"11:00 PM had my first bout of nausea; Rx took care of it. I feel wonderful. Absolutely no pain, I can't finish a sentence or remember words so Cary, Laura and Laurie did their best to understand what I am trying to convey. I usually get enough…"
 |
The World's Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!
Atheist in A.A.
Hello! I'm new to Atheist Nexus. I've been an atheist pretty much my entire life. My parents gave me a lot of freedom to do and make choices on my own. I wasn't neglected but I was pretty rebelious and sneeky.
That being said I took on drugs and booze at an early age but stopped due to a rehab visit when I was 15. At about 19 I got back into smoking grass, tripping a little acid and of course the occasional drink. I lived in Colorado back then.
I moved to Portland At 23 and had no eyes watching(family) so that's when my career in drugs like cocaine and meth started to take ahold of me. I didn't get into meth but coke wrapped it's tenticles around me and didn't let go for sometime. I managed to beat that problem on my own. Don't get me wrong I would still love a blast but I stay clear of it.
In this time of drugs I had to drink to come down and in times if I were lit I would snort coke to keep going. Now I realize that I still love the hell out of drinking and I've developed a pretty burly drinking problem.
I've decided as far as last Monday that I need to join A.A. so I did. I was reluctant for a long time because of the "God" talk and I must admit that now that I've joined A.A. it's making me a little batty. I'm wondering if anyone that reads this that is an alcohlic has worked the steps without feeling like "God" is being crammed down their throats? How do I deal with it? I don't want to be disrespectful to others that have those beliefs especially if it works for them.
Thanks in advance, Shad
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Ann on -
You live in Portland, OR, not Portland ME, right? You might want to check out SMART recovery http://www.smartrecovery.org/ I checked for local meetings in OR, but you might want to write SMART and ask. They do have a 24 hr. on-line forum and meetings. SMART is a cognitive-behavioral, non-theistic alcohol/addiction counseling program begun by a humanist. Some people use both AA and SMART for their different approaches: Whatever works for you.
Wishing you success. You've worked on one tough problem, acknowledged another, and caan still worry about being disrespectful: my hat's off to you!
-
-
Permalink Reply by Shad Hale Justice on
-
thank you. yeah i'm in oregon. i'll get there with it. i feel like i caught it before everything started going to shit. my computer also sucks so you doing a little digging for me is a real cool thing.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sean Murphy on -
Another organization to look for is "S.O.S. Secular Organizations for Sobriety" which is at www.cfiwest.org/sos/ . I did a quick search at http://www.sossobriety.org/meetings/states.htm#Oregon and didn't see Portland listed, but I have no clue if any of the listed cities are anywhere near Portland or not.
-
-
-
thank you sean. i'm glad that you sent me this info so i may seek more advice.
-
-
Permalink Reply by alexa penzner on -
hi shad -
welcome to our sometimes nutty, sometimes pithy discussions :] you have had a hard road. it takes a lot of guts to get through your struggles and you have done great!
in new york city, we have an atheist AA group - still following the steps, but w/o the dumb higher power crap. there must be a group there that is not so into 'god' junk. might do to look around - or declare your skeptisism and see if anyone approaches you with whom you can bond.
as you know, also, that it is part of your dna that addicts you - you are struggling more with that than your developed demons - it may help. talking to someone here will definitely be good and i'm sure there are lots of us to confide in. have you tried cognitive therapy? - has nothing whatsoever to do with stupid god stuff and does not delve into upsetting past psych things - just deals with the present.
much good luck - blaze on - alexa
-
-
Permalink Reply by alexa penzner on
-
scepticism - jeesh!
-
CONNECT WITH ATHEIST NEXUS
Latest Activity
- Top News
- Everything
John Hutcheson posted a blog postAre the media too giddy over the Pope?
With all the media attention the on the Pope, important stories are being missed, human rights violations, Monsanto protection act, Russia march to blasphemy laws, and of the big story this week did Harry Potter vanquish dementors?See More
Ian Mason commented on Ruth Anthony-Gardner's group Hang With Friends"The medical profession seems to have improved in some areas at least. Personally I think some of that is due to the higher level of education of society as a whole. We know too much to put up with bad treatment now. I saw a documentary last year…"
Nerdlass replied to Ruth Anthony-Gardner's discussion Cicadas taste like asparagus in the group THE KNIFE & FORK"Thanks. Now I have "Glory of Love" stuck in my head. ^^;
I'm not sure if I could get used to eating bugs. It's like... if they're mudbugs or sea-bugs, that's one thing, but it's hard to imagine them tasting good…"
Nerdlass commented on Debra Stevenson's blog post Some Wiccans and their seeking approval from Christians"I converted to paganism (through wicca, but didn't stay there) from xianity. During that conversion period, I tried to reconcile the beliefs, which ultimately, I couldn't. There are some who find a way (probably used to cherry picking, so…"
Hiram replied to Hiram's discussion Epicureanism: a Secular Doctrine for Happiness"There are currently two Gardens of Epicurus: one in Chicago and one in New Jersey. Please visit if you're in the vecinity!"
Hiram commented on Maruli Marulaki's group Epicurean Atheists"There are currently two Gardens of Epicurus: one in Chicago and one in New Jersey. Please visit if you're in the vecinity!"
© 2013 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: Richard Haynes.
