Problem drinkers enter Alcoholics Anonymous with a multitude of problems. The most immediate one, upon their time of arrival is a pressing need to stop drinking. The cure, as is presented to the newcomer is meetings. Then, more meetings. Ninety meetings in ninety days and then daily meetings are suggested for an indefinite time after that. Talk of alcohol and its devastating effects replace drinking. This is a reasonable beginning, to establish a new habit - that of daily meeting attendance - to replace an old habit, that of drinking, which had become self-destructive.

But what causes the alcoholic to reach for the bottle? Why is life so uncomfortable that escape is sought? Attributing all of one's problems to alcohol or the "disease" of alcoholism often leaves the other problems unaddressed. Sure, if the newcomer's main problem was grandiosity (as was Bill Wilson's), he will immediately identify with the Big Book. But not everyone suffers from grandiosity, and the model presented by AA does not fit everyone. Nevertheless, everyone tries to fit themselves to it, at least in the beginning. Sometimes this continues for years. Many times in vain. How many alkies try the steps, and still feel discomfort in living, and go back to the steps and try them again. "Maybe I wasn't thorough." "Maybe I wasn't fearless." "Maybe I wasn't rigorously honest." Next time you're at a meeting notice how people try to fit themselves to the diagnoses presented in the Big Book. This phenomenon is clearly a total betrayal of the self in order to go along with the group.

Let's take the example of a Vietnam Veteran. In the case of such an individual, the alcoholism may very well be masking post-traumatic stress disorder which may not be the immediate pressing issue but is definitely the core issue. Therapy for the PTSD may very well do much more to alleviate the desire to drink than a lifetime of working the steps will. It's foolish for such an individual to spend day after day, month after month, trying to remember every last sin he committed, and confessing them to the group, the sponsor and God. Who cares about those Life Savers you stole when you were five!! What about the trauma of the war?!!?? What about your alkie father who told you to be tough and swallow your pain - the father you still have up on a pedestal??

Let's take another example of a young adult who grew up in a seemingly perfect family. Perhaps even a religious family, where God was talked about and revered. These "perfect" families with sick children are an all too common phenomenon. The "sick" child may have been the family fuck-up. The black sheep. The trouble maker. The sick child may have internalized those labels and if he ends up in AA, the "disease" diagnosis will validate them. But let's look at those perfect families. Scott Peck's fantastic book, "The People of the Lie" describes these perfect families very well. He discusses that there are some people for whom it is so important to appear beyond reproach (perfect), that they regularly sacrifice the people beneath them (their child, employee, sponsee) in order to keep up their illusion of perfection. He goes on to say that these People of the Lie, are the truly evil ones in the world, and interestingly, they are most often found in churches and not jails. While the people of the lie are "never at fault" they can be easily recognized by the trail of victims they leave behind. Like all of those employees who couldn't meet his expectations and had to be fired. Like all of those sponsees who wouldn't take his suggestions and relapsed. Like all his children who turned out bad. So you see Virginia, you're not the fuck up you thought you were.... it is he - it - them - that is sick!

While many in AA have a multitude of problems, few know what the hell they really are. Day in, day out, the AA model is repeated. The mantra is chanted. And since the alkie is indoctrinated to believe that he must attend meetings one-hour a day for a very very long time he becomes very heavily exposed to the AA model . That's an awful lot exposure to a model which may not be the right one to be focusing on! That's a heck of a lot of attention to give to the "disease" of alcoholism. What about those other problems? Doesn't it make sense to break one's history into clusters and address each problem appropriately? It's amazing to see how rapid the progress is when the true nature of the problem is identified. And even with our most horrific traumas, none of them... NOT one, requires one hour a day of therapy for the rest of one's life.

But so many cannot see the true nature of their discomfort because it so cleverly hidden. Continued, intense, daily focus on the AA model often keeps it hidden and delays or prevents it from being recognized. Another camouflaging factor is that our culture is so sick that many times we can't see the problem because the problem has become the norm. What it sometimes takes to find health is declaring that it is the country, the group, the family, or the world that is crazy, and not the individual. Not easy to do in a program where one is diagnosed as being "insane" simply by walking through the door. Especially when the program itself may be the problem. Now imagine that!