Alcoholic Anonymous and The power of myth!

Once Upon A Time before 1933 and Bill W, there was a land where no alcoholics could ever stay sober. They were miserable and dropping like flies, suffering horrible lives. Then came the fateful day when God approached Bill who lay doped up in his hospital bed. He sayeth: "to you the humble and meek I give the power and wisdom to heal your fellow alcoholics". God then gave Bill the tablets where 12 sacred teachings were carved. With these tablets in hand, Bill walked among his fellow alcoholics and told them of his God, and of his message. From that day forward, for the first time ever, alcoholics had a choice. They could follow the sacred teachings carved in stone, and be happy, joyous and free forever, or they could continue to suffer horrible and miserable lives. Of course 75% of the alcoholics followed the sacred path and became spiritual wisemen, happily attending daily rituals discussing the wisdom of the sacred teachings while anxious newcomers soaked in the glory of it all, desperately wanting what they had. To become one of the chosen people! Gods chosen people.
So it continued for all time, forever and ever.
Until one day the evil internet empire was created and from the depths of hell came the one known as Agent Orange who had a horrible resentment and was jealous and full of other defects and wanted to rain on the 12 step parade. So the Orange Wars began where great warriors spent countless hours fearlessly battling it out behind the keyboards of their homes. The war still rages....

The second step is also a real dozie. I looked up the meaning of insanity and it does not mean, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Oh maybe that is the 3rd step. I went with a friend last year she was going to sign up for some A.A. in program thing. I told her to read Orange, but anyway I went with her. This is just to get an appointment to see a counselor to maybe get into treatment. The place was packed and on the paper one part said, Referred by: and almost every single space was filled in with courts, or child and family. Oh and it was over 6 months waiting time to even get an appointment to speak with a counselor. If you don't have the money this is the route you have to take. The other route is pay 20 grand and get put on Suboxin and that bullshit road. It really is criminal and big money business. And without getting in too deep here, I wonder if it is a disease and not just that you are addicted because you have been using and/or drinking for too long and will believe anything at the moment to get the monkey off of your back. Powerless over alcohol, maybe over the affects of alcohol and drugs because the chemical composition of your body has changed because you have thrown it out of whack by putting booze and dope into it. Treatment is upwards of 20 grand for 21 days and that not at some fancy schmancy place either. I think Bill W. must have been high on excitement when he found out they were believing the bullshit he/others wrote and now he was a big shot or whatever. The "stock broker" This gets to me because my friend is taking a course and it is to be a treatment centre worker and of course they have to read the 12 steps etc. etc. Big Book. Sorry if I got off topic, kool-aid. Sorry, I mean Sober man.

soberman,
awesome fairy tale! love the sacred tablet! sacred, more like scared! yes, i have the same character defects as Orange! love it, good analogy.

- this site as a manifestation of the 'Orange Wars'.

He is saying, "Work the first step."

Actually, this is a very good topic Soberman, really wish it would have caught on better. Without a doubt AA gains its power with the creation of myths. The biggest lie is to convince its members that staying sober is a supernatural feat, in which we find its origins, as you have pointed out, in the first step. If indeed it is impossible to stay sober, and to accomplish this was indeed a supernatural miracle achieved by working the first step (by surrender), now the steps have purpose and power. I totally bought into this idea, not realizing that surrender was indeed necessary, but only surrendering my drinking. Then I could be free to do as I please?
But instead I believed the hoax and gave the steps power, the delusion that the steps were doing the impossible for me, keeping me sober and sane. As long as members believe this, they are indeed shackled to the myth.

Shackled to the myth.

Apt I'd say, very apt.