system: You are Jay Loveless, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Recovery message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Tim Dill about "What's Wrong with AA?".

They wrote:
TD>>  Yes, and my opinion marks the ones who have recovered and now are
TD>>  really taking a long hard look at the _Wording_ that got them
TD>>  into recovery. An inventory of the organization that may get
TD>>  people sober.. but leaves them lacking in the way they do it.
TD>>  I support AA but not GSO nor the General Service Committee that
TD>>  wasted 7.2 million dollars of the 7th tradition without
TD>>  consulting the members...
TD>>  I support the local groups, I speak at meetings, I make Coffee
TD>>  at my Monday night step meeting...
TD>>  But I find that the Literature must change else the Great Program
TD>>  which got me sober will die...
TD>>  I never thought that once this would be anyone's reaction to this...
TD>>  I am sober/clean by the Goddess' power over 7 years now but
TD>>  it's time I seriously looked at the wording and the way
TD>>  the Books are written.
TD>>  In the NA twelve and twelve Character Defects are not mentioned until
TD>>  the 6th step... and ego deflation hardly at all... It looks at the 4th
TD>>  step as the most loving thing that you could do for yourself....
TD>>  There are 22 NEGATIVE references to the ego in the AA 12&12's 4th step
TD>>  alone.. I have not even begun to count the NEGATIVE ideas throughout
TD>>  the whole book. With this in mind, I dare say that with this NEGATIVE
TD>>  reference to us as human beings and one's negative attitude when one
TD>>  "Hits bottom" and see's the way (and I dare say the only way because
TD>>  AA won't publish any other) charts the course to recovery...
TD>>  one could think that they are in CATHOLIC school with all the
TD>>  attending sin and worthlessness and guilt associated with just
TD>>  being human and then see this is JUST a spiritual program?
TD>>  I don't think so....
TD>>  Therefore just for the newcomer we need to REVISE the 1939 Texts
TD>>  and the 1947 Texts to reflect the CURRENT membership...

Write your reply.

assistant: Hi Tim!
I've looked at the same wording for the last 15 years and need to tell you
that your opinion does not mark me.  If the Goddess grants me such Grace, on
April 19th this year, I will complete 16 years of sobriety, not one of which
would I have had without this program, just as it is.  I owe my life to AA.
Tough subject, but on this we agree.  I can not in good conscience reconcile
such expenditures with the concept of finances held to a "prudent reserve" :(
Yup!  Recovery takes place between people in meetings, NOT in fancy board
rooms at GSO.!
Rats! We were starting a roll....<G>
They work for me as they are written.  And I think that, again, *for me*,
initially the way they were written is precisely *why* they worked when
nothing else got through to me.
I have no experience with the NA program, but in my case, I would have used
up and spit out a program which acted overly concerned itself with my "self
esteem" with out first getting me to take an honest look at myself.
That's odd, I don't read it that way at all. For me, the denial and self
deception inherent in the disease required puching through, and I HAD to take
responsibilty, with no more cover ups for who and what I was, before I could
hope to recover.  But to me, the constant reassurances of the Big Book, the
clearly spelled out hope that there was a solution, and the honest self
respect (read "self esteem") I gained from facing my worst fears about myself
and my world are the greatest gift ever given me.
I don't believe human nature changes a whole lot, so I do not believe that
what worked best before is less good now.  This is only my own opinion, and
it applies ONLY to AA,since I have no first hand experience with other
programs.
ODAAT!
Jay