I am going to my first AA meeting in approx three years tomorrow after spending those years in a cycle of long dry spells followed by short but very intense and psychologically devastating binges.

Like a lot of people, I thought I was packing in AA because of  the ‘God’ associations, implications of powerlessness etc, but being honest I left because I still believed I could figure out a way of drinking with impunity.  Didn’t work out that way.

I would categorise myself as an atheist in search of a guiding philosophy in life and I don’t expect that particular void to be filled by AA.

However, I am willing to put my own reservations on that score to one side and — not being able to afford or access a lengthy in-patient rehab process — use AA as a practical tool to help me stay sober.  As I recall, there’s a line in the preamble about ‘there are no rules’ in AA and I intend to follow that as my core principle and use meetings as a support and something to bolster my resolve.

So what if some of the speakers attribute their recovery to the presence of God in their lives? So what if some people blame their ‘spiritual defects’ for an addiction to a powerful chemical?  That’s their perogative; mine is to arrest a long, slow decline that’s been going on for the best part of 25 years – all my adult life. I am going to tune in to what helps and tune out of the rest.

A few people I know who have successfuly sobered up and prospered have used a combintion of one or two AA meetings weekly along with attending a secular support group (www.lifering.org) and one-on-one help with professionals if needed. 

 Live and Let Live, or as the even cornier Morgan Freeman line from The Shawshank Redemption has it, ‘Get busy living or get busy dying.’

Slainte

I am coming up on my one year sober anniversary thanks to AA, Vivitrol, and an excellent psychiatrist.  My experience in AA has been very positive despite my staunch atheism.  My sponsor and his sponsor are both atheists and my journey through the 12 steps (currently on step 7, we go slowly) has been pretty pain free.  I think that it’s very easy to get bogged down over-analyzing the role of “God” in the recovery program.  I sometimes find myself picking apart sections of the Big/Step Book(s) and invalidating passages with the voice of Christopher Hitchens narrating the thoughts in my brain.  It is very easy to find logical faults in such an old and dated piece of writing!  But the fact that AA is based on misguided Christian theology doesn’t necessitate that atheists should abandon the program.  All that you have to do is reinterpret the AA literature into language that squares with your own beliefs.  Here’s a little sample of how I think of the 12 steps:

1)  Experience has shown that I am powerless to stop drinking alcohol by sheer force of will.   

2)  By seeking outside help I can find the tools and guidance necessary to remain sober.

3)  Made a decision to recognize the limits of my willpower and live in accordance with my capabilities as a rational individual.  Basically made a decision to live by the sentiments of the Serenity Prayer.

4)  Same as AA 4th step.

5)  Discussed with another person the exact nature of my wrongs.

6)  Became willing to accept my character defaults and made a decision to actively work on becoming a better person on a daily basis.

7)  Humbly recognized that correcting one’s character flaws is benefited by asking someone else for help and feedback.

8)  Same as AA 8th step.

9)  Same as AA 9th step.

10)  Same as AA 10th step.

11)  Sought through daily meditation to improve my state of mindfulness and awareness, so that I may cultivate a more perfect understanding of myself and others.

12)  Same as AA 12th step.

AA is also an invaluable source of camaraderie, advice, wisdom, and example shared from people of all different backgrounds, educations and beliefs.  I can’t even begin to describe how much I have benefited from hearing other people’s stories of success and failure.  I’m sure that other programs like SMART Recovery are great too, but in my opinion you can’t beat AA!  It’s free (or give a dollar), meets every day of the week and can be found in abundance anywhere here (USA) and overseas. 

So my advice for an atheist in AA is to take it easy!  Stop listening to the meeting with the critical lenses on, or you might just miss something helpful and profound!

I am coming up on my one year sober anniversary thanks to AA, Vivitrol, and an excellent psychiatrist.  My experience in AA has been very positive despite my staunch atheism.  My sponsor and his sponsor are both atheists and my journey through the 12 steps (currently on step 7, we go slowly) has been pretty pain free.  I think that it’s very easy to get bogged down over-analyzing the role of “God” in the recovery program.  I sometimes find myself picking apart sections of the Big/Step Book(s) and invalidating passages with the voice of Christopher Hitchens narrating the thoughts in my brain.  It is very easy to find logical faults in such an old and dated piece of writing!  But the fact that AA is based on misguided Christian theology doesn’t necessitate that atheists should abandon the program.  All that you have to do is reinterpret the AA literature into language that squares with your own beliefs.  Here’s a little sample of how I think of the 12 steps:

1)  Experience has shown that I am powerless to stop drinking alcohol by sheer force of will.   

2)  By seeking outside help I can find the tools and guidance necessary to remain sober.

3)  Made a decision to recognize the limits of my willpower and live in accordance with my capabilities as a rational individual.  Basically made a decision to live by the sentiments of the Serenity Prayer.

4)  Same as AA 4th step.

5)  Discussed with another person the exact nature of my wrongs.

6)  Became willing to accept my character defaults and made a decision to actively work on becoming a better person on a daily basis.

7)  Humbly recognized that correcting one’s character flaws is benefited by asking someone else for help and feedback.

8)  Same as AA 8th step.

9)  Same as AA 9th step.

10)  Same as AA 10th step.

11)  Sought through daily meditation to improve my state of mindfulness and awareness, so that I may cultivate a more perfect understanding of myself and others.

12)  Same as AA 12th step.

AA is also an invaluable source of camaraderie, advice, wisdom, and example shared from people of all different backgrounds, educations and beliefs.  I can’t even begin to describe how much I have benefited from hearing other people’s stories of success and failure.  I’m sure that other programs like SMART Recovery are great too, but in my opinion you can’t beat AA!  It’s free (or give a dollar), meets every day of the week and can be found in abundance anywhere here (USA) and overseas. 

So my advice for an atheist in AA is to take it easy!  Stop listening to the meeting with the critical lenses on, or you might just miss something helpful and profound!