Last night at my homegroup, the guest lead was definitely an alcoholic who
had been doing a fifth plus a pint a day when he crashed. However he was
also cross addicted to just about everything that you could think of from
pot to pills to coke (powder and crack) to heroin. He had been 30 years on
and six years clean.



While I thought that his lead dwelt a bit excessively on the glorious size
of his drunk and not enough on the recovery and new life, I didn't mind the
references to his other addictions. I know that it really bothers a lot of
the traditionalists, though.



When it came to the "thanks" part, one of them simply said: "I'm an
alcoholic and I come here to hear about people dealing with alcoholism. I
didn't get that tonight. There are other groups for other addictions and if
I wanted to hear about them, I'd have gone there."



Was he over the line or do you expect leads at AA meetings to confine their
stories to the alcoholic problems?


--
"The Daily Show -- it's better than being informed."

"Dan McGown" <dmcgown@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:Bv2dnTkMwKffK8zcRVn-iw@adelphia.com...
> Last night at my homegroup, the guest lead was definitely an alcoholic who
> had been doing a fifth plus a pint a day when he crashed. However he was
> also cross addicted to just about everything that you could think of from
> pot to pills to coke (powder and crack) to heroin. He had been 30 years
> on and six years clean.
>
>
>
> While I thought that his lead dwelt a bit excessively on the glorious size
> of his drunk and not enough on the recovery and new life, I didn't mind
> the references to his other addictions. I know that it really bothers a
> lot of the traditionalists, though.
>
>
>
> When it came to the "thanks" part, one of them simply said: "I'm an
> alcoholic and I come here to hear about people dealing with alcoholism. I
> didn't get that tonight. There are other groups for other addictions and
> if I wanted to hear about them, I'd have gone there."
>
>
>
> Was he over the line or do you expect leads at AA meetings to confine
> their stories to the alcoholic problems?
>
>
> --
> "The Daily Show -- it's better than being informed."
>

> " There are other groups for other addictions and if I wanted to hear
> about them, I'd have gone there."

I guess that this kind of attitude is a little selfish. Although, the
preamble, I believe, does state that sharers should confine themselves to
the topic of alcoholism.

I have been guilty of this kind of attitude myself (inwardly), though, on
occasions. Particularly in some of the first meetings I went to. One woman
used to prattle on for 20 minutes about the divorce she was going through. I
was kinda thinking, "what's this got to do with alcoholism?". She doesn't
come in so much now, but if she did, I think I'd be a bit more tolerant.

Having said all this, I just got from a local meeeting and only 2 of us
turned up. We just sat around for an hour and talked about football, lol.

--
J



Dan McGown wrote:
> Last night at my homegroup, the guest lead was definitely an
> alcoholic who had been doing a fifth plus a pint a day when he
> crashed. However he was also cross addicted to just about everything
> that you could think of from pot to pills to coke (powder and crack)
> to heroin. He had been 30 years on and six years clean.
>

"J" <welshalky@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:415214cd@news.greennet.net...
>> " There are other groups for other addictions and if I wanted to hear
>> about them, I'd have gone there."
>
> I guess that this kind of attitude is a little selfish. Although, the
> preamble, I believe, does state that sharers should confine themselves to
> the topic of alcoholism.
>
> I have been guilty of this kind of attitude myself (inwardly), though, on
> occasions. Particularly in some of the first meetings I went to. One woman
> used to prattle on for 20 minutes about the divorce she was going through.
> I was kinda thinking, "what's this got to do with alcoholism?". She
> doesn't come in so much now, but if she did, I think I'd be a bit more
> tolerant.
>
> Having said all this, I just got from a local meeeting and only 2 of us
> turned up. We just sat around for an hour and talked about football, lol.
>

Makes sense. Alcohol and football always went together for me.

"Dan McGown" <dmcgown@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:Bv2dnTkMwKffK8zcRVn-iw@adelphia.com...
> Last night at my homegroup, the guest lead was definitely an alcoholic who
> had been doing a fifth plus a pint a day when he crashed. However he was
> also cross addicted to just about everything that you could think of from
> pot to pills to coke (powder and crack) to heroin. He had been 30 years
> on and six years clean.
>
>
>
> While I thought that his lead dwelt a bit excessively on the glorious size
> of his drunk and not enough on the recovery and new life, I didn't mind
> the references to his other addictions. I know that it really bothers a
> lot of the traditionalists, though.
>
>
>
> When it came to the "thanks" part, one of them simply said: "I'm an
> alcoholic and I come here to hear about people dealing with alcoholism. I
> didn't get that tonight. There are other groups for other addictions and
> if I wanted to hear about them, I'd have gone there."
>
>
>
> Was he over the line or do you expect leads at AA meetings to confine
> their stories to the alcoholic problems?
>
>
> --
> "The Daily Show -- it's better than being informed."


