“My AA Pedigree: What Actually Works When the Pink Cloud Fades”

(A Reformer’s Honest Take – With Photo Proof of his Big Book, and 5-year sobriety chip)

---

Why You Should Listen to Me

I’ve earned the right to critique AA because I loved it first:

• 90 days sober → relapsed
• 1 year sober → relapsed
• 5 years sober (chip in my truck to prove it)
• Roles: Sponsor, Big Book thumper, meeting facilitator
• Legacy: Walked 100+ men through AA’s doors—watched most walk back out

This isn’t an attack. It’s an autopsy of what works when the program’s shine wears off.

---

CHAPTER 5 EXCERPT: “WHAT WORKED IN AA (AND WHAT DIDN’T)”

“Keeping the Baby, Throwing Out the Holy Water”

WHAT WORKED (THE LIFELINES)

1. “Just Today” (The 24-Hour Rule)
   • AA’s Version: “Don’t quit forever—just don’t drink right now.”
   • Why It Stuck: Even Jesus only promised daily bread (Matthew 6:11).
   • My Twist: Moderation’s version: “Just this drink” not “just today.”
2. Acceptance (Not Resignation)
   • Big Book Quote: “Acceptance is the answer to ALL my problems today.”
   • My Upgrade: Plan your week but hold it loosely. God edits calendars.
3. Resentment Surgery
   • AA’s Diagnosis: “Justifiable anger is still poison.”
   • Tools I Kept: “Write their name. Burn it. Pray for them.”
4. Meetings as Reset Buttons
   • The Science: 10 minutes in a folding chair > 2 hours of white-knuckling.
5. The Big Book’s Gold
   • Then: Underlined “We are people who would not take ‘no’ for an answer.”
   • Now: Underlined “Half measures availed us nothing.”
   • Funny How: Abstinence can be the ultimate half-measure.

THE GAPS: WHERE AA LEFT ME HUNGRY

1. The ‘Old-Timer’ Paradox
   • Problem: “25 years sober, same war stories, zero growth.”
   • Margin Note 2010: “If I hear ‘back in ‘83’ one more time, I’ll drink.”
2. The ‘Drunkalogues’ Trap
   • Problem: Romanticizing chaos without solutions rehearses relapse.
3. The Higher Power Muddle
   • Sharpie Rant: “Since when is Jesus ‘as we understood Him’ a Twinkie?”
4. The Stagnation Problem
   • Journal 2011: “Year 5: Still introducing myself as ‘an alcoholic’? Really?”
5. The Unwritten Curriculum
   • The Mosser Rule: “If Bill W didn’t write it, it’s suggestion—not law.”

---

The Takeaway for Your Journey

AA gave me:
✔ The vocabulary to understand addiction
✔ The community to survive isolation
✔ The humility to seek Christ

…but its dogma nearly drowned the grace that actually saved me.

“Step One’s Fatal Flaw: When ‘Powerlessness’ Feels Like Surrender”

The Brutal Truth About Step One
Admitting powerlessness over alcohol? For many, it’s not humility—it’s spiritual suicide.

We live in a world where:

• Governments demand control over your body
• Religions manipulate through guilt
• Jobs steal 8 hours daily with meaningless tasks

Now AA says: “Surrender this too—your drinking—because you’re powerless.”

That’s a hell of an ask.

---

The Personality Types Who Rebel

1. The Fighter
   • “I’ll control my drinking through willpower!”
   • (Fails because willpower is finite)
2. The Skeptic
   • “Why surrender to a ‘higher power’ when churches abused me?”
3. The Realist
   • “I’ve seen ‘powerless’ people get walked on their whole lives.”

Scripture Anchor:
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

(Note: This reframes “powerlessness” as a lie—we have Christ’s power within us.)

---

There IS a Better Way: The Truce

What if recovery isn’t about surrender, but strategic negotiation?

My Terms:

1. Jesus Runs the Ship(Non-negotiable)
   • Not AA’s vague “higher power”
   • Not your ego’s failed willpower
   • Christ alone as sponsor
2. You Keep Your Agency
   • Moderation isn’t failure—it’s a ceasefire
   • Boundaries replace blank-check abstinence
3. The Daily Recon Mission
   • Prayer over platitudes
   • Scripture over war stories
   • “Thy will” over “my will”

Key Scripture:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

(This contrasts AA’s heavy burden of eternal vigilance with Christ’s promise of rest.)

---

The Choice You Actually Have

1. AA’s Path:
   • “You’re powerless. Surrender everything.”
2. The Truce Path:
   • “You’re empowered by Christ. Negotiate boundaries.”

This isn’t rebellion—it’s resurrection.

---

Your Move

1. Comment below:
   • What part of “powerlessness” never sat right with you?
2. Try this today:
   • Replace AA’s Step 1 prayer with “Jesus, show me where I need Your power—and where I need to take responsibility.”
3. Please like, share and subscribe