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!

Wild Hunger by Bruce Wilshire

Wild Hunger: The Primal Roots of Modern Addiction, Bruce Wilshire. Oxford UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999. e-book, 337 pps.

     Wild Hunger argues that addiction rises out of humanity's primal need for connection with nature. Because we are deprived of feelings of ecstasy and oneness with other animals and life-forms, we seek false remedies in what Bruce Wilshire refers to as "scientism" and vapid consumerism. We have lost the distinction between ritual and addiction. Nature is viewed in a circular fashion. Technology is not an adequate substitute for face-to-face encounters with wilderness.

sapphoq reviews says: Bruce Wilshire is a well-qualified philosopher. His writing was technically adequate although I had difficulty grasping some of his ideas. I am not sure that there is any evidence that the etiology of addictive behaviors has anything to do with losing touch with nature or with serpent power. Even so, I appreciated much of what Wilshire has to say about the lack of connection with nature that many people suffer from in these modern times. 
     I strongly disagree with the characterization of science as an "ism". I also have had many delightful feelings connected with technology e.g. altering my digital photographs into digital art. Technology is a way for some of us to connect with others. Science is responsible for saving my life. A couple hundred years ago, the appendix attack I suffered in the eighties would have meant a death sentence. I also thrill in science because it is science that has given me a way to describe the stories that I find in the woods. Knowing the formal names of and habits of the living organisms in the woods has added immensely to my enjoyment. Science and logic are both necessary to evaluate various claims of individuals and organizations. Without the ability to figure out the accuracy of some forms of "knowledge," I would not be able to make informed decisions about issues that have come up in my adult life.
     Wilshire quotes from several renown "New Age" folks. I did not enjoy that so much. I found his insistence upon capitalizing some words to be annoying and the asterisks placed before the word "spirituality" to be irritating as all get-out. I did enjoy the quotations from Emerson and the stories about his dog.
     Highly recommended for those with more of a philosophy background than I have and for those readers who fall into the category of "admirers" of William James.
     For the rest of us, some of Wild Hunger will be interesting and some will feel a bit like chaotic strings of words.