Wow what a powerful talk between the 2 of you after I just left that message on Facebook about the meeting I went to tonight.... this is really given me a lot more courage👍💚
Maurice Powers thank you. It’s funny when i listen to the earlier episodes. What a journey this has been. Im grateful to have the opportunity to do this.
"Tough love" isn't love. What he said about it is spot on: it's a way of shielding oneself from the pain and responsibility of someone dying. That's actually pretty generous. Sometimes it's a way of not having to deal with the messiness of a newcomer with questions. Like me. Funny thing is, if I'd been treated with kindness and respect by my sponsor, I'd probably be well on my way through the steps instead of struggling to stay sober because I'm dealing with resentment, abandonment and additional trauma. Screw "tough love." It's just another way to hurt people who are already hurting. If you can't handle the trauma of caring about someone because you are afraid of them dying, be honest with them and yourself and make it a group effort.
Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule. Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the "educational variety" because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone.
Thank you for providing such a valuable resource and platform for atheists ... as a new comer I am struggling with my desire to stop drinking and the dogmatic approach of AA ... thank you
I don't get it. There are several very good secular sobriety organisations that use modern science and neurology that AA shuns. Why use and outdated program when more effective treatments are available?
You don't need to understand why another person chooses a particular path to recovery. Everyone decides for themself what they want their recovery to look like and how to get there. Nobody's recovery looks exactly the same nor should it. Yes, there are amazing secular peer support groups such as SMART Recovery and LifeRing, both of which have been featured on this channel. Some people do both, they may go to AA and SMART, etc. That isn't uncommon at all. I myself will attend an AA meeting simply because I like the people. Also as a side note. Earlier episodes focused more on secular AA meetings because that was my experience at the time. Over the last year or two I have tried to explore other secular options for myself personally as well as for the podcast. I still have guests that attend secular AA meetings, but that is less of a focus now than it was during the first five or six years of the podcast.
Wow what a powerful talk between the 2 of you after I just left that message on Facebook about the meeting I went to tonight.... this is really given me a lot more courage👍💚
Maurice Powers thank you. It’s funny when i listen to the earlier episodes. What a journey this has been. Im grateful to have the opportunity to do this.
"Tough love" isn't love. What he said about it is spot on: it's a way of shielding oneself from the pain and responsibility of someone dying.
That's actually pretty generous. Sometimes it's a way of not having to deal with the messiness of a newcomer with questions. Like me.
Funny thing is, if I'd been treated with kindness and respect by my sponsor, I'd probably be well on my way through the steps instead of struggling to stay sober because I'm dealing with resentment, abandonment and additional trauma.
Screw "tough love." It's just another way to hurt people who are already hurting. If you can't handle the trauma of caring about someone because you are afraid of them dying, be honest with them and yourself and make it a group effort.
Great comment. 2 yrs ago. Hope you're well.
Peace to you
@@jasonjones4036 thank you. I'm still struggling to get sober, tbh. Admittedly, a good amount of that is my responsibility.
Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule.
Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the "educational variety" because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself.
He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone.
Thank you for providing such a valuable resource and platform for atheists ... as a new comer I am struggling with my desire to stop drinking and the dogmatic approach of AA ... thank you
I'm glad you find this helpful Sean. This is a labor of love or us and it's gratifying to know we are doing some good.
ENJOYED YOUR STORY ....CHEERS
Thanks for listening pine nut patriot.
I don't get it. There are several very good secular sobriety organisations that use modern science and neurology that AA shuns. Why use and outdated program when more effective treatments are available?
You don't need to understand why another person chooses a particular path to recovery. Everyone decides for themself what they want their recovery to look like and how to get there. Nobody's recovery looks exactly the same nor should it. Yes, there are amazing secular peer support groups such as SMART Recovery and LifeRing, both of which have been featured on this channel. Some people do both, they may go to AA and SMART, etc. That isn't uncommon at all. I myself will attend an AA meeting simply because I like the people.
Also as a side note. Earlier episodes focused more on secular AA meetings because that was my experience at the time. Over the last year or two I have tried to explore other secular options for myself personally as well as for the podcast. I still have guests that attend secular AA meetings, but that is less of a focus now than it was during the first five or six years of the podcast.
Yes, God can be tricky to see, When it's all a miracle living in God's world. God bless the AA fellowship and them drunks that show us the way.