(note: this video was originally released in March 2011 as part of the “In Your Words” series. It has been re-formatted, re-titled and re-uploaded for greater accessibility to viewers relating to the issues of substance abuse and the relevance of Alcoholics Anonymous.) Does Alcoholics Anonymous provide help and hope to addicts, or is the constant reliance on a Higher Power a crutch to keep the addicted from finding true solutions. EllenBeth candidly shares her story.
congreats good for her
I love when AA people come on here and throw insults and call me a pot-stirrer!! If I had a dime for every time a religious or spiritual person wished an atheist to find peace and joy I would be the female Bill Gates.
@brettacombs what? react and respond such as you are doing? lmao. You seem not only to feel an urgent need to respond and counter my opinion but to post ad hominem attacks upon me and be an amateur diagnostician without having met or talked to me once.
@MyCatsareMyGods You are not answering a thing. You are a pot stirrer as evidenced by your many negative posts to what others are communicating. When one is secure in his/her own beliefs and views, he/she doesn’t need to react or respond to the opinions of others. How many minds have you changed by being combative and using profanity as you did in the private email you sent me? I hope you find peace and joy.
@MyCatsareMyGods Well who did u ask a Saint? Listen, i hear u on that “have to have God to get off the bottle”, stuff, I understand where ur coming from. But I know a Christian that came from AA, & he argued to a minister that it was AA, not God. So maybe all AA r not the same.
My minster would have jump all over those ppl. She as always said “God need no Advertisement”. meaning, PPl should force r per-sway ppl to believe in God. Wer not all the same. To bad u never seek the Real Christians
@brettacombs You think answering you constitutes harassment? Then you have more problems then poly addictions. I am entitled to freely post here as well.
@MyCatsareMyGods I’m entitled to post here freely with my personal convictions as many others have done so without harassment.
@brettacombs you have no personal experience with me. Worse- You don’t know the facts. So save your long- distance diagnostics. That is not only incredibly irresponsible; it is downright dangerous
@MyCatsareMyGods Uh, that would be my academic background and personal experience of dealing with my own (poly) addictions.
@XrisSmiles I always question to find answers. I am certainly not twisting the truth. Yes, I have “cleansed” myself of alcohol. What does that mean “being clean from being a liar” AA indoctrinates you into believing it is an absolute necessity to have a belief in god. That without it you are nothing and worthless. To survive, I did want I thought was expected of me. Is it something I am proud of? certainly not. But it got me through. When you are a flawless individual, then throw the stones
@brettacombs and you know this how?
The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic which separated religion from government. We are not a Christina Theocratic state as some of our citizenry misguidedly assume. I am proud to be free from religious tyranny, monarchy and slavery. Our founders were the most clever men and masters of the English language. Brilliant cunning and devilishly clever!
All this woman has done is switched seats on the titanic with her apparent need for marijuana. Addiction is addiction; it’s a system of dependency and thinking.
Sounds like to me, she questioned TO HERSELF, but she mentions nothing about outright questioning it to find ANSWERS. That like if ur in school & u dont understand, dont u think u should ask the teacher or someone else who does?
Im not one for Jewish religion, but WHO ever said ppl “not responsible” for what happens in their life? she is twisting the truth.
Ok, she might have cleansed her self of Alcohol, what about her being clean from being a liar?
Bad things happen…blame man not God..silly
@stabg289
“Like it or not this is a christian country”
“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion”
-Treaty of Tripoli, George Washington. Get your facts straight please.
Hmm , maybe it was you pre teen boozing that made your Jewish teachings unconceivable by your little mind.
Funny that you rejected your Jewishness but still became a lawyer anyway
You probably never know.
Now only if you could stop getting arrested in Florida for practicing law without a license
Fine, someone told your alcoholic ass that God was the way to sobriety.
So What? Just do it on your own without God. What’s the problem?
Atheist are nuts thats why. They seem to get very disturbed about other people’s beliefs and hearing them, but won’t shut up about what they believe.
Hello, just crawl into your godless hole and leave everyone else alone
lawyer ! figures
Then move to a muslim country and stop them from mixing religion with politics see how long you last .Like it or not this is a christian country if you dont like it move to a atheist country or communist country .
Depends on the group. Many are open to the group itself being the higher-power. Never heard the Lords prayer spoken at a meeting.
Myself and my wife have not drunk for 7 years, I tried but nether of us could get into AA or the twelve steps… we don’t go ourselves. I believe in the long run the agenda is religious of a sort, in the short run it was useful to be around people who were trying to be sober.
AA isnt a bad thing, there are many ignorant people. Its just like anything else
. I have learned to roll with it. AA gives me an opportunity to help others. I reach out to new people who cannot allign with the god thing. Just as there were people who did it for me.
I am a member of AA. I have nearly a decade sober. I get so sick and tired of hearing “I didnt do anything. God did it all for me” When they share about sobriety. I still cringe when they close the meeting with the lords prayer. I piss people off when I share that there is no invisible man in the sky. If I do that the meeting automatically turns into a god is real defense meeting. I have had people treat me like shit when I share that I got myself drunk, and I got myself sober.
@theHipstertoo
Google the 12 step program, step three is “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
@theHipstertoo I find that very bizarre. How can you possibly do the steps without believing in a fairy tale god? Most refer to a fairy tale god and demand you bow to it. You stayed sober because you wanted to. Explained.