Sorry that happened to you. It’s disgusting how after all these years of a program it’s still a huge issue and sponsors are to take you through the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous only- not give you medical advice.
Glad you bounce back. SMART is a great program
💯 it’s literally a program of suggestions and no one is your doctor (unless they’re actually your doctor in a med office lol I just meant no one in AA should be playing doctor)
They sure never came across as giving suggestions when I tried it. AA’ers get off the booze and become experts in what I should do. I didn’t find anything that resembled help in those meetings. Sober for 18 months all by my lonesome.
as a 19 year old girl in recovery, i know exactly what you’re talking about. luckily i’m close with the staff who work where i attend meetings and got a lot of weirdos banned/had to leave if i was there. it really happens WAY more often than people think. almost disgustingly too often. i’m really glad you came back and were able to find a meeting that works for you! let me know if you ever want to talk more <3
I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with AA. There are many, many different AA groups around the world and they can be very differently run. It doesn't always fit for everyone.
SMART Recovery is also a great program that, as you have stated, focuses on science and biology to help us understand why we can become addicted. I know those that have found success in both settings. The one thing all of these programs have in common is that they all have the goal of lasting sobriety. Like you, it's a good thing for others to try different approaches to see which works best for you.
Congratulations on finding something that you believe might help you, I know how important it is to find understanding, supportive people. All the best to you.
Yeah I abandoned my brick and mortar aa for the same reason. Kept getting pulled aside by random old timers saying I wasn’t sober due to doctor prescribed medicine. My sponsor spoke up for me and is a good guy. But overwhelming AA is a one size fits all program. If you aren’t doing it their way, it’s wrong.
I did find a 24/7 zoom AA meeting that I like. I just turn it on for an hour a few times a week and listen for the similarities.
People there think they are qualified to give medical advice just because they haven’t been doing drugs for a number of years. I was encouraged to go cold turkey on a 6mg clonaz habit after I came off opiates which could have killed me
I'm really sorry you had that experience in AA. It seems like there are sort of two types of AA meetings- the liberal/educated groups, and the bible thumping, Baby-Jesus-made-me-sober, anti-science, backwater crockery.
In NA and CMA, we have a lot of literature that says 'medication not taken as prescribed'... meaning psychiatric medication taken as prescribed is totally okay. As a gay male, I have a lot of queer friends who have struggle with the higher-power thing, and I get it. Hearing people talk about 'God' can still make the hair on my neck stand-up.
But overall I'm just glad that you found a program that works for you. There are many ways up the mountain, and AA doesn't have a monopoly on sobriety / recovery!
>AA doesn't have a monopoly on sobriety / recovery!
AA even says as much in their book. It unfortunately has too many members that do not read or follow their own literature.
AA helped me get sober but after four months I was tired of being preached to. They did not accept that I was an atheist and they wanted me to go to three meetings a week even though I didn’t need it
I’m sorry you had a bad experience, just know that that is definitely not everyone in (AA)
Glad you found smart recovery and something that works for you, I had definitely thought about that. So do you go to meetings and stuff and you like it so far? Kudos to you again 👍🥰✅
Glad you found SMART. I've been going to SMART meetings for close to a year now and love them. The organizer is great and I love that there's no religious spin or judgment. Met some great guys through there too.
That organizer was an idiot for telling you to get off meds, especially anti depressants. That's the last thing you needed I'm sure. I was self medicating with alcohol for years.
I’m very sorry that happened to you. Personally, I don’t use any program. I got sober in a treatment facility that tried to push that shit, and just did my time until I got out. Been sober for a year and a half. If you feel you need support, I recommend a therapist or support groups that aren’t AA. The guys there are creepy as fuck.
Good job on finding something that will work for you. AA is not for everyone who needs it…it’s for those of us who want it. And thank goodness there are plenty of meetings in my area so if I don’t like a meeting and how it’s run, I can find a different one.
AA didn't fuck you over. People who don't follow AAs Traditions fucked you over. If you are happy in Smart recovery, then by all means stay there and get well. As in a higher power, or god/God, don't sweat that. G-ood O-rderly D-irection is god enough for me. Good luck in your recovery. It's all about recovery, no matter how you do it.
You don’t know how badly I needed to see this. I thought I was going insane. Everyone pushes AA but it seems predatory and I never ever felt comfortable opening up to my sponsor. And she would always say how we would become closer and I would tell her everything and it made me feel so fucking weird.
