One Day at a Time

"You Are Not A Good AA . . .

.... because I don't like what you say."

It’s more than a word game. It may not be harmless. Yes, it’s the old recovered VS recovering controversy. When did the Big Book changeover from our basic text to controversial? If anything then it is the changing the word "recovered" to "recovering" what is controversial

So lets talk about controversy.

Did you know that we are allowed to be controversial in AA ? Yes, we are. AA was built on controversy.

Haven’t you ever noticed that people can avoid- anything they wish to build a wall against by playing the usual "CONTROVERSY" card.

"AHHH..you're being controversial...you're not a good AA member!"

What they really mean is......

That word -- CONTROVERSY -- is the big BOZO NO NO. Well....guess what? AA is FILLED with controversy internally. Always has been. Probability always will be.

The avoiding of controversy in our Traditions has to do with AA AS A WHOLE at the PUBLIC LEVEL, not in our own internal affairs or between each other.

Have you ever considered that by implying that we are always going to be sick and suffering and never recover that we might be pulling the carpet of hope out from under the newcomer who needs to hear the message of The Big Book?

If you have a choice over whether or not you are going to drink today - you aren’t even alcoholic. Why don’t we check that out before we rewrite the Big Book, playing with the words in it (like recovered) and harm others anymore than we may have already.

Sorry but I am not in the mood to tip-toe through the tulips today. People die tiptoeing through the tulips.

The experiences of the big Book are experiences which I have also experienced as the result of doing the work. The authors called that recovered. So I use the word that "THEY used.

If someone does not have those experiences promised and described in that book then they don’t need a word to describe it. They cannot  say they have recovered. Of course they HAVENT recovered, they haven’t experienced wha is in the book.

 So....uh...are you experienced?

The term "Recovered" has always been used in AA from the beginning. On the dust jacket of my Big Book it reads:

"Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism" (Third Edition)

In AA parlance, we try not to confuse the term CURE with RECOVERED, which if anyone reads the Big Book they would discover the clear distinction between these two words that the co-authors of the Big Book made.

Of course if one does not familiarize oneself with the Big Book, this distinction is never made clear and thus much confusion abounds in the Fellowship.

The book does not EVER mention that we are to always be "recovering", in fact, it mentions no less than forty seven times the exact opposite - as in something that happened to them when they had a spiritual awakening.

The word "recovering" is used only once. ONCE! And it is in context which is NEVER used by those who claim that all abstinent alcoholics will always be recovering. "Our women folk have suggested certain attitudes a wife may take with the husband who is recovering." (122:1)

Here the co-authors are speaking of the newcomer who has just been Twelve Stepped into making his beginning with the Program; since he has not yet finished it and had the spiritual awakening has not yet recovered. This period of time is only a matter of a few days - not months and years - certainly not for a lifetime. Spiritual GROWTH is for a lifetime - not recoverING!

Always sick -- always recovering is a foreign concept brought into the Fellowship from treatment methods other than the spiritual one proposed in AA.

By and large the term "Recovering" has been pushed into the Fellowship by for-profit treatment ceneters.

I doint give a crumb if many are 501c3 - the livelihoods of the principals depend upon the salaries they draw. These organization use their own brand of brainwashing techniques to indoctrinate "Clients" away from the AA spiritual treatment, which always has and still does promote full RECOVERY. (All the while giving lip service to AA by telling "alumni" to "Go to meetings" and rewriting the first three steps in their handout literature)

Treatment centers have no financial interest in seeing anyone actually recover from alcoholism, but have a great financial interest in ensuring that clients are always remain sick and still recovering. 

Alcoholics Anonymous is a very unique "club" It is a 12 step fellowship were one can hold contempt for its 12 steps and actually still consider oneself a member in good standing. What's with THAT?

Peace,

Danny S