What's it all about...Alkie???

Is this recovery "thing" a you versus me, us versus them, Thursday Night at the Fight where NO ONE is right???

I'm bettin' there we're a whole LOT of people getting better before some dumb-ass Judge (brilliant idea, actually) came up with the idea to "sentence" people to AA. Now I haven't been around that long, but again I'll bet (hmmm, notice a pattern?), success rates (next week, ok?) have gone downhill ever since.

I, personally, have seen rage-aholics sentenced to AA, non-alcoholics sentenced to AA (even a non-drinker!) and worse...so much worse, the mentally ill get sentenced to AA.

The problem, you ask? Anytime the men and 1 or 2 women in high places that run this Great Land of Ours put a stamp of approval on some "thing", too often it becomes accepted as not just THE way but the BEST way. And when that happens the snowballs start getting real big for their trip down the hill.

From the Government? Less money for research. Less involvement in Treatment Center practices. Less, less, less. Why? When you have a FREE place to SENTENCE people to, why bother?

For 12 Step programs? Dilution of their core membership. Resistance to their methods. An exodous of older, more experienced members who simply don't need to put up with the attitude of a 19 year old with a DUI that HAS to be there.

And any alternative treatment methods? Let me ask you...with the exception of the Anti-AA psychologist or social worker who wrote a couple of books (good stuff-bad presentation-worse P.R.)sometime after (or was it before?) he was laughed out of the Treatment Community by his peers, name any Drug Addiction or Alcoholism Treatment method or center or person or organization that gets the following:

Free Advertising
Free Continuous Supply of New Faces (appointed, no less)
Free Celebrity Endorsements (well, some of those are sentenced too...)
Almost Free Rent
and...
A Halo

STOP! I know what you're thinking. You are wrong.

I am all for AA and the many, many people that have been helped through the 12 steps. This isn't about AA. AA is a VOLUNTARY, self-admission, self-supporting fellowship. But because of the "stamp", no other methods or practices get acknowledged, let alone noticed. No, this is Firefox versus Internet Explorer. After all the great press, media and industry buzz-and an opening day record of 1 MILLION downloads-Firefox, probably better but at least as good as IE, now has about a 3 1/2% market share to Microsofts 96%. Thats WITH good press and hype.

But because AA got the "stamp of approval" the cities and counties and states found far more important things to do with the little bit of money originally marked for addiction treatment. And before anyone noticed, AA had become the dumping ground for problems that rightly belong to those same cities,counties and states.

Can an organization with a treatment model that depends on honesty, openmindedness and willingness survive when van fulls of county sponsored work-released inmates and freshly sentenced Drunk Drivers are the majority in some meetings?

Because it's getting worse-not better-and if AA implodes or explodes (won't happen-not soon anyway..I think) there is no plan B. There is simply no money. Alcoholics, real, imagined or otherwise, would do their "treatment" (AA MEETINGS! Put on by AA VOLUNTEERS!) in city, county and state prisons. Just what the Prison Guard Union ordered.(another story, some other time...maybe.)

So AA...if you're listening...I have it all worked out for you. The best part is you already know how to do it. Back to Basics. Go underground. Alcoholics would have to be "sponsored in" and the meetings would go back to the dark church basements. No meetings "lists". Wanna know where the meetings are? Better show up every week or day so we can tell you. And sign an attendence slip for the courtt that sent(enced) you here?

Sorry-we're Alcoholics ANONYMOUS. Tell the Judge we said to sentence you to Betty Ford.

Hey, they're a non-profit...