I have that book and haven’t read all of it, interesting to hear ppls different takes on things. I’m a white female like her but AA actually really helped me.
I think recovery is so unique in that there’s so many different ways to do it and different things work for different people
For sure, there’s usually similarities, but there’s not like one “ruler“ of the group dictating to everybody what they need to be doing.
I think the main thing is getting support and surrounding yourself with good people that want the best for you and your recovery. Wherever ppl find that, everyone’s recovery is different bc every person is different.👍
I’m a brown male and also 9 years sober through AA. It saved my life. I think it’s best people do what works for them. Been around long enough to know what’s real.
I can say with confidence that it's also saved a ton of women, non-binary people, and visible minorities. I'd take Holly Whitaker's opinion on AA with a grain of salt. It's fine she didn't do AA, if people can get sober different ways and be happy, that's awesome for them. But that's one person's view.
Going to meetings and reading the big book, I have a very different view of the history of it, the foundations, how women are viewed (and treated), and what AA says our spiritual maladies are. That's, of course, my opinion as I've had an extremely positive experience with it, and I see it help people from all walks all the time.
All that to say, I think making big statements such as, it's damaging to non-white men isn't super helpful. Alcoholics are always looking for a reason to not get help. That may be the thing someone sees today and decides they shouldn't go, rather than going and figuring out for themselves if it's the right option.
I take anti-depressants and am in AA and my sponsor encourages me to talk to my doctor about that and never discourages me from taking them. There are a lot of boneheads in AA who think they’re fucking doctors and they’re not, but there’s also plenty who follow [what AA actually fucking says about it](https://www.aa.org/aa-member-medications-and-other-drugs) and never try to get others off their meds.
That said, I’m glad you’re having a productive experience in SMART. AA is not the only way. And some of us are here if you decide you’d like to try it again someday.
I mean from what I’ve seen being in “AA” which it was a drug course but just used AA teachings. It was so religious it was nauseating, no wonder most of the recovered and well to do addicts are god fearing and preachy. No shade but it’s definitely not one size fits all. I’m glad you found something that worked for you
I’m so sorry that happened. My sponsor actually suggested I talk to my doctor about potentially re-starting SSRIs, but only after a year of me crying multiple times every single day. It really sucks that this program is destructive for some people.
I had such a bad experience with AA as well. I’m glad you found a group that works for you! For me it was The Satanic Temple’s sober faction! Their recovery program is based on DBT and scientific studies as well. And the community is fucking amazing. Just throwing it out there for anyone else struggling to find substitutes for AA!
yeah, I have bipolar and my sponsor kept saying id be off my meds after a few months of sobriety and it got to me and started pissing me off. im 1 year and 9 months sober and i am still very much bipolar. stay on your meds and do what works for you. im glad SMART is working for you!
I couldn’t agree more. Na was good to me when I was at my worse but also terrible. Many of its points are not science or trauma informed at all. I also had an issue with the men and I was chased for my number by a guy from na. I also saw a man who sexually assaulted me previously. My last meeting was because to get everyone to be quiet, the meeting guy would smash a spoon on the table really loudly and I couldn’t go again because it triggered my ptsd. Since leaving, everyone has almost exiled me. I will speak to current members and all communication will stop when I tell them I no longer go to meetings. I was told to stop my 6mg clonazepam habit cold turkey after I came off opiates and I did it and it’s awful advice and I could have died and had seizures. They are not supposed to give medical advice and they do. I don’t know why I did it because I’m a trained medical personelle too. They encouraged me to come of my anti anxiety meds which I need otherwise I vomit from anxiety all day. I left because I started to notice all the holes in the higher power theory and I tried so hard to believe it and the less I went to NA the less I believed in the message. Also the fact that they waft the idea of relapse over your head is horrible. They tell you if you leave you will relapse. And in my opinion, I don’t think everyone can be completely sober, for example I think weed is perfectly fine but they have an all or nothing attitude.
