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I'll believe Hegseth on alcohol consumption when he is prescribed Antabuse and is observed publicly to take it. Even attending AA meetings wouldn't convince me.

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Given that AA has a 12% "success rate" over 5 years (according to a study done by the State of California that I remember), as a "treatment"the organization is a bad joke. Going cold turkey on one's own actually has a higher success rate (but AA has great "lobbying ability" with governments, so that fact is not well-known, which doesn't make it less true). Bill W used to say that it was impossible for a woman to be an alcoholic (I beg to differ with him and I can present five examples for proof), and then of course he "13th stepped" every woman who came to him for help. And bragged about increasing cigarette sales wherever they had convention. Every AA "leader" I ever met was just another junkie con artist running a different scam. I remember Clancy, the con artist who had rich people from Hollywood painting his house as an "act of recovery."

(And for all those moved to write and tell me how wrong I am, don't waste your time. I'm the editor here and my delete key works)

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I have to agree, itтАЩs a step to admit that you have a problem, after that itтАЩs a crap shoot. I attended one AlAnon meeting and couldnтАЩt go back. I thought it was me but maybe I just smelled Schitt.

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As I said - it was successful for my uncle - guess he believed? His sister my aunt died of cirrhosis!

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You have just described what makes it NOT a "cure." I don't have to believe or not believe in an antibiotic for it to work. This is why I say AA is not a cure of anything.

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Sorry TC - I didnt say he was CURED! But the program helped him to quit drinking - I think if you believe something - have faith in something (not necessarily antibiotics) it DOES make a difference.

Now just to add a little twist to it - his wife got into numerology(!!) and dragged him along with her - changed their names - she claimed it helped them financially etc etc. Frankly, I thought that was crap.

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Going that far is crap. But numerology can be useful, used as a metaphor, used as a method to provide insight. I use it (I'm an "11=2" look it up). But I wouldn't use it to run my life.

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I'm sure my aunt would have been up on it!! She went all the way!

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Haha, not funny. Lordy, itтАЩs not just babies that have security blankets. Got a few myself.

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Dave, the people I have known who went to AA meetings always drank first, just to get through it. Or got high. It's a beast of a disease and his simplistic answers sound like bullshit.

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Agreed. My late ex-wife went to meetings and died of late stage liver disease. I've known some folks who benefited from AA and are still sober 10 or 20 years on but the will has to be there. Antabuse plays no favorites; if you take it and drink alcohol you pay a heavy price.

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I am sorry you lost your wife to it. It's too hard for a lot of people who suffer from it.

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Thanks. People who haven't experienced it only rarely can appreciate the nature and impact of addiction.

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Truer words haven't been written here in awhile, Dave.

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Thanks Tom.

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Some try but canтАЩt

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Not "some." Most.

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Sadly true, but we sure hear more about those who donтАЩt. No mystery why.

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My uncle belonged & benefited from AA - never stopped going! I guess it does work well with some people - not always tho.

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A beast but not even on a par with cult nuts

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AA is a cult.

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It can be. It can also be two people who believe in sobriety.

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And see a path

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Not so much a path as possibility as opposed to impossibility. Like is this really the way i want to die?

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I have seen two choose that

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Anybody else had experience living with promises of alcoholics

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Yes.

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Not promises, just abuse. Fun times.

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Not so fun, I really admire anyone who can recover, some have brain damage and will never be able to be a person without that albatross

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ЁЯШв

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