I find it curious how in AA, and especially in NA which specifically states "complete abstinence from all drugs", people are outside chain-smoking before and after meetings and are guzzling coffee in the meetings.
Is there not some hypocrisy in this? Even your sponsor will ask you to talk over coffee (though I know you don't actually have to order coffee). I've always refrained from caffeine simply because of my anxiety issues.
But hell, even sugar is a drug. It was the first drug I was ever addicted to as a child. I would steal money for candy, or just steal the candy. I'd use it to get "sugar high".
There's all sorts of addictions (shopping, eating, sex, gambling) and people in recovery often substitute one addiction for another.
What do you think about professing complete abstinence while still using caffeine and nicotine and other substances (and addictions)? Where do you draw the line?
-- Edited by Jakamo on Sunday 21st of February 2016 04:54:51 AM
One thing I've learned in AA is I need to take/use everything in moderation ... balance was to be the key to living a full life ... only when it came to alcohol, I could not control the 'craving' if I had just one drink, cause then all 'logic' left me and I succumb to the intense desire to get more and more until I was a pitiful blob lay'n on the couch ...
In live'n the AA way of life, I think we become keenly aware of exactly what 'addictive' behavior is, and we learn to live in moderation or we pay a price if we don't ... Today, my body tells me when I've had enough ... when it's time to slow down ... when I've had enough candy, cookies, cake, pie, coffee, ice cream, etc. ... I know now that too much of a 'good' thing always comes back to bite me on the ass ...
Maturity in AA is a wonderful thing ... it teaches us to make wise decisions ... so we seldom 'go to extremes' cause we know the price that has to be paid ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
To my knowledge, Alcoholics Anonymous does not profess "complete abstinence from all drugs."
Actually, AA supports and encourages members who "over-indulge" in smoking and coffee drinking.
I don't know that NA does any differently than AA.
Every NA meeting I've ever been to starts with the preamble, in How It Works, that states:
"Thinking of alcohol as different from other drugs has caused a great many addicts to relapse. Before we came to NA, many of use viewed alcohol, separately, but we cannot afford to be confused about this. Alcohol is a drug. We are people with the disease of addiction who must abstain from all drugs in order torecover."
It also states this in the NarcoticAnonymous book. Maybe I should have posted this in the NA forum but I don't post there because alcohol is my DOC. When I started going to meetings I decided to go to NA instead of AA for a while because it doesn't have the constant talk about alcohol and 'war stories' that can sometimes trigger relapse, especially as a newcomer. Then I discovered the Big Book study groups and weaned myself back into AA meetings.
That being said, I just found it odd that the preamble before meetings, and in the NA book, DOES specify "complete abstinence from all drugs", and also "supports and encourages members who 'over-indulge' in smoking and coffee drinking".
-- Edited by Jakamo on Sunday 21st of February 2016 12:44:11 PM
Oh, and yes Pappy, maturity (and moderation when and if possible) is a wonderful thing.
I think it's the people chain-smoking before and after meetings that got to me the most. There is no moderation in this. When I see this something in me just says 'wait, there's something wrong here.' These people are still killing themselves, just without the hangover. Though I've heard a slow death from cancer can be quite the hangover indeed.
I know it would be ridiculous to expect people in recovery to never take a Tylenol for a headache or to abstain from eating or shopping or sex(yikes!). But despite your experience, many people do replace one addiction with another. When I stopped drinking I found myself once again craving massive amounts of sugar. I did a Google search on this and it is actually quite common ("All the research has shown that when people binge on carbs and sugar, and then restrict, the body creates an endogenous opioid. It is released in the body much like the chemicals released when people are doing other narcotics. The PET and CAT scans of food addicts look almost identical to that of alcoholics and drug addicts, showing that sugar creates a physical addiction. In addition, sugar addicts carry the same D2 dopamine receptor, the gene that identifies addiction, as alcoholics and addicts. In those ways, biochemically, food addiction is just like addiction to drugs and alcohol. When we talk to recovering alcoholics and addicts who are finding their way to Overeaters Anonymous, we find a very common refrain: I started using sugar or food just like I was using alcohol.")
If the new addiction is not completely harmful to your health, like another drug problem, I suppose it is still progress in one way or another. Not in terms of moderation, but at least you're not killing yourself, or being a delusional jackass.
-- Edited by Jakamo on Sunday 21st of February 2016 12:30:02 PM
Alcoholics Anonymous is not the same fellowship as Narcotics Anonymous, nor do the two have anything to do with each other. Some attend both fellowship, and NA's twelve Steps are based on Alcoholics Anonymous , but that's about it.
AA's Twelve Traditions make it clear that Alcoholics Anonymous is about helping people with their alcoholism, period. It is not about complete abstinence from all drugs. That is a different program.
I took me awhile in recovery to where I was able to dealing with my other addictive or harmful behavior. I expect nothing less from others in recovery. I am not the morality police, or judge, jury, and exicutioner. I am just another alcoholic who recovered using AA's 12 steps.
It's easy to find fault and point fingers in any aspect in life, especially those in recovery. Even those church folk can be hypocritical. It's up to me to change my attitude to see the all the good.
