you will, a complete lack of imagination, a feeling of hopelessness, and an already alcohol-soaked brain.) Throw in another key factor: it's 20 years ago, and the concept of alcoholism as a disease is just about universally accepted, and you believe it, and you believe, even though you haven't gotten involved in AA yet, that you can't control your drinking. After this has gone on for a while, drinking perhaps a quart or two of hard liquor every day for a couple of months, one can indeed 'lose track of what's going on.' 'Blackouts' happen. Delerium tremens is not science fiction. Fortunately, this was all a long time ago for me. --wally Re: mystifried Hi Wally, and all others, I simply cannot imagine a state of mind where>you've been drinking a lot and you kind of lose track of what's going on...< I personally do not believe "alcoholism" is a disease so what gives ..... ? What happens in your brain, mind, soul, spirit, or body that this happens with a person? Sincerely curious, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.