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Religion and spirituality Journal;

Riders

Well-Known Member
However I went to AA about 10 days ago. I'm about to go again this week. Id like to go once or twice a week, the more I get out the better.

But for some reason I can not explain some folks in AA want to say don't socialize anywhere unless your in your 12 step program or at church because everyone who is not socializing like this is partying and participating in addiction behaviors, drinking doing drugs or having illicit sex.

But that's not the truth. Theres plenty of Yoga classes and fitness centers here in MEsquite, I use to go to 24 hour fitness, we also have community centers or recreation centers with fitness instruction and swimming in the summer. We also have a library with arts and crafts for adults and also job training classes.

We can also join a book club at the library hang at the library, we've got Town East Mall. We also have zen meditation and a budhist center and yoga classes out here, and a Muslim center. So The Christian church is not all we have to go worship at.

We also have role playing games which I know some of the people at AA say it's Satanic but I really think it's just to detour people from socializing outside of AA but there also a game center right out here that has board games too so that's no excuse and I've been to both so no addiction behaviors there no liquer or drugs.

Sometimes I think they really believe these things are not from God but sometimes I wonder if folks in AA are not just promoting AA and the church?
 

Riders

Well-Known Member
I imagine the answer to me from other AAers and OAers would be something like and I have heard this before, I sent all this time on overeating or drinking being obsessed with my addiction why should I not be spending every second on my recovery:

They could also say I need this much recovery, it's powerful being in recovery all the time.

The problem with those two things is it assumes no other activities help with recovery, and also sometimes if all you do is go to recovery it can become negative. Some get used to smoking and never quit smoking.

However, I can see where they could say that about playing games perhaps although they use to play board games at our AA group.

But some people like me are overweight and I'm about to start going to TOPS take off pounds sensibly. There are also a lot of fitness centers out here. Even if you are not fat developing a good fitness routine at a fitness center can help someone avoid drug and alcohol addiction just like it helps sex addicts. So that would be an activity plus weight loss support for some, and also Yoga is the same way can uplift you and help with mental health and addictions.

Also, art is uplifting the library has arts and crafts for adults reading is uplifting, my Mom spent quite a lot of time at the library and joined a mystery book club.

Also, there is a Mesquite Arts Center, I have only been there once but want to g back. They have art exibits and choir concerts classical music.


It is all uplifting to the soul. Of course there are meditation groups as well too. They are also uplifting. So there are plenty of activities that can inspire recovery healthily without going to AA. Or church.
 

Riders

Well-Known Member
But anyways maybe I've written too much on this.I am wrong about a few things.
First place going to 3 meetings a day and doing nothing but their program everyday: In the beginning first 3 or 4 years or so some people yes have to do that.

However, I go to meeting every night on the phone just about. But SAA has the 3 circles we use for abstinance, outer circle is any activity you can do without losing you sobriety.

It helps to do outer circle activities because it keeps your mind off of your addiction. I can be like activity to practice the program such as going to meetings or calling people for support: Or it can be going to church or going to a play, anything that can keep you busy.

There some n the program who extreme too and in every group's there are overzealous zealots.

However my Mom has a saying about this,she use to have the idea of outer circle activity but she didn't know it.

What she use to say, a woman me and her knew for a long time came into a meeting when my Mom was in the hospital.

She said there were too many people in AA who did not resonate with MS Mary's position in this. She use to say if you're bored with life, if you've got too many feelings sad depressed need moreL Get up do your dishes or rake your yard and you feel better. She also doing other activities, anything that keeps you busy and your mind off of your addiction and your own problem is good and therapuetical,


So even though many people try to go two or 3 meetings a day that but that last 3 or 4 hours a day, so if spending al your time at home doing thing but the program it's not heathy. There are some people including a few I have heard put the program before thair family,getting divorced because your spouse can not relate to you anymore spending every minute in the program.

But My mom unbenost to some in her group did a lot of activities outside of the program as well. She use to get out go look at books at the library and sometimes shed fill in for volunteers and do storytime with the kids. She was also a member of a mystery book club.

She read a lot went to Half Price books and Paperbacks club, I went shopping with her quite a bit for books.

She also liked to go to my sisters who is a piano teach shed go watch recitals at her house and got to know the parent of her kids.
We watched mystery movies together and read the same book together.
So yea she went to AA either everyday or every other day she had activities in her lie that were not centered around recovery all the time.


But after she first got into the program she went and stayed in a halfway house for a year.That was good for her in the beginning.

So I think it is actually a positive thing for folks to be every dependant on their program.But I am mostly speaking for folks whom after 10 or more years cant make it through a day without going to 3 meetings a day and being dependent on working the program all day every day. They are too dependent.

So it's different for everyone, but if your leaving your spouse out of your recovery you can run your marriage,

Nut so in the end I am obese 295 pounds, I'm not the one who the addicts should follow. I have messed up alot.

So anyone reading this should not take my word for any of this. So, for now, I will say I was off base for
last couple of posts, but like I said I thnk n terms of what my Mom said, pick up activities that keep you busy.
 

Riders

Well-Known Member
Ok so I went a bit far in the past few posts. However, there is a question that could be debated about on addiction.AA claims alcoholism and addiction is a disease that can not be cured you can only learn how to live with it.

But Christianized groups like celebrate REcovery claim you can be recovered get victory over it so they might introduce themselves at a meeting Hi my name is Elizabeth and I'm recovered alcoholic, while secular AA claims I'm a recovering alcoholic.

The thing is at my SAA nightly meetings we claim we keep the topic on recovery and the solution not the problem.

So that means if we're going on about a great time I had having recreational sex and missing my old party days is going on about I am such a sicko Sex addict I'm just a sick.I have honestly heard alcoholics in AA when I came n the room, to socialize heard one or more saying Oh I'm just an old drunko , and then tell a dirty joke or I remember the day when got drunk outside of such and such bars........I'm a sicko getting recovery, and the person has 5 years of sobriety. Many of them gave other addictions like gambling sex smoking eating and never get sobriety or change anything else.


So the question, is are Christian groups right to use the recovered and take a stand about never getting over your addiction? Is it a disease you can't get rid of?

I am not Christian so I would not go ton those groups anyways but I see where they're coming from. My friend Jay says there's a difference between physical sobriety and, I'm not sure if its emotional sobriety or spiritual maybe emotional. it just means you can have physical sobriety and still be mentally and emotionally tuck in your addiction.

I would like to think most people in AA are not like that. However they use to say only 5 percent of folks in AA got long term sobriety, it may be 8 or 10 percent now, i think it went up a tiny bit.

But maybe the reason is that there are too many folks drowning mentally i recovery from obsession on their addiction.

On the other hand Dr Bob said it took him two years of being off of alcohol to the obsession for it out of his mind. He use to think about the hiding places he left his liquer in and going into a bar then walking out.

So maybe it is reasonable that it may take a few years for the lust to drain away from the addiction and not lust after it.

It is hard for me to get on the internet and respond to a man in email and not want to hook up, so it may take me a few years.

But I sympathize with the Christian recovery groups, 4 years from now I would like to be ina spiritual group spending more time in spirituality then thinking about romance and sex.Maybe going to the Buddhist Temple I found not long ago would help me with that.

Anyways i could go on and on, but I may bring it up in new debate thread, the topic of is addiction a disease that can not be cured? If anyone wants to respond here ok.
 
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