Andy F

Dear friends If you are trying to stay sober in AA and are keen to work the steps but don't believe in God, you may find this blog helpful. https://aaforagnostics.com/blog/step-three-alcoholics-anonymous/ Wishing everyone a sober and serene day Disclaimer The content of this blog is an AA member's personal experience. It does not necessarily represent the ideas, beliefs, or practices of Alcoholics Anonymous

...........For anyone reading this thread, please be assured that atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers, from its very inception, have always been welcome in AA. It is by no means a requirement to believe in God to recover from alcoholism. All you need is a power greater than you. That could be AA itself, or any other positive power that will help you to stay sober and recreate your life. That's what AA is and has always been. Let Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, and author of The Big Book, tell you himself. Responsibility Is Our Theme Newcomers are approaching AA at the rate of tens of thousands yearly. They represent almost every belief and attitude imaginable. We have atheists and agnostics. We have people of nearly every race, culture, and religion. In AA we are supposed to be bound together in the kinship of a common suffering. Consequently, the full individual liberty to practice any creed or principle or therapy whatever should be a first consideration for us all. Let us not, therefore, pressure anyone with our individual or even our collective views. Let us instead accord each other the respect and love that is due to every human being as he tries to make his way toward the light. Let us always try to be inclusive rather than exclusive; let us remember that each alcoholic among us is a member of AA, so long as he or she so declares. Bill W. Copyright © AA Grapevine, Inc. (July 1965)

According to the General Service Office of AA in New York, the Big Book and entire AA program is open to personal interpretation. If you have taken the Big Book literally, it speaks to your absolute terror of being more open-minded. Open-mindedness, is what gives AA it's all-inclusive quality. All-inclusiveness is a spiritual quality, rigid religious fundamentalism is not!

"This was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics. They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of belief or lack of belief." Bill W.

Dear friends, More and more atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers are coming into AA to get sober. However, this can prove to be a challenge given that the 12 Steps of the program strongly encourage a belief in God. In the past, too many alcoholics have walked away from AA because of the “God” word. I suspect that even more have avoided the program because they see it as some quasi-religion. Their reasons are understandable............ https://aaforagnostics.com/blog/secular-aa/ Disclaimer The content of this blog is an AA member's personal experience. It does not necessarily represent the ideas, beliefs, or practices of Alcoholics Anonymous

This man clearly has mental health issues. Surely he should be admitted to a psychiatric unit for a psychiatric assessment before deporting him

You call atheists,agnostics and freethinkers leftists as if there were some kind of political division in AA. There aren't. There are only alcoholics who believe in God and those that either don't or are still seeking. For people who purport to have faith in a loving God, all I am hearing is sarcasm, and judgement. If I ever do convert and become a Christian, remind me to avoid whatever church you attend.

You can read all about AA fundamentalism here http://aacultwatch.blogspot.com/ I very much doubt that you will take the time to read about the dangers of fundamentalism because it's almost impossible to convince a fundamentalism that he is wrong in going down the road of any type of extremism. It's got nothing to do with genuine spirituality.

Your sarcasm is a true measure of your ignorance! Ordinary religious observance and faith are entirely different from hardcore religious fundamentalism in AA One is healthy, the other sick. Very sick in fact!

Nothing wrong with religious AA members mate. It's the hardcore religious fundamentalists that have become the cancer in AA

If you read my book, you would see that it is the religious fundamentalists in AA that are destroying AA. They are the ones that have gone mad interpreting the AA program to suit their extreme interpretation of the program. Although in the minority, sadly, this type of fundamentalism has become a cancer on the AA landscape Vulnerable newcomers are dying after getting involved in their cult like power driven agendas. These type of abuses have to be stopped in AA! https://aaforagnostics.com/ Check out my book."You can't be a real alcoholic if you don't believe in God" It's free. Andy F

They exist in England too. I was in a cult like splinter group in London called "The vision for you" https://aaforagnostics.com/?s=Cult Also, check out AAcultwatch, a UK website. It's very eye opening

It's worth getting a full medical check up and a professional medical opinion. It may help motivate you to quit smoking and start doing a bit of mild exercise. Walking in nature may give your lungs a new lease of life. Going to a sauna and steam bath, may also clear your lungs a bit. I was diagnosed with COPD. This was the wake up call I needed to quit smoking. COPD is irreversible but it can improve a lot with regular exercise. Good luck 🙏🌹🙏

The fundamentalists and the Big Book Thumpers in AA are free to interpret the Big Book in any way that works for them. That is absolutely fine, so long as they don't try to shove their particular brand of AA down the throats of those who are not interested. Following a recent dialogue with the General Service Office (GSO) of AA in New York, I was informed that the AA program is completely open to personal interpretation. I assume that this includes the AA Big Book. That, too, is open to personal interpretation. The last time I looked, AA was still a pure democracy. You take what you need and leave the rest. The AA conference is mindful that for AA to survive, it had to reassess its position on the use of the word "God" as the only higher power that works. See the link to the "God" word pamphlet. https://www.aa.org/god-word-agnostic-and-atheist-members-aa You tell me that I have not answered your questions/ Why on Earth would I want to do that when I don't want what you have? I am 27 years sober with contented sobriety. I sponsor 5 guys who also identify as atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers. We study the literature. I always tell them they will recover if they make AA their higher power. I remind them that pertinent idea C says, "God could and would if he were SOUGHT". It doesn't say found! As long as the alcoholic remains a spiritual seeker and remains true to himself, he will stay sober and recreate his life. pertinent idea B says, "No human power could relieve our alcoholism." Can you call the collective power of alcoholics in AA a human power? No, collectively. This Group Of Drunks. is definitely a power greater than the individual alcoholic. Relax, guys; we atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers have got it all in hand. Many have not had a drink in years and are happy, joyous and free. In response to that, I suppose you are now going to tell me that "I can't be a REAL alcoholic if I don't believe in God". In all my years in AA, I have never heard such a deluded and psychotic statement from the fundamentalist camp in AA. You guys keep doing what you do if it keeps you sober, and we will keep doing what we do to keep us sober. "LIVE AND LET LIVE" - Popular AA slogan displayed at almost every AA meeting worldwide.