Recently, I have had the pleasure and privilege of attending some Al-Anon and  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings and reading a bit of AA’s basic text “The Big Book,” (BB) .  I see now why some of the people I know who have been in AA I have so much respect for.  Dang if their words don’t sound a whole lot like the wisdom I see in the BB and hear in AA meetings.  And, dang if a lot of what’s in the BB isn’t a whole lot like what I have spent much of the last couple of years learning…

I recall having seen My name Is Bill W. (1989),  the story of the founding of AA starring James Woods and James Garner a few years back during my TV TV TV watching watching watching phase ( http://choose.ws/2009/06/18/what-is-reality/drama-story-truth/feeling-the-drama/yucel/ ).  It was an uplifting movie;  however, I don’t remember giving it much thought beyond perhaps how AA might have seemed part of the transformation process in the life of a loved one who have had issues with alcohol long ago.

Perhaps 20-30 years ago, picked up the BB.  Skimmed it  and put it down due to its emphasis on god as necessary to the transformational 12 step process.  You may have read ( http://choose.ws/about/ ), I have been an atheist for most of my adult life, until early in 2008.  The BB did not resonate with Yucel the atheist.  Still, I thought it might be useful for the weak minded who needed god as a crutch…  Religion is the opiate of the masses and all that… Sound like mirroring, judgement?   Uh-huh…

Yeah, how times change…   Ain’t it great?

Well, now that I have, I think the quote within BB “Why don’t you choose your conception of God?” seems dang brilliant.  And yes, I said dang again.

Greg Baer, who created the “Real Love“, a program which is very minimally spiritual, began much of his transformative process through some substance abuse program, which was probably 12 Step based.  AA is the mother of all the 12 Step programs.    I hear the difference in steps is mostly in the whatcha get over step,  in AA its alcohol.  

Real Love resonated with me so strongly when I approached it, because it was not god centric.  And, I was not ready at that time, in very early 2008, to have a heavily god centric approach.  However, much like a personal story I heard from someone in AA.    Once I started going to Real Love meetings, which were hosted at NVC, my church (NOW its my church)  ( http://www.newvisionaz.org/ ), I decided to put a toe into NVC… and have been going fairly regularly since as part of my spiritual awaking.

In fact, after doing Real Love for a few months, I felt something was missing from Real Love.  Don’t get me wrong.  Real Love is something I still attend fairly regularly and use all the time…  it’s great!   And, it was perfect for me just as it is and was (any more goddy and I would have run away.    And, Real Love opened the door for me to pursue god on my terms in my time).   What was missing from Real Love was the spiritual element.  And in AA, the spiritual element is there in spades. 

Now when I read the BB, or go to an AA meeting, or say The Lord’s Prayer, I am in resonance with it, because I am free to choose my own conception of god.   And, to respect the conception other’s choose for god.  And, to read through the lines of any religious text, and to take the parts that work for me, in the way they work for me.  We each are likewise free.  As it says in the BB, “We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.” 

I choose this for me.  Will you?

I’m grateful to Bill W. for this program, which helped him, and through his works seems to have propagated its way into my life in myriad meaningful ways, and into the lives of my family and loved ones, and people I have passed on the street or been friends with, often anonymously.

Grateful to be peacefully yours,

Yucel