Since you came to this newsgroup, you probably drink beer. And since you drink beer (or other alcoholic beverages), you *might* be an alcoholic. If you suspect you are an alcoholic, you might consider joining "Alcoholics Anonymous" (AA). It seems that everyone thinks of AA when someone drinks too much, as if it's "The Place to Go".
But AA is not what most people think it is. It's NOT an innocent program for alcoholics. Instead, it's a RELIGIOUS CULT. As soon as you enter one of their meetings, they make you admit to being an alcoholic. Then you must take the FIRST STEP, in which they tell you that you're POWERLESS, and INSANE. This FIRST STEP is the ONLY step out of the 12 steps that even mention alcohol. The other 11 steps are about God and religion. Yea, they trick you at first telling you that you must believe in a HIGHER POWER (which can be anything you choose), but the word quickly changes to the word "GOD". By the end of that meeting, they will have you praying as part of the group.
For the religious type of person this may not sound bad, but it goes much deeper than that. AA will then brainwash it's members, telling them that they can never fully recover, and must attend AA for the rest of their lives. They go on to say that even one drink can kill an alcoholic, or put them in prison or another institution. And, anyone who leaves AA will never be able to stay sober on their own. (Remember, you're POWERLESS. AA becomes the new addiction, and AA does a good job of cutting their members off from the real world. They want AA to become your whole life, and you must completely abstain from alcohol for life.
Please note, the public is told that AA is NOT RELIGIOUS. That is a huge lie, because AA is ALL about religion. In fact they have no real solutions to actually stop drinking. Instead you are supposed to turn it over to God, and he will help you quit. After that, you just keep going to their boring meetings at least once a week for the rest of your life.
AA has a reputation for causing suicide among it's members. That is pretty obvious if you see how these people attend these meetings, hardly ever smile, and have little or no entertainment in their lives. They just go to their meetings, which every one is just a repeat of the last with slight variation.
I know all of this, because I spent several years going to AA and putting up with their crap. This all began because I drank way too much in my 20's, (which is not uncommon for kids in their 20's). I left AA after about 2 years, because I could see thru their bullshit and lies. But leaving AA was much harder than quitting drinking, because of all the guilt they use to brainwash their members. But I did finally leave, yet stayed sober for many years after I left. Then I began drinking again, and found out that I could drink in moderation, drink with responsibility, and stop any time I wanted. It's well over 30 years since I left AA, and I now drink normally. A few times a week at most, and I never get more than a mild buzz.
Kind of funny, when AA told me I could never drink again, could never drink in moderation, and would be an alcoholic all of my life.
Anyhow, I wanted to share this. I am not suggesting that a person who has alcoholic tendencies or just drinks too much, and it's harming their life, not get help. Some people do need to quit drinking, and others should moderate. Only YOU know what works best for you. But you are NOT powerless. Everyone can quit drinking, by simply NOT DRINKING. It's called WILLPOWER.
But if you are really ruining your life from drinking, and find it impossible to quit, by all means GET HELP. But dont go to AA. There are other programs, there are hospital programs, and your family doctor may be the place to start. However, before you seek outside help, why not just see if you can go without any alcohol for ten days. If you can do it for 10 days, you should be able to do it longer. If you cant, then seek help.
But I'll repeat, AA is NOT the place to go. Your goal is to stop drinking or moderate your drinking, NOT JOIN A CULT.
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