My name is Laurent, I live in Maniwaki, QuŽbec. I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and have been sober for over seven years. I found sobriety in AA without a question, and my early practice of the program has made a change in my life for the better and taught me new values that have made me a better person. I can say that AA saved my life. That being said...I found the content of your site very interesting. I do not fully agree with the part about women, as I find that it pre-supposes that women are generally victims with low self-esteem, which I find is not the case. I did meet quite a few women in AA whose personalities were close to that of the men in the Big Book, meaning they were selfish, power-driven professionals. In their case, the program as it stands was as relevant as it can be for a man. However, I totally agree with the fact that the 12 steps program is not for everyone, and it angers me tremendously when AA radicals (who are commonly called "step nazis") preach that everyone should fit into that one model, and that it is due to your own flaws and "character defects" if you don't.

AA is based on the acquisition of humility, taking responsibility for your own faults. That is a great approach for some people, it was for me. For others, it is true spiritual suicide! I am now a trained and licensed Addictions Counselor, and I worked for a time on a Native reserve, as a First Nation Counselor. Let me tell you, the last thing that Natives need in their recovery is the AA rhetoric as it is written! They are already a disempowered people and they need to get that power back and to NOT take responsibility for everything in order to recover. So I still used the steps with my clients and groups, but I took the liberty to adapt them. For instance, I told them that there was no such thing as "character defects" but that step 6 and 7 were really about bringing balance into your life. I also agree that for many abused women, AA is definitely not the way to go.

The program is smart and insightful. It can be used by anyone who is intelligent enough to adapt it to his/her own needs and who does not hesitate to criticize it. My favorite AA slogan is "take what you need and leave the rest". Unfortunately, AA rooms are swamped with these step nazis who ultimately do more hurt than good. It is important to understand that the program was written by white, wealthy, Christian men. Anyone willing to use AA for him/herself should realize that many parts of the program are simply outdated.

I follow Native spirituality myself. I had the wits to overlook the Christian language used openly in the literature and in the rooms and to adapt the program to my beliefs. However, I realize that it isn't the case for everyone.

I do believe that AA is ultimately a good path of recovery, given the conditions above. Personally, I do not go to meetings anymore. After all these years, the desire to drink and get high has left me and I find most meetings extremely boring, as so many people do not speak from the heart but repeat the AA rhetoric. Some would say that I have a "bad recovery", that I am "on my way to a relapse". I know it isn't so. I used AA when I needed it and it played a major role in my recovery. I am grateful for that. But now I kind of "outgrew it". And for those step nazis who will say that I don't work my program well, I can only give one answer: Live and let live! And if this isn't enough: Go to hell! I hope this will help some people. Thank you for you site and offering an alternative view on AA.