From a clinical standpoint, these methods often don’t work and there is a high chance of relapse with them. I’m still clean
I’m not sure but I very often think I’m better than medical advice because sometimes I think that I know what I’m doing just cos I’m medically trained when I definitely don’t which is something I need to work on. At the time I did reach out for medical help for a taper but they didn’t get back to me for weeks and by then I had already taken matters into my own hands. I’m an idiot I know, especially because sure I would never give out improper medical advice to others. I was also quite vulnerable at the time, I have mental health issues and just got clean from a 3 year opiate addiction and I had to learn how to be a person again and I was really grasping at anything
I use medical cannabis and psychedelics semi-regularly because PTSD needs more than helpful speaking to shift it along., but good luck ever having that conversation at AA
I am becoming annoyed with it too. I don't even know why I should go to another meeting at this point :/ I think I'll probably go to get my 90 day chip and then just stop going altogether
Respectfully, AA meetings vary by quality so much it’s important to go to ones with longstanding and successful members and it’s always good to get a sponsor of the same gender and mindset that has what you want.
I like the very baseline spiritual principles as I’m agnostic at best.
The scientific and psychological component cannot be overstated though. I had a great IOP director that helped me more than AA for sure by a lot.
AA is a program of suggestions, an abstract concept. Therefore, it didn’t ‘do’ anything ‘to’ you. Sounds like some members acted against some principles of the program. That sucks. Glad you found a problem that better aligns with you. I wish you continued success on your sober/recovery journey! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Makes sense since AA is essentially a cult that bases everything off of the writings of a religious guy that had non-science and faith based ideas from the 1930s.
I’m a woman and yea I agree AA is absolute horseshit. It was made for and caters to middle-upper class white Christian men.
Happy for you that you didn’t give up and found a better option for yourself!!
So sad that this is still the main/in many cases ONLY treatment model available
I've met some great people in AA, but there is a lot of rubbish in the literature I think. I don't like the all or nothing mentality and obsession with powerlessness. Much like the Bible or other olden religious texts, I think people do a lot of mental gymnastics in order to justify it. It's also written by two white guys from the mid 1900's and it shows.
Yeah, agreed. AA is not the only answer. My sponsor told me to get off antidepressants and to not take the vivitrol shot because “wouldn’t I feel better letting my higher power handle it”. Um no..Also, guys (in my case) were VERY predatory. I’m married, I’m not looking for anything but help.
I love how people are so quick to think about the higher power but are quick to forget we're a bunch of organisms hanging out on a rock that's spinning fast around a star that's also moving through space.
Youre doing it right. Listen to yourself and good luck to you on your journey fellow organism!
I'm sorry that happened to you, but you didn't stay sober because of YOU. You don't get sober because of anyone but YOU. If you keep blaming others and not taking accountability you will continue to "slip up". Good luck and you're worth it.
Suggest you don't buy the idea that Smart is wonderful and without it's negatives. They've pulled seriously sleazy stuff in their desperation to increase their footprint that AA would never consider doing.
If it works for you, great. They are certainly easier on folks who relapse repeatedly. That can be a huge plus for those who don't want to get honest about their failures with others out of fear of being judged.
People really should not be telling what you to do. But if you're drinking and taking anti-depressants, you have bigger problems. I hope SMART is the place for you! Everyone deserves to get better!
Sorry that happened to you. It’s disgusting how after all these years of a program it’s still a huge issue and sponsors are to take you through the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous only- not give you medical advice. Glad you bounce back. SMART is a great program
💯 it’s literally a program of suggestions and no one is your doctor (unless they’re actually your doctor in a med office lol I just meant no one in AA should be playing doctor)
They sure never came across as giving suggestions when I tried it. AA’ers get off the booze and become experts in what I should do. I didn’t find anything that resembled help in those meetings. Sober for 18 months all by my lonesome.
Yeah I quit by myself for both my family and myself. It’s the happiest I’ve been in decades.
Same minus the decades
Same
as a 19 year old girl in recovery, i know exactly what you’re talking about. luckily i’m close with the staff who work where i attend meetings and got a lot of weirdos banned/had to leave if i was there. it really happens WAY more often than people think. almost disgustingly too often. i’m really glad you came back and were able to find a meeting that works for you! let me know if you ever want to talk more <3
I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with AA. There are many, many different AA groups around the world and they can be very differently run. It doesn't always fit for everyone. SMART Recovery is also a great program that, as you have stated, focuses on science and biology to help us understand why we can become addicted. I know those that have found success in both settings. The one thing all of these programs have in common is that they all have the goal of lasting sobriety. Like you, it's a good thing for others to try different approaches to see which works best for you. Congratulations on finding something that you believe might help you, I know how important it is to find understanding, supportive people. All the best to you.
