Hello, my name is Christopher and I am an Alcoholic…

[WCGreen]

The newest post to my Lung Transplant Blog....

These are the words I wanted to say some 26 years ago now, the intro to my lead, in front of my Alcoholics Anonymous “home group”, which, unfortunately, is still to be determined. Even though I was sober, I still could not commit. And even though I was invited several times to join a group and give a lead, basically airing out your trials and tribulations concerning your abuse of alcohol in front of said group, I always said I wasn’t ready.

Now there are a whole lot of reasons why I could, or rather should not do a lead, but the main reason was that I just did not believe in God the way the people in the groups that I attended did. I was raised a Catholic and the Western suburbs of Cleveland, where I grew up and still live, and it is chock full of Catholics. So it should have been a natural fit, a piece of cake.

But since I was summarily dismissed from catechism classes for questioning the tenants of “our” faith and I had made a conscious effort to put all that God stuff behind me before I got my driver’s license, it could have been a little awkward.


https://mylungtransplantyears.wordpress.com/about/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. A fascinating read!

Thank you for taking us on your journey.

Recommended.

[Crazy Dave]

2. AA was never for me but I would never discourage anyone from it

What some people used to say...if standing on your head is the only thing that will keep you from drinking then stand on your head.

[WCGreen]

3. I highly recommend AA...

It just wasn't for me...

[Warpy]

4. I asked an atheist friend in AA how he dealt with the god stuff

He told me his G.O.D. was his Gang of Drunks, that they were the ones who showed him how to get sober and stay sober and how to cope with life sober.

He's dead now, but he was proud until the end to be sober.

[WCGreen]

5. I will get into that more when I write out the Lead that I never gave...

It helped me to have some place to go, someone to talk too...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. I started going to AA in 1974 as an agnostic. I'm still sober and still an agnostic.

AA is one of those outfits where you take what you need and leave the rest.

[WCGreen]

7. I do get into that further into the post on the blog...

But it was an ordeal to deal with some of the folks.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Getting sober doesn't prevent some people from still being assholes.

They just don't slur as much when shooting their mouths off and demanding that people do things their way. AA undoubtedly saved my life but I never felt that I had to buy into all of it or follow orders those who made it the be all and end all of their lives.

[WCGreen]

9. It can be a little much but it really is better than the alternative...

[VermeerLives]

10. Beautiful, Christopher!

Thank you for sharing this and for being so transparent. I'm sure my husband could relate to much of what you say. He is a recovering alcoholic (29 years now), having ended his love affair with alcohol when he was 24 years old and in the Navy. He knows he would not be here if he had continued in that destructive path. He has really "internalized" the AA steps; AA is a significant factor in his sobriety.

My husband was at a place where he was "disappointed" with God, although he always believed in God. He is Native American, adopted when he was two (his brother also) and believes he was given alcohol when he was an infant. Abuse in childhood and the trauma from Vietnam (he is a vet) still haunt him to this day. But I must say he is one of the most forgiving people I have ever met.

Continue on, dear friend. I'm sure you are an inspiration to others.

[WCGreen]

12. What i missed most was that I could never give a lead....

I am working on it now and will post my lead next week or over the weekend...

I still go to meetings occasionally.

But sobriety has become such a part of my life that is my life.

[Old Codger]

11. Didn't read the link

BUT AA does not push a religious god, their premise is for belief in a higher power of your choice, makes no difference at all what that is.... Lot of people come up with the god thing and an inability to accept god as their higher power and end up failing in their attempt to get clean and sober.... it is not necessary, take it from an atheist with 26 years clean and sober through AA it works if you will work it.

[WCGreen]

13. I wish you would have read the link because I too have 26 years of

sobriety..

I think it is all about where you are as to how much god is injected into the mix. On the west side of Cleveland the higher power was most definitely the christian god.

[Old Codger]

14. California

Congrats on your sobriety.


I was in Cal. at the time and there were a couple of groups that used the religious aspect and that seemed to work for them but most did not and higher percentage of successes. Mainly what I saw was people using that as an excuse. Mainly they were just not ready yet and any excuse worked for them.

[WCGreen]

15. That makes a lot of sense....

It was also the start here, at least, of offenders being sentenced to AA meetings if they were busted for DUI.

I went on my own, soldiered through it all and came out sober.