Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Alcoholics Anonymous

2008-12-03T18:12:18Z

AngelaM2: /* Character and morality */

'''Alcoholics Anonymous''' is an organization created to help alcoholics on the path to recovery from [[alcoholism]]. Founded on June 10th, 1935 in [[Akron]], [[Ohio]] by William (Bill W.) Wilson and Dr. Robert (Dr. Bob) Smith, it utilizes a [[twelve step program]] to help those suffering from [[alcoholic drink|alcohol]] [[addiction]] to overcome their addiction, relying on [[faith]] in a "higher power". Both Wilson and Smith were members of the [[Oxford Group]], a Christian reform movement started by Lutheran minister [[Frank Buchman]], until about 1939 when the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" was published. The organization itself takes its name from the title of the book.

== The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous ==
#We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
#Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
#Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
#Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
#Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
#Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
#Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
#Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
#Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
#Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
#Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
#Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

==The Success of 12-Step Programs==
The inclusiveness and support of 12-step programs has led to the model being extended to other addictions, such as narcotics, gambling, and sex.

==Higher Power==
The "higher power" cited in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups does not necessarily refer to [[God]]. The phrase "God ''as we understood Him''" allows members to choose other gods or "powers" to help them in their recovery.

==Character and morality==

One of the goals of Alcoholics Anonymous is to promote the idea that alcoholism is not a [[moral weakness]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=p9pp8Nv05lUC&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=alcoholism+moral+weakness&source=web&ots=NUswFo3Ico&sig=uvCDl3DO5sA0ZVe_G3xJDhiU1Dw#PPA77,M1Z Alcoholic Thinking: Language, Culture, and Belief in Alcoholics Anonymous]</ref> This is at odds with the opinion of 63 percent of Americans, who believe that alcoholism is a moral weakness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-136837521.html|title=See more articles from AScribe Health News Service: Stigma Persists Despite Scientific Evidence That Alcoholism Is Not a Moral Weakness}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Serenity Prayer]]

==External Links==
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Organizations]]

Serenity Prayer

2008-12-03T17:49:49Z

AngelaM2:

The '''Serenity Prayer''' goes, "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference."<ref>"Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words," [[Bill W.]] wrote. [http://www.aahistory.com/prayer.html The Origin of our Serenity Prayer] </ref>

Although the ending, "wisdom to know the difference", sounds like a [[punchline]], the prayer is no joke. It is part of the most serious organized program of spiritual and religious development known to modern psychology (see [[Twelve Steps]]).

In life having the wisdom to know what we can change and what we cannot change is frequently the hardest part of an endeavour. How long do we keep trying to change something that resists change? When do we switch and look for something to do that is productive?

See also:
*[[Alcoholics Anonymous]]

Serenity Prayer

2008-12-03T17:48:42Z

AngelaM2:

The '''Serenity Prayer''' goes, "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference."<ref>"Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words," [[Bill W.]] wrote. [http://www.aahistory.com/prayer.html The Origin of our Serenity Prayer] </ref>

Although the ending, "wisdom to know the difference", sounds like a [[punchline]], the prayer is no joke. It is part of the most serious organized program of spiritual and religious development known to modern psychology (see [[Twelve Steps]]).

In life having the wisdom to know what we can change and what we cannot change is frequently the hardest part of an endevour. How long do we keep trying to change something that resists change? When do we switch and look for something to do that is productive?

See also:
*[[Alcoholics Anonymous]]