"Just Say 'NO!' "

"Keep it SIMPLE, 'Stupid!'"

(Now that's spiritual and uplifting!)

Subjugation makes better mindless minions!

Remember; loads of good comes

from believing whatever you're told

and not asking those pesky questions!

A one-track mind is definitely the answer

to a life of single-mindedness and weakness!

***

You Can't Cure Just a Piece of the Whole

Instead of making peace with discordant or 'undesirable'
true aspects of self (which of course every human being
has!), the 12 Steps teach suppression, avoidance, schizoid
denial, dehumanization, and shamefulness over one's own
body, mind, past, and differences.

A person at odds with themselves is forever divided,
and peace cannot be found.

Learn to love yourself and live as a fully integrated soul.

Healthiness does not have to be a chore.

**********************************************

You Find What You Look For

Why do we use?

What drove us to drink?

What are we avoiding?

Facing these daunting and indepth questions is facing reality,
and at some point it's a necessity for recovery.

Coping with them is vital to any form of success.

A.A., with its all-or-nothing, one-stop, one- size-fits-all mentality
and expectations is harmful.

"I guess you think that's a revolving door."

"Guess we'll keep letting you back in."
"How's that working out for ya?"
"You can't make it work without this program."

Bitter jabs and persecutory, passive-aggressive attacks on people

coming to the group do real and lasting harm. Over-concentrated,
dogmatic, single-track thinking has always been the bane and the
end of many an addict, and having these harsh detriments glossed
over with 'good intentions' and a pretense of happiness doesn't change
their toxicity.

If you imagine that there is only one path to recovery, you condemn
not only others, but yourself. This militancy is adverse to the new
and open views that people in recovery need to be bringing about.

Only when consciousness is expanded to the point that we see
beyond the already-agreed upon notions and ideas can we find
a new version of life. We don't protect our ideas by building walls
around them; we prevent ourselves from growing.

What you see as real is what will become a reality for you;
every time you speak of powerlessness, you bring it into being.

Every time you speak ill of another's chances, you bring that dark
possibility closer to existence.

****************************************************

The Challenge

(Well, one of them, anyway!)

One of the chief challenges I have found in becoming a
stronger person has to do with finding a proper balance
between a 'need' for other people and a need to be true
to self.

It's a daunting proposition to go up against the world, to
follow your own path when it so frequently places you on
the outskirts of the norm.

People tend to like what's secure, familiar, reassuringly 'same.'
Anything or anyone that goes outside those lines is cause
for discomfort, and therefore promptly avoided. Or attacked.

So the decision becomes choosing between self and others.

Well, certainly we can't sustain ourselves by looking out
for others, so basic survival tells us we have to look out for
self.

And yet, unless independently wealthy, the chance of being
able to truly live a separate life is rare.

So there has to be a compromise of sorts struck. Putting up
with others, overlooking nonsense, exchanging pleasantries,
all of the duplicity that comes from modern life is necessary to
some small degree, no matter how independently we live.

Even as I detach from the demands and wishes of all others
as regards my overall life (thoughts, actions, feelings,) I still have
to accommodate the outside world in reference to neighbors, law
enforcement, and other key areas.

There isn't much of an in-between when it comes to the social
world of choosing to live for others or self. Friends, family,
coworkers, lovers will all place demands and manipulate you
to further their own needs rather than support yours. Coming to
terms with that and desensitizing one's self is an ongoing process.

Aloneness is a reality of this planet.

But how much people are able to embrace that reality is up to
conditioning and stamina. Many may need the illusions of
social supports; putting up with family they can't stand rather
than being alone, enduring abusiveness rather than doing without
so-called friends, suppressing self to accommodate a smothering
spouse....we all make deadly decisions for our well being every
day.

It all comes down to trying to find that balance....and determining
what we are willing to tolerate.

************************************************

Why AA doesn't work

Celebrate Recovery-ish

"Alcoholics Anonymous:

Celebrating over 75 proud years

of hiding in cellars, using fake names,

pushing religion, beating people down,

promoting shame and self-doubt,

and driving people to drink.

Nothing says 'Love' & 'Healing'

like judgment & completely inclusive,

conditional, performance-based

'acceptance'!

Everybody longs to be 'tolerated'

 and marginalized!

You will come to OBEY...

Or you will drink and DIE!

So decrees The Group!"

***

(Fortunately, reality and reason

have nothing to do with

the tripe promoted by the cult,

so any means of abstinence

that works for you is fine.

Live well and long)

***

"Welcome to A.A." recruitment

"Hi folks! Welcome to the Bill & Bob show!

I'm Bill Wilson, and even though Bob here and me are

 both dead, I still maintain a stranglehold over

the group, along with little baby Jesus, from beyond the

grave! It's all good--just don't drink over it.

(Well, nothing but the Kool-Aid, anyway!)

I gotta give myself props, cuz, ya

know, only an egotistical genius could come up

with a plan for promoting his own views,

getting his own ideas immortalized,

being considered a hero, and being

worshipped his own self...while carrying off

the illusion of selflessness in the process!

What are the odds! LOL!

Anyway, come on down to the Church of AA,

and fake your way through it long enough

to get to that beautiful Thirteenth Step!
Whooooo-wheee, it is some kind of worth it!

We call it "Fucking Your Way to

a Fake Recovery," but the censors had some kind

of problem with that.

I'm not so much for 'Truth in Advertising' anyway,

so no big.

It feels good to live-it-up in a second childhood

of every degradation except booze, since

I bypassed my real childhood as a horrible,

godless, selfish, drunk bastard.

(Or did I? The brain cells are rusty.)

But now, I get to foist all my crap on y'all

and use up your well of innocence!

Ah, life is good.

Come on down to your local AA clubhouse

so we can have our way with you, too.

If we don't have fresh meat,

we can't feed the Lions, baby!

Uh, sorry Bob...no time for you to chime in today!"

***

"A Very Good Place to Start..."

The foundation you have underneath you is supremely important.

The basis of what compels you, what fills your thoughts,
what fuels and motivates you is significant beyond compare.

So the simplest way I know to ask, is to just ask;

Do you find comfort in starting from a point of seeing
yourself as weak and helpless?
Or are you better served reminding yourself--or
learning about--your innate strength and capability?

Do you act on the desires others have for you to be
submissive and compliant?
Or do you act towards your own personal and unique
needs...to be independent?

Do you succumb to fear and superstition, or do you
learn to embrace reality and tough facts?

Do you give over to a false notion of inferiority and the
desperate need to sell yourself out, or do you choose
to stand your ground and promote your humanness and
all your worthy parts?

The choices we make resonate throughout our lives.
The base we rest on informs much of our active lives,
so choose what your basis is carefully.

Haven't we beaten ourselves up enough?
Isn't fear, helplessness, suppression, perfection-seeking,
illusions, lies, fakeness, following edicts, silencing self,
and pain-avoidance what led to active addiction to start?

******************************************