The AA creed
says the disease will feed
on any prey it can
and I believed in the beast
became part of it's feast
before I ever became a man.

In nature, natural selection dictates that the unfit be eaten by predators or get driven out of the herd. In one view, man lives under the laws of nature as every animal but has also created a complex and diverse man-made order of rules and regulations that people try to adapt to for survival in various cultures. This dynamic of a man-made order of rules and regulations is plain to see in the AA subculture. People in the AA subculture usually do not want to admit this, instead pointing to an imaginary belief that AA is divinely inspired and therefore a perfect program.

Weakened, unfit, alcohol dependent people spend much time establishing themselves in the AA subculture for a feeling of protection against those perceived hostilities and unpredictabilities of their own behavior. The adopted set of beliefs which is offered is filled with all kinds of hearsay, superstition and unproven beliefs, yet the individual sells out to them because they believe that they must, in order to survive their problem with alcohol.

Sometimes tragic reality hits and they search their dogma to rationalize and explain it. E.g. "It was God's will and we can't understand it but we must accept it as such." However, since people are themselves rather complex and will really do what they want anyway they transgress against the set of adopted beliefs and hide their acts and thoughts in a veil of secrecy and shame. The cycle repeats as it eats them up inside. On the outside they may be playing the part of the good AA'er but inside they are consumed with a displaced doubt in themselves -- a doubt which should be aimed at questioning the validity of the AA program in their lives. A program and subculture which holds their life hostage to a lifetime of servitude and practice of the many rituals of the AA creed. AA is ripe with stern suggestions to conform to its belief system or face the terrible consequences of jails, institutions and death.

The fact is what one needs to do is end their alcohol dependence and many many people do this without AA dogma. AA beliefs go contrary to normal and healthy human thinking and behavior. AA'ers, it would seem are constantly hiding from their own thoughts that contradict their adopted beliefs. Their own thoughts are perceived as uncertain and hostile to them. They shun thinking outside the constructs of their AA beliefs because that in itself threatens them. They are unable to ground themselves in their own thinking and be secure in that.

The AA creed is just an adopted set of beliefs that may as well come from taking some principles from a few religions, writing them down on cards and picking 12 from a hat and saying "OK here is the path to salvation for all alcohol dependent people". Then the more people who get sucked into the mass mind meld, the more agreement there is and the more established the beliefs become as perceived facts. So AA in a way, does not weed out and eliminate the weak so the human race can become stronger. It groups people together based on their weaknesses and preserves them in a massive mind meld so they can survive.

The "self" is seen as bad and unworthy and cannot be separated from behavior, which is changeable. On their own they are just lost and unable to cope or make sense of their lives. AA gives them a purpose that they are unable to find otherwise. The question is at what cost. In my view, AA acts like a group predator, organized and designed to devour a person's ability to think for him or herself when they are in a weak state of mind and body. This does not mean that people who stay in AA and go full bloom in practicing the rituals of the AA adopted persona were actually freethinkers to begin with. However there are some people who got caught up in AA as they became compromised in their thinking due to alcohol/drug dependence. At some point, a change in that behavior was strongly desired. Due to the combination of impaired judgment from substance dependence and possible other mental, emotional, health and situational problems the person went to AA. Despite their better judgment they stayed until a point came where they could no longer carry out the charade. Serious self-doubt began to be replaced by a serious and healthy doubt in AA.

To the down-and-out substance abuser, AA as a group, had a lot of persuasive power and at one time they became persuaded to join. Initially one becomes more inclined to listen to the idealistic, embellished statements rather than observe the actual realities occurring within the group. Things such as the continued degradation of self carried forward form alcohol dependence. Now even while no longer drinking, self-abasement becomes the norm. A transfer of thinking to fit the requirements of belonging to the group, and an abandonment of a life of one's own. As this process continues and one becomes more and more indoctrinated in the AA way, the individuals thinking process adopts an AA way of looking at life. Staying in AA means a person will forever be trying to adjust their thinking to fit the AA mold they are trying to cram their brain and life into.

They fail to see the simple truth that the removal of the alcohol problem came with the stopping of the alcohol abuse. They stopped drinking and as such became able to move on. In many people, as mental clarity and emotional balance grew so did the realization of how foolish it is to be selling out one's autonomy to the restricted absurdity of AA, the AA creed, and a lifetime practice of it's rituals as insurance against alcohol dependence. Some of our greatest assets are found in our abilities to change and adapt. These can be cultivated for growth. When we know better, we can do better and to not do so is our own crime against ourselves. AA leaves no room for further question, exploration or growth. It is a sell-out of self for an adopted know-it-all solution to the many varieties of humans and their complex relationships with substance abuse as well as arrogantly implying that it has found an answer to the many problems of the human race in general.

Adapt to Changes
I feel the wind of change upon my back
Blowing the stale air of mediocrity and fear away.
Blow on you winds of fate
Your result is no need for fear anymore
I am no longer the tyrant of life I tried to be
I follow where you lead my experience.
Wind of change be welcome in my house

Submitted by: R.E.A.L.

It's time to get your brain out of hock.