Another Atheist in Recovery by SpikedUp Frog

Another Atheist in Recovery, SpikedUp Frog. self-published, 2014. eBook, 107 pps.

@SpikedUpFrog on Twitter (tm)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/SpikedUp-Frog?store=allproducts&keyword=SpikedUp+Frog


     Yes, this one is also mine, written under my Twitter (tm) alias. Unlike Up the Rebels!, this one is not fiction. It is about my experiences as a recovering non-theist addict in 12 step programs and also how I had to re-write the steps in order to remain clean. 

     Many people "in the rooms" object to changing the literature in any way. Bill Wilson was actually the first one to give approval to modifying the steps to the first A.A. group of atheist Buddhists in New York City. Some deaf folks years ago modified the twelve steps into a form that they related to better-- these were the twelve ideas of A.A. Charlotte Kasl, in her book Many Roads, One Journey presents several ways in which the steps have been modified for groups of people. And I've been reading books put out by AA Agnostica up in Toronto that illustrate how other atheists and agnostics work the steps, complete with their revisions.

     Another Atheist in Recovery presents the steps in the way that I work them. If you don't like that sort of thing, then stay away from this book. Ditto if you are not interested in addiction matters.

     The deal is that for me to use again is to die. I have done and will continue to do whatever I have to in order to stay abstinent. I don't have an ax to grind with believers. I respect that other people have religious practices. If you are an atheist with sincerely held non-beliefs and you are in recovery-- especially if you are new-- then yeah, Another Atheist in Recovery is for you.

     I am in the midst of my second NaNoWriMo but I will endeavor to post more reviews of stuff I've been reading within the next couple of days.

     Sail Strong!

Don't Tell,edited by Roger C.

Don't Tell: Stories and Essays by Agnostics and Atheists in AA, edited by Roger C.      Toronto: AA Agnostica, 2014. 
ebook, 368 pps.

https://aaagnostica.org/

https://twitter.com/aaagnostica


     It took me a bit to realize that the first word in the title is the word "Don't" followed by the word "Tell." It seems to me that I read it wrong. I read "Don." I couldn't figure out who "Don" was but I got the book anyway. I was glad that I did.

     Don't Tell divides up the stories and essays into ten parts. These ten parts are, in order of appearance, In The Rooms, 12 Steps, Book Reviews, Founders of We Agnostics in 1980 (Hollywood), Lord's Prayer, Many Paths to Recovery, Early History, An AA Pamphlet for Agnostics and Atheists, Controversy in The New Millennium, and Moving Forward. Each section has between two and eleven stories or essays in it. The construction of the book was logical. And the material was highly readable.

     There was a bit of new information for me in Don't Tell. I hadn't known the name of the atheist salesman who got drunk. [Jim Burwell held on to his atheism and his sobriety for the rest of his life. Bill overstates his case for Jim's change in beliefs in the Big Book]. I didn't know that Bill W. gave permission for the first Buddhist A.A. groups to re-write the steps to fit in with their atheism [Some Buddhists are atheists and some are not. The first groups referred to apparently were]. (p.23)

     Nor was I aware of how the designation "Conference approved" is being used to de-list freethinker A.A. groups from various Intergroups' meeting lists. (p. 97). The info about the protracted fight to get the Literature Committee to produce and publish a pamphlet tentatively titled "AA - Spiritual Not Religious" for newer agnostic AA members and those who are religious who wish to understand more about those of us non-believers who are achieving long-term sobriety (pp. 273 - 276) was news to me. [N.B. I read somewhere that the Literature Committee has finally produced a pamphlet about "alternative spiritual paths" which should be coming out at the end of 2014 and which does not include atheists or agnostics. ~ sr].

     The best parts of Don't Tell for me were some A.A. history that I didn't know about along with finding some essays by agnostic and/or atheist members with long-term sobriety.

sapphoq reviews says: Roger C. has done a fine job of editing Don't Tell. I especially appreciated the non-judgmental tone taken toward believers in Alcoholics Anonymous. This book is written for those of us in recovery who have found ways to remain in recovery without recognizing any gods. Believers in recovery who are not threatened by the subject matter (and who understand that there is zero evidence of any attempts by anyone in the book to de-convert them) may also be interested in reading this book. Professional helpers within various rehab structures which use the twelve steps as a basis for treatment ought to be urged to read Don't Tell. Highly recommended.

   


   

Common Sense Recovery by Adam N.