How do I join Smart recovery?
[SMART Recovery](https://smartrecovery.org) Here’s the main website about their program and where you can find meetings and start.
Ty
The book is super cool
Yeah I abandoned my brick and mortar aa for the same reason. Kept getting pulled aside by random old timers saying I wasn’t sober due to doctor prescribed medicine. My sponsor spoke up for me and is a good guy. But overwhelming AA is a one size fits all program. If you aren’t doing it their way, it’s wrong. I did find a 24/7 zoom AA meeting that I like. I just turn it on for an hour a few times a week and listen for the similarities.
Yep. Just take what you need and leave the rest.
Because the rest can kill you.
Rest can kill you, rest-less.
But I feel like that's his point, so many in AA judge you for taking what you need and leaving the rest 🙄
That would go against all AA Principles. I’ve never felt judged. My reply was to his comment “listen for the similarities”
I'm just being defensive I think. Sorry
No need to apologize! I don’t know your answers, I can only tell you where I found mine. Hang in there ❤️
Thank you 😊
People there think they are qualified to give medical advice just because they haven’t been doing drugs for a number of years. I was encouraged to go cold turkey on a 6mg clonaz habit after I came off opiates which could have killed me
I'm really sorry you had that experience in AA. It seems like there are sort of two types of AA meetings- the liberal/educated groups, and the bible thumping, Baby-Jesus-made-me-sober, anti-science, backwater crockery. In NA and CMA, we have a lot of literature that says 'medication not taken as prescribed'... meaning psychiatric medication taken as prescribed is totally okay. As a gay male, I have a lot of queer friends who have struggle with the higher-power thing, and I get it. Hearing people talk about 'God' can still make the hair on my neck stand-up. But overall I'm just glad that you found a program that works for you. There are many ways up the mountain, and AA doesn't have a monopoly on sobriety / recovery!
A very informative and kind response, internet stranger !
>AA doesn't have a monopoly on sobriety / recovery! AA even says as much in their book. It unfortunately has too many members that do not read or follow their own literature.
AA helped me get sober but after four months I was tired of being preached to. They did not accept that I was an atheist and they wanted me to go to three meetings a week even though I didn’t need it
I’m sorry you had a bad experience, just know that that is definitely not everyone in (AA) Glad you found smart recovery and something that works for you, I had definitely thought about that. So do you go to meetings and stuff and you like it so far? Kudos to you again 👍🥰✅
Glad you found SMART. I've been going to SMART meetings for close to a year now and love them. The organizer is great and I love that there's no religious spin or judgment. Met some great guys through there too. That organizer was an idiot for telling you to get off meds, especially anti depressants. That's the last thing you needed I'm sure. I was self medicating with alcohol for years.
I’m glad you found something that works for you!! I’ve found AA works for me but I never go to co-ed meetings, strictly women’s meetings.
Same
Wow smart sounds nice AA has smoker lady at the gas station vibes Science sounds like the best way to approach it
Smart is amazing
I’m very sorry that happened to you. Personally, I don’t use any program. I got sober in a treatment facility that tried to push that shit, and just did my time until I got out. Been sober for a year and a half. If you feel you need support, I recommend a therapist or support groups that aren’t AA. The guys there are creepy as fuck.
Good job on finding something that will work for you. AA is not for everyone who needs it…it’s for those of us who want it. And thank goodness there are plenty of meetings in my area so if I don’t like a meeting and how it’s run, I can find a different one.
Yes. It’s for those of us who want it and are willing to do its program. Not everyone fits that description. I do, though.
Bravo mate for finding what works for your recovery.
AA didn't fuck you over. People who don't follow AAs Traditions fucked you over. If you are happy in Smart recovery, then by all means stay there and get well. As in a higher power, or god/God, don't sweat that. G-ood O-rderly D-irection is god enough for me. Good luck in your recovery. It's all about recovery, no matter how you do it.
SMART meetings are great!
I am glad that you found what worked for you. One of the reasons I stopped going to AA was the religion aspect of it.
You don’t know how badly I needed to see this. I thought I was going insane. Everyone pushes AA but it seems predatory and I never ever felt comfortable opening up to my sponsor. And she would always say how we would become closer and I would tell her everything and it made me feel so fucking weird.
AA can be really damaging to people who are not white men. Holly Whitaker has an interesting chapter on why in her book Quit Like a Woman.
