An old thread but a goodie. You never know who might be reading. There are many disorders, addictions and compulisve behaviour sufferers who have adopted AAs program of recovery and adapted it to suit the particular issue. At one time AA tried to be all things to all people and it didn't work to well.

There are varying opinions, but so far, my experience is I don't understand the first thing about addiction I am an alcoholic as described in the big book of AA. I relate to that. When someone starts talking to me about pills or gambling or food, or whatever, I sometimes have a vague idea what they are talking about, but I don't understand their behavior. I guess I would be the same as the non alcoholic who doesn't understand alocholism. I have no experience of what they are taking about. And that is quite key.

AA discovered that one alcoholic can affect another like no one else could. It is a question of identification. The alcoholic alone, feels no one understands him. Plenty of people have tried to help, and are mystified when their efforts fail. They try and talk to him but it is plain to him they have no idea what it is like. Then the alcoholic comes along, and straight away you have someone who understands what it means to be alcoholic. They exchange a few stories and the man begins to realise that here is someone who really knows what he is talking about. When that lelvel of trust is established, they can move on to matters of recovery with much more confidence.

I have done that, been on both sides of that kind of meeting. But other issues have different cultures. You send someone to talk to me who has a gambling problem say, how am I going to relate? You send me to see an addict, how am I going to get him to identify if I don't have any experience that he could relate to? Get the picture?

Later on, when we have got past the issue of identification, the solution is of course the same. There is no reason alcoholics and addicts cant work together on some of the steps, possibly with the exception of step nine as drug culture could be a bit dangerous in this area I would imagine.

In the foreword to the first edition of the AA big book it says something like "we are sure our way of life would have its benefits for all" So I dont see anything wrong in sharing it with others, it is just that certain aspects of different conditions are not transferable for purposes of identification. We just can't go along and pretend to be what we are not. How well would that go down.