Common Sense Recovery: An Atheist's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous, Adam N. Toronto: AA Agnostica, 2014. ebook, 63 pps.


https://aaagnostica.org/

https://twitter.com/aaagnostica


     Within many twelve step program meetings, it is difficult to share honestly about one's non-belief. Bill W. was raised as a methodist and via the Oxford Group became more of an evangelical christian. 

     Surveys indicate that things are changing in the United States. Our younger folks make up the bulk of atheists and agnostics. And yet, there is a strong current of fundamentalism present in many rooms of recovery as well as in many treatment programs which are based on the twelve steps.

     I came in to recovery believing but that did not last. By the end of my first decade, I had checked out several more religions and found that I was comfortable in none of them. I read creation myths and other legends for Spanish class and that was the beginning of my abandoning religion for something else.

     Unlike Adam N., I do not feel like a spy or a double agent. I do feel a bit uncomfortable when people use recovery rooms as an excuse to heap testimonials and exhortations on what they imagine is a congregation of sorts. It seems to be that if some folks are willing to do this, they also ought to be willing to listen to an abbreviated version of another side of things. Generally, I do remind other folks that they do not have to be christian to be in recovery. I myself am an atheist. Other people may practice various forms of spirituality and ritual.

     Like Adam N., I have felt like I've needed to translate the steps and other literature into a format that I can use in order to remain in recovery. I was much relieved to find the books published by AA Agnostica. Although the focus is on AA or Quad A, I do think there is a need for secular alternatives to recovery such as S.O.S.

sapphoq reviews says: Adam N. shares from his heart his story and how he copes with being a non-believer in the ranks of Alcoholics Anonymous. For those in 12-step recovery who practice alternative spiritualities or no spirituality, recommended.

A History of Agnostic Groups in AA by Roger G.

A History of Agnostic Groups in AA, Roger C. Toronto: AA Agnostica, 2012. ebook, 40 pps.

https://twitter.com/aaagnostica

https://aaagnostica.org/

     In 2011, two Alcoholics Anonymous groups were kicked from the list of A.A. meetings in the Greater Toronto Area. Reason: the groups used a modified form of the twelve steps. Agnostics, atheists, and secular humanists in recovery have a long history of conflict with christians in recovery. To be sure, some christians get along with non-believers. But some percentage does not. Unfortunately, the percentage that does not "won" the G.T.A. vote during that particular session.

     Jim Burwell was the first known non-theist in Alcoholics Anonymous. He was the fellow who contributed the "as we understood him" part of the third and eleventh steps. He got sober and stayed sober for thirty years or so until his death.

     A History of Agnostic Groups in AA provides history ranging from the first known agnostic group in Chicago to Los Angeles, Austin, Des Moines and more. Toronto was not the first area to deny a Quad A group listing. Indianapolis We Agnostics group was-- in 2010. They were kicked out again in 2011 after a brief re-instatement.

     The appendices in the back of this too-short book include a secular version of the twelve steps. Rather than ending a meeting with the Serenity Prayer, folks in agnostic groups generally hold hands and recite "Live and Let Live" together. And that is the indeed the slogan that fits.

sapphoq reviews says: Although A.A. as a whole does not kick out individual members who are non-believers, it is troubling that several areas have voted to kick out whole groups. This is in direct violation of what Bill W. wrote in the July 1946 Grapevine magazine, quoted on page 24 of the e-book:

You may download to your computer and save, you may upload to any site.
n.b.: This is a correctly attributed quote. So bugger off copyright trolls and
copyright monopolists and others of the same ilk. 

For those in recovery interested in secular versions of working the steps [n.b.: which have always been optional], absolutely highly recommended.

   

Free Radicals by Zeke Teflon

Free Radicals: A Novel of Utopia and Dystopia, Zeke Teflon. Tucson AZ: See Sharp Press, 2012. e-book, 245 pps.

     Kel Turner is suddenly exiled off of planet earth. He has to make his way around a new planet. In his travels, he encounters a variety of religious cult-like communities and problems. There is much more to Free Radicals but I don't want to give it away.

     The cult-like community that I laughed at the most was a variant of Alcoholics Anonymous. The adherents refer to their founder as Will B. Their rituals are outrageous.

     
sapphoq reviews says: Zeke Teflon had me hooked from the dedication. I love Anonymous and was very glad to read the inclusion of both Anonymous and the surviving members of LulSec.
     Free Radicals is witty. I enjoyed the off-beat qualities of it-- the star travel, the hooded references, the anarchists. Zeke Teflon is right up there with Cory Doctorow. Highly recommended to fans of well-written adult dystopian fiction.