We have a responsibility to do whatever we can — even if that means pointing someone to an alternative (non-12-step) pathway of recovery. I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had with people who are frightened to leave 12-step fellowships. They contact me because they heard that I left Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics… Continue reading 5 Myths About Leaving 12-Step Fellowships
Tag: dogma
My Experience in a 12-Step Cult
As part of my therapy I had to cut contact with my family and tell my professors I was recovering from sexual abuse. It was excruciating, but I wanted to do the “hard work” of recovery. “If you leave here, you will be on the street.” From her red upholstered chair, my psychotherapist Marlene launched… Continue reading My Experience in a 12-Step Cult
God Hates Pikachu and He Also Killed My Daddy
My higher power doesn’t want me sticking a needle in my arm. For me today, it’s as simple as that. I didn’t want to unpack this story so soon. My aim was to share my experience with getting and staying sober in a dry and witty way, do that for a while with you, maybe… Continue reading God Hates Pikachu and He Also Killed My Daddy
Is There Life After AA?
I was fed up with the fear-based conditioning of being told that if I left, I wouldn’t stay sober, and I was tired of the constant message that my future was up to some mystic higher power. When I walked into my first AA meeting, I felt like I was broken into a million pieces.… Continue reading Is There Life After AA?
