concept of sickness

A. A.'s did not use the concept of sickness to absolve our members from moral responsibility. On the contrary, we used the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of moral responsibility on to the sufferer. The further point was made that in his early days of drinking the alcoholic often was no doubt guilty of irresponsibility and gluttony. But once the time of compulsive drinking, veritable lunacy had arrived and he couldn't very well be held accountable for his conduct. He then had a lunacy which condemned him to drink, in spite of all he could do; he had developed a bodily sensitivity to alcohol that guaranteed his final madness and death. When this state of affairs was pointed out to him, he was placed immediately under the heaviest kind of pressure to accept A.A.'s moral and spiritual program of regeneration -namely, our Twelve Steps. Fortunately, Mr. Link was satisfied with this view of the use that we were making of the alcoholic's illness.

concept of sickness

A. A.'s did not use the concept of sickness to absolve our members from moral responsibility. On the contrary, we used the fact of fatal...

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Women who question "the program,"

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzVLCBpdGSDPukwHWOzYmqum0y4jdPK8ZN9_ilD9jnEycpa4BGf0GfYYBTLxtKNvspBZPuNnpJ3pcR28onx2CyMuySpstHuDUtb_AgovkjAuikKtBwBJZLztpeHV7T5fnmo0RmjWE8R0/s1600-h/aa.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146025504627851762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzVLCBpdGSDPukwHWOzYmqum0y4jdPK8ZN9_ilD9jnEycpa4BGf0GfYYBTLxtKNvspBZPuNnpJ3pcR28onx2CyMuySpstHuDUtb_AgovkjAuikKtBwBJZLztpeHV7T5fnmo0RmjWE8R0/s200/aa.gif" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><br />Women who question "the program," as it's often called, have been shamed, called resistant, and threatened with abandonment. They have been trained to believe that male models of nearly everything are better than whatever they might create for themselves.<br />Some women are grateful for what 12-step programs have given them: a generally available peer model providing support and understanding at no cost. Yet no one way works for everyone. The steps were formulated by a white, middle-class male in the 1930s; not surprisingly, they work to break down an over inflated ego, and put reliance on an all-powerful male God. But most women suffer from the lack of a healthy, aware ego, and need to strengthen their sense of self by affirming their own inner wisdom.<br />Research strongly suggests that alcohol addiction has links to genetic predisposition. A vital point that seems overlooked in AA is that in the case of nearly all substance abuse, the brain chemistry and the body ecology need extensive healing in order to prevent the protracted withdrawal syndrome of depression, anxiety, volatile emotions, and obsessive thinking that can last for years. Too often women endlessly attend groups, have psychotherapy, or take antidepressants when their emotions are actually being influenced by a chemical imbalance that could be helped by proper nutrition and exercise.<br /><br />Other addictions and codependency (as well as the will to recover), are influenced by cultural oppression, which includes poverty, battering, racism, sexism, and homophobia. Treatment programs need to incorporate understanding - and advocacy - regarding these concerns.

Women who question "the program,"

Women who question "the program," as it's often called, have been shamed, called resistant, and threatened with abandonment. T...

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