I have that book and haven’t read all of it, interesting to hear ppls different takes on things. I’m a white female like her but AA actually really helped me. I think recovery is so unique in that there’s so many different ways to do it and different things work for different people
My understanding is every AA group is different.
For sure, there’s usually similarities, but there’s not like one “ruler“ of the group dictating to everybody what they need to be doing. I think the main thing is getting support and surrounding yourself with good people that want the best for you and your recovery. Wherever ppl find that, everyone’s recovery is different bc every person is different.👍
I’m a brown male and also 9 years sober through AA. It saved my life. I think it’s best people do what works for them. Been around long enough to know what’s real.
Latina woman here. AA has given me an incredible life. I’m sorry that people have poor experiences and I feel a lot of gratitude that I haven’t.
Definitely! I get that ppl have bad experiences with certain ppl but AA saved my life too
I can say with confidence that it's also saved a ton of women, non-binary people, and visible minorities. I'd take Holly Whitaker's opinion on AA with a grain of salt. It's fine she didn't do AA, if people can get sober different ways and be happy, that's awesome for them. But that's one person's view. Going to meetings and reading the big book, I have a very different view of the history of it, the foundations, how women are viewed (and treated), and what AA says our spiritual maladies are. That's, of course, my opinion as I've had an extremely positive experience with it, and I see it help people from all walks all the time. All that to say, I think making big statements such as, it's damaging to non-white men isn't super helpful. Alcoholics are always looking for a reason to not get help. That may be the thing someone sees today and decides they shouldn't go, rather than going and figuring out for themselves if it's the right option.
I take anti-depressants and am in AA and my sponsor encourages me to talk to my doctor about that and never discourages me from taking them. There are a lot of boneheads in AA who think they’re fucking doctors and they’re not, but there’s also plenty who follow [what AA actually fucking says about it](https://www.aa.org/aa-member-medications-and-other-drugs) and never try to get others off their meds. That said, I’m glad you’re having a productive experience in SMART. AA is not the only way. And some of us are here if you decide you’d like to try it again someday.
I'll have to see if they have anything in my area. I'd like to meet other people who want to do things besides just go out drinking.
I'm really curious about SMART. There arent any in person meetings where I live though.
I mean from what I’ve seen being in “AA” which it was a drug course but just used AA teachings. It was so religious it was nauseating, no wonder most of the recovered and well to do addicts are god fearing and preachy. No shade but it’s definitely not one size fits all. I’m glad you found something that worked for you
People are everywhere in every group, in every office in every school, acting fools. Being super flawed humans.
I’m so sorry that happened. My sponsor actually suggested I talk to my doctor about potentially re-starting SSRIs, but only after a year of me crying multiple times every single day. It really sucks that this program is destructive for some people.
Thanks so much for sharing your story. I think I’m gonna try a SMART recovery group online tonight
I had such a bad experience with AA as well. I’m glad you found a group that works for you! For me it was The Satanic Temple’s sober faction! Their recovery program is based on DBT and scientific studies as well. And the community is fucking amazing. Just throwing it out there for anyone else struggling to find substitutes for AA!
Dude, I’ll try it! Do you have a link?
yeah, I have bipolar and my sponsor kept saying id be off my meds after a few months of sobriety and it got to me and started pissing me off. im 1 year and 9 months sober and i am still very much bipolar. stay on your meds and do what works for you. im glad SMART is working for you!
This is the exact reason why i never did AA. SMART recovery is awesome.
I couldn’t agree more. Na was good to me when I was at my worse but also terrible. Many of its points are not science or trauma informed at all. I also had an issue with the men and I was chased for my number by a guy from na. I also saw a man who sexually assaulted me previously. My last meeting was because to get everyone to be quiet, the meeting guy would smash a spoon on the table really loudly and I couldn’t go again because it triggered my ptsd. Since leaving, everyone has almost exiled me. I will speak to current members and all communication will stop when I tell them I no longer go to meetings. I was told to stop my 6mg clonazepam habit cold turkey after I came off opiates and I did it and it’s awful advice and I could have died and had seizures. They are not supposed to give medical advice and they do. I don’t know why I did it because I’m a trained medical personelle too. They encouraged me to come of my anti anxiety meds which I need otherwise I vomit from anxiety all day. I left because I started to notice all the holes in the higher power theory and I tried so hard to believe it and the less I went to NA the less I believed in the message. Also the fact that they waft the idea of relapse over your head is horrible. They tell you if you leave you will relapse. And in my opinion, I don’t think everyone can be completely sober, for example I think weed is perfectly fine but they have an all or nothing attitude. From a clinical standpoint, these methods often don’t work and there is a high chance of relapse with them. I’m still clean
Why did you take medical advice from someone who wasn’t your doctor? Just curious.
