A secular look at alcoholics anonymous…..

I am holding the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in my lap as I write this. Step two states:

“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity.”

What can we believe in? A.A. does not demand belief; Twelve Steps are only
suggestions. Importance of an open mind. Variety of ways to faith. Substitution
of A.A. as Higher Power. Plight of the disillusioned. Roadblocks of indifference
and prejudice. Lost faith found in A.A. Problems of intellectuality and
self-sufficiency. Negative and positive thinking. Self-righteousness. Defiance
is an outstanding characteristic of alcoholics. Step Two is a rallying point to
sanity. Right relation to God.

This passage is directly quoted from the book. Look at the very last statement. Right relation to God. God with a capital G implying a Christian god. What about those of us of other faiths or beliefs? Can we make A.A. fit our needs? What about the Buddhist or closet Islamic alcoholic? What about the secular humanist? Can A.A. work for them? I can only share what has worked for me on this matter.

One of the biggest issues I struggle with when it concerns A.A. is trading my dependence on a substance to a dependence on meetings and a higher power. I worry that we are trading one dependence for another and see hints of this in those that go to meetings religiously. I battle with the idea that I am powerless over alcohol. Sometimes it can feel really demeaning. I feel that I am not taking responsibility for my addiction and substance abuse. I am urged to turn over that responsibility to a higher power and am trading one dependence for another. Step one states: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.” Step three states: “Made a decision to turn over our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him.”

I have learned to use the collective of the group as my higher power and this perplexes some long time Christian A.A. goers but it works for me. I find solace and companionship in going and not being alone. I enjoy talking about and releasing my everyday struggles. I listen to other members and gain from their experiences. I came to believe that a Power greater than myself was the collective of the group and it helped restore me to sanity.

To close….what about the effectiveness of A.A.? Are there statistics on this? A quick google search turned up these results. In my own experience, I find many, many more people coming and going than staying. The same core groups that I started with is still there that was at the beginning but we rarely get lasting newcomers. What do these people do? There were obviously having problems with substance abuse. Surely many of them have found ways to stay sober outside of A.A. I wonder what their secrets are.