AA... and more

Heading towards 8 months of sobriety.  The road towards sobriety is a long one, and the road of sobriety is a long one.  Desperation (I drank to escape life.), denial (But I claimed I just did it for fun, and it wasn't a big deal.), despair (I thought I was fixing a problem by drinking, but I was creating more problems.), discovery (One day in the hospital a patient was talking about his own freedom from addiction, and I realized I needed that freedom too), determination (No more drinking, I was done- and I didn't need anyone or anything to help me.), dependence (I went to AA, and realized that I couldn't do it on my own- God is the only one who gives freedom.)... I think those d-words kinda sum up the process.


So when I moved back to MN, I was checking out different AA groups, and conveniently found one that was a great fit right away.  I was slightly apprehensive when I pulled into the parking lot- I still didn't think I needed AA, and the building was this senior community center thing.  I finally find the room where the meeting is- the youngest person there probably had 20 years on me.  But once I got over myself, it hit the spot, and has continued to for 7 months now.  I immediately acquired a good dozen new grandparents, and I love it.


I've heard a lot of criticism from Christians concerning AA, the primary being terminology- "higher power."  Interestingly enough, though, I have found AA to be far more "Christian" than many churches.  I'm not here to bash churches, but I do want to defend AA.  Let me give a few examples of why Christians should actually be incredibly supportive of AA:

• AA provides an opportunity to encounter God in non-spiritually-intimidating way.  Using terminology such as "higher power" allows a person to be faced with the fact that they need something outside of themselves, but to seek out what that looks like at their own pace.  Most AA's actually end up at God, but they need a chance to do so.  So many come in to AA with extreme spiritual baggage, primarily after seeing hypocrisy in those who called themselves Christians but were extremely eager to judge the drunk/addict's "speck" in order to not have to look at their own "log" (Matthew 7:4).  AA provides a judgement-free environment (of course there are exceptions) to admit your need for someone/something to save you.  Which is where we all need to start.
• There's a common baseline that enables AA's to find authentic community, and to become authentic themselves.  The whole "hi, my name is ___ and I'm an alcoholic" really happens.  (I get that question a lot.)  And while to an outsider it might sound kinda silly, I've found it to be incredibly powerful.  Trying to act like you've got life figured out is frivolous at an AA meeting- by definition, you are there because you are messed up!  But showing up and quickly being reminded by each person that they, too, are messed up... suddenly there is an environment naturally conducive to honesty.  
• The people in AA, especially if you "have" a particular group, are as invested in your sobriety as you are.  They let you go at the pace you need to go at, but they are going to challenge you to keep moving forward.  And the whole "sponsor" deal is spot on.  You are never on your own, period.  You are affirmed, held accountable, challenged, and encouraged, because these people honestly care about you.
• Hugs.  Maybe sounds like it's not that big of a deal.  But it is.  I don't know about you, but a hug from someone that genuinely is glad to see me is pretty powerful.  Maybe it just defies my tendency to think I'm "untouchable" because I suck so bad... like Mother Teresa's deal was all about physically touching the "untouchables" of India as a tangible way of showing that they really were not untouchable...  I don't know, but I do know that a hug communicates a message that can't be communicated any other way.  Anyway, I'm not sure how/why exactly it came to be, but AA's love to hug, and it's awesome.
• The point of AA isn't to stop drinking, it is to embrace a sober life.  There's a big difference.  Stopping something doesn't automatically lead to doing something else.  Most come in to AA thinking they just committed to a fun-free life, and if all they did was stop drinking, the alcoholic would be pretty miserable.  But by taking the principles for living that AA provides (12 steps and 12 traditions), a life beyond our imagination is opened up to us.

Here's the deal.  I wholeheartedly agree that AA falls short.  But so do all man-made institutions, including churches, or even Christian recovery programs (i.e. Celebrate Recovery).  AA doesn't claim to be "the answer," rather, it claims to provide a well-trodden path towards The Answer.  Will it work for everyone?  Of course not.  But has it and will it work for many?  Yes.  Let me end with a brief soapbox rant...


Just because something isn't labeled "the Gospel" or "God" or whatever, doesn't mean that it isn't.  When I say that I "preached the Gospel" today, I'm guessing that giving a homeless friend some clean clothes isn't the first thing you think of.  And I wouldn't even think to say that.  Yet it is the Gospel.  Just because someone doesn't acknowledge God's merciful intervention doesn't mean that God didn't mercifully intervene.  I think we get caught up in Christian "lingo" a lot (myself included), and by doing so we not only alienate those who don't know the lingo, but also even completely fail to recognize God's presence and revelation because it isn't in our "Christian dictionary."  AA is legit, because God is using it to save lives and draw His children to Himself.  And it's doing so in a way that is unique and commendable.  


Soapbox dismounted.  You may go on with your day.