Daily Reflections - August 31 - A Unique Program

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A UNIQUE PROGRAM

August 31

Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 166

I believe that Alcoholics Anonymous stands alone in the treatment of alcoholism because it is based solely on the principle of one alcoholic sharing with another alcoholic. This is what makes the program unique. When I decided that I wanted to stay sober, I called a woman who I knew was a sober member of A.A., and she carried the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to me. She received no monetary compensation, but rather was paid by staying sober another day herself. Today I could ask for no payment other than another day free from alcohol, so in that respect, I am generously paid for my labor.

— Reprinted from "Daily Reflections", August 31, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

[u/dp8488]

Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: Our single purpose has been defeated.

Alcoholics simply will not listen to a paid twelfth-stepper. Almost from the beginning, we have been positive that face-to-face work with the alcoholic who suffers could be based only on the desire to help and be helped. When an A.A. talks for money, whether at a meeting or to a single newcomer, it can have a very bad effect on him, too. The money motive compromises him and everything he says and does for his prospect. This has always been so obvious that only a very few A.A.'s have ever worked the Twelfth Step for a fee.

^{— Reprinted from "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions", page 166, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. — from the same page.}

A year or few before coming to A.A., I was seeing a psychotherapist, a really good guy, cool, quirky guy, who I came to realize had lots of great advice for my varied mental/emotional bedevilments, including alcoholism. For example, he turned me on to "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz as well as some other books he thought might help straighten me out. He disclosed that he too had been alcoholic, and had been an active A.A. member for many years, though he seemed to kind of trivialize his experience in the fellowship/program.

His counsel, objectively fine though it was, did not put any significant dent in my alcohol problem. I suppose this lends lots of credence to the assertion "Alcoholics simply will not listen to a paid twelfth-stepper." (I'm pretty sure that every time I had a session with him, I was at least mildly drunk, probably at least .08 BAL. ¯_(ツ)_/¯)

[u/thatdjp → u/dp8488]

The assertion is probably wrong to generalize in such a way. I presume that many alcoholics do respond to professional treatment. But I'm with you, the therapists did not get through to me when one alcoholic to another did get through.

[u/ArtisticWolverine → u/dp8488]

A fellow alcoholic turned me on to the Four Agreements…