I wasn’t sure what other topic to post this to, so forgive me if it’s misplaced.
I’ve been a member of AA for three years now and a Catholic for a little over two. As I grow more and more in my Catholic faith, I’m starting to have some misgivings about AA. Although I realized that 12-step programs are largely accepted by many Catholics as consistent with Church teaching, I have some major issues that I just can’t seem to get around. I was wondering what other people’s thoughts were.
- AA encourages people to seek a God of their understanding. We are to pray to a higher power, but get to choose what higher power to pray to. If people don’t like the idea of a higher power, they are told that a doorknob or a chair is acceptable (I’m not joking), or to use G.O.D. standing for “group of drunks” or “good orderly direction” as a higher power. The Big Book itself (the text for AA) says we accept people on the broad road to make things easy. However, this philosophy seems to say that ANY belief in God is equally valid, which explicitly contradicts the words of our Lord that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that none come to the Father except for Him. Christ also tells us that the way is narrow and the path is hard. As a member of AA, I am supposed to reach out to newcomers and introduce them to AA philosophy, sometimes in the role of a personal “sponsor.” I do not feel comfortable telling people that any God is valid and exhorting them to form their own image of God or to even commit the idolatrous act of praying to an object or putting a group of people above them as a higher power.
- Although not explicitly stated, any reference to Christianity or Jesus, even in sharing one’s own experiences is discouraged in meetings because we don’t want to “scare off” newcomers who might be hostile to the idea of religion. How is this compatible with sharing the Gospel?
- AA’s sexual ethics are at odds with the Catholic Church. Again, people are encouraged to form their own sexual ethics, with the general idea that anything is OK as long as nobody is hurt.
- AA does encourage spiritual reflection, examinations of conscience, and confessing sins, but none of this is done with trained, experienced, Christian individuals - only to other AA members, who’s qualifications and trustworthiness is, in my mind, quite suspect.
I personally can find my own way in AA and sort of ignore all this and go ahead and practice my Catholic religion, but since such a big part of AA is spreading the program to newcomers, I just don’t feel comfortable teaching people what to me seems like outright heresy.
Any thoughts? (name removed by moderator)ut from other Catholic members of AA or those familiar with the program is especially welcome.
Its a support group period. No different than any other and probably more harmful than many. Correct one behavior then condone others. Theres without a doubt some very good groups which probably have been meeting for decades. However, by large there is what you are talking about.
The concept is constructed from loose church teaching yet the theory is there “somewhere”, without to imply church teaching and certainly not to teach it to any degree. So at each step you can make a connection to the church, but thats about it, since it multi-religious it can only scratch the surface.
In essense what you have is a support group where you do what “normal” people do daily. Learn to relate to your feelings so you don’t act off them in a misdirected inappropriate manner. Which obviously must have been the case to begin with or you wouldn’t sitting in the seat saying I’m Joe an Alcoholic"
For example one of the steps is making amends to others you hurt by your addiction etc. This is happening while males/females are using NA/AA for the local dating service to entertain their inadaquate sexual behaviors. Point which Copt makes and I too felt was very apparent and counter-productive. Look, if you have an issue, you should correct the one you have, not create others in the process. Or place another burden on yourself by being subjected to others behavior which they “deem” absolutely appropriate. So you accept this while you know its wrong? When you accept it does this not mean you condone it? Does this not make you part of it?
There is no absolution at a support group but on a feeling level by releasing the burden. Sin is still sin. Your not forgiven for a homicide you committed while drunk because you attended AA and cried and stated you were sorry to the group. Sure its helpful to talk about these skeletons in the closet with others, and its not hard for others to identify with the feelings. You do realize people without substance abuse issues do this daily without any thought of it, in other words they do this without a conscious effort. A practice they have become proficent at. Same process for those in AA/NA only they need from the on-set to make an intentional effort to do this.
I don’t believe in the lifelong “recovery” process either. I believe you will constantly need to be aware of your feelings/thoughts in particular for the first 18mth-2-year period while your chemical imbalance levels out. I believe you will understand just how dangerous temptation is once you place time and space between your errors. Should you not have learned the first time, you will continue the relapse/recovery process till either you do recover or you die. Basically how it works with substance abuse
As far as the issue itself, the statistics are all out here, all of us seen or know someone who suffers, and those who walked away from it. While family dynamics are without a doubt a help, I also don’t see why this would be limited to the AA model. This is what families have to do when a member has an issue. Its effects everyone, so everyone needs to be involved. Is there another way to get everyone on the same page? Problem here is most of the time family or loved ones don’t know what to do. Unfortunate by the time the issue is understood, often, to much water has passed under the bridge.
As a support group I see a value for the first 60-90 days perhaps. Or in addition to impatient or outpatient treatment for a limited time. Not in its overall long-term concept, but just being around others who are not using on a daily basis. I don’t think its the best senerio, but it is inexpensive and you can build from it, it is imperative to see it for what it it and use it to your benifit as opposed to being a part of the overall cult behavior which seems to set it own standards to various degrees.
If your involved in the CC, Family, close Friends, employment/carreer, postive social activities, these are all support groups which add to the well being and focus of your life when implimented correctly. Just as honestly talking here can be of help.
You just became part of a pattern with AA/NA which now became a crutch and you have reservations about putting it down. I hear you, and you should be talking about that fear since its very real to you. But it can and has been overcome, thus it can be. You managed to remain substance free for 3-years, thats an accomplishement. You can build on this in a positive direction with other support groups. And it probably would be a bad idea to drop in now and again till you have support structure in place to completely withdraw.
I would doubt you will be heading to a package store tonight. And if you did it wouldn’t be because you had a physical craving for Alcohol or whatever, it would be because some social issue is effecting you on a personal level and you are about to act of those feelings, or you’ll deal with them correctly. Which would be to postpone them and talk about whats going on with yourself.
Just as there is a process to become part of temptation/vice/habit so too there is a process to oppose and overcome this. Learning to identify this before hand is the path.
Remember this is only a “support group” you are talking about here. It can be replaced with another which in reality can be a better moral-ethical model.
Daily Prayer shouldn’t be underestimated either, assuming you are already following the CC.
DUH!!