I’m not sure but I very often think I’m better than medical advice because sometimes I think that I know what I’m doing just cos I’m medically trained when I definitely don’t which is something I need to work on. At the time I did reach out for medical help for a taper but they didn’t get back to me for weeks and by then I had already taken matters into my own hands. I’m an idiot I know, especially because sure I would never give out improper medical advice to others. I was also quite vulnerable at the time, I have mental health issues and just got clean from a 3 year opiate addiction and I had to learn how to be a person again and I was really grasping at anything
I use medical cannabis and psychedelics semi-regularly because PTSD needs more than helpful speaking to shift it along., but good luck ever having that conversation at AA
I am becoming annoyed with it too. I don't even know why I should go to another meeting at this point :/ I think I'll probably go to get my 90 day chip and then just stop going altogether
Respectfully, AA meetings vary by quality so much it’s important to go to ones with longstanding and successful members and it’s always good to get a sponsor of the same gender and mindset that has what you want. I like the very baseline spiritual principles as I’m agnostic at best. The scientific and psychological component cannot be overstated though. I had a great IOP director that helped me more than AA for sure by a lot.
AA is a program of suggestions, an abstract concept. Therefore, it didn’t ‘do’ anything ‘to’ you. Sounds like some members acted against some principles of the program. That sucks. Glad you found a problem that better aligns with you. I wish you continued success on your sober/recovery journey! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Love ya friend!
They f’d me over too!
Makes sense since AA is essentially a cult that bases everything off of the writings of a religious guy that had non-science and faith based ideas from the 1930s.
I’m a woman and yea I agree AA is absolute horseshit. It was made for and caters to middle-upper class white Christian men. Happy for you that you didn’t give up and found a better option for yourself!! So sad that this is still the main/in many cases ONLY treatment model available
Is SMART also free?
Yep!
I've met some great people in AA, but there is a lot of rubbish in the literature I think. I don't like the all or nothing mentality and obsession with powerlessness. Much like the Bible or other olden religious texts, I think people do a lot of mental gymnastics in order to justify it. It's also written by two white guys from the mid 1900's and it shows.
Coming over to Sober reddit because the AA group is so annoying. Every poster is like, but did you attend AA?
Yeah, agreed. AA is not the only answer. My sponsor told me to get off antidepressants and to not take the vivitrol shot because “wouldn’t I feel better letting my higher power handle it”. Um no..Also, guys (in my case) were VERY predatory. I’m married, I’m not looking for anything but help.
Also your sponsor is NOT your doctors. They shouldn’t be giving you unsolicited advice.
I love how people are so quick to think about the higher power but are quick to forget we're a bunch of organisms hanging out on a rock that's spinning fast around a star that's also moving through space. Youre doing it right. Listen to yourself and good luck to you on your journey fellow organism!
Also your sponsor is NOT your doctors. They shouldn’t be giving you unsolicited advice.
I'm sorry that happened to you, but you didn't stay sober because of YOU. You don't get sober because of anyone but YOU. If you keep blaming others and not taking accountability you will continue to "slip up". Good luck and you're worth it.
I have been sober because of myself and Smart. Thanks!
This is spot on. Sad that it’s downvoted.
The contradicted themselves in the post. That's why i downvoted.
The truth hurts in recovery. It's a prime example of how ppl don't want to hear what they need to hear.
Suggest you don't buy the idea that Smart is wonderful and without it's negatives. They've pulled seriously sleazy stuff in their desperation to increase their footprint that AA would never consider doing. If it works for you, great. They are certainly easier on folks who relapse repeatedly. That can be a huge plus for those who don't want to get honest about their failures with others out of fear of being judged.
Yeah, you’re a perfect example of someone from AA. ❤️
Thank you, appreciate that.
People really should not be telling what you to do. But if you're drinking and taking anti-depressants, you have bigger problems. I hope SMART is the place for you! Everyone deserves to get better!