Re(2): Whatever Works Posted on June 1, 2022 at 00:51:05 AM by Friend Of Bill
As I said, “whatever works.” .
Regardless of how much you pay for it, only about 5% of all the recovery programs are successful. AA works as well as any of them, and it’s free.
I was fortunate to find a strong group, on the recommendation of a friend who had seen lots of people go through what I was going through. I’m sure you know, everyone you meet in AA will tell you to try a few different groups until you (hopefully) find one that suits you.
I think the reason AA worked for me was that when we passed the gavel and each person told his or her story I was surprised to hear that so many people had the same problem(s) as I did. In my time with AA, I saw MANY people come into the group and really improve. I figured if my life and my appearance improved HALF as much as theirs had, I had come a long way.
As for starting meetings by saying “My name is _____ and I’m a drunk,” it helped me remember that if I DID go back to drinking, I’d soon be back in as bad a shape as I had been before I dried out. Fact is, I had the misfortune of seeing my brother go back to drinking after years of being sober, and his life went back into the crapper.
My five minutes is up. Let me pass the gavel to the next person.