There's an A.A. pamphlet available at most meetings that addresses this
issue quite well. I think it's titled something like 'Problems Other than
Alcohol'. Anyway, it explains in length why other addictions should be
dealt with in other groups, I think mainly because it takes time and focus
away from the reason we're gathered. The pamphlet says it better than I can
remember it.

-Fred

"Fred Exley" <fexly221@msn.com> wrote in
news:10l428b6j7fmd2b@corp.supernews.com:

>
> "Dan McGown" <dmcgown@adelphia.net> wrote in message
> news:Bv2dnTkMwKffK8zcRVn-iw@adelphia.com...
>> Last night at my homegroup, the guest lead was definitely an
>> alcoholic who had been doing a fifth plus a pint a day when he
>> crashed. However he was also cross addicted to just about everything
>> that you could think of from pot to pills to coke (powder and crack)
>> to heroin. He had been 30 years on and six years clean.
>>
>>
>>
>> While I thought that his lead dwelt a bit excessively on the glorious
>> size of his drunk and not enough on the recovery and new life, I
>> didn't mind the references to his other addictions. I know that it
>> really bothers a lot of the traditionalists, though.
>>
>>
>>
>> When it came to the "thanks" part, one of them simply said: "I'm an
>> alcoholic and I come here to hear about people dealing with
>> alcoholism. I didn't get that tonight. There are other groups for
>> other addictions and if I wanted to hear about them, I'd have gone
>> there."
>>
>>
>>
>> Was he over the line or do you expect leads at AA meetings to confine
>> their stories to the alcoholic problems?
>>
>>
>> --
>> "The Daily Show -- it's better than being informed."
>
>
> There's an A.A. pamphlet available at most meetings that addresses
> this issue quite well. I think it's titled something like 'Problems
> Other than Alcohol'. Anyway, it explains in length why other
> addictions should be dealt with in other groups, I think mainly
> because it takes time and focus away from the reason we're gathered.
> The pamphlet says it better than I can remember it.
>
> -Fred
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

At most meeting I go to, it is stated up front:"In keeping with our primary
purpose, which is helping others to recover from alcoholism, we ask that
you confine your comments to your problems and recovery from alcoholism."

Jeff

> At most meeting I go to, it is stated up front:"In keeping with our
> primary
> purpose, which is helping others to recover from alcoholism, we ask that
> you confine your comments to your problems and recovery from alcoholism."

Fred and Jeff,
Two points: At most of the meetings that I go to, about one person in
eight intorduces themselves as being "alcoholic addict." Also, the person
that I am talking about was an *invited lead*. The chairman for the month
knew his story when he asked him and had heard him lead before.
I guess that the addict stuff mostly bothers me only if it is the focus
of the lead. If its just a part of "what we used to be like, what happened"
then to me its just as though the guy was saying "when I was really
drinking, I was stealing" or "when I was drinking I cheated on my wife with
every drunk floozy I met." I mean, it just part of his story if he's saying
"when I was drinking I had no resistance to any substance and tried all of
them" then he's just telling his story.
This guy, though, he was practically celebrating it. "I used to
smuggle drugs for Pablo Escobar personally and I had a suitcase with
$750,000 in it." It sounded like he missed it. I'd rather have heard more
about how he got straight and what he has done with his life since.
Dan

"Dan McGown" <dmcgown@adelphia.net> wrote in
news:ceSdnRMtUOsJgs_cRVn-og@adelphia.com:

>> At most meeting I go to, it is stated up front:"In keeping with our
>> primary
>> purpose, which is helping others to recover from alcoholism, we ask
>> that you confine your comments to your problems and recovery from
>> alcoholism."
>


> This guy, though, he was practically celebrating it. "I used to
> smuggle drugs for Pablo Escobar personally and I had a suitcase with
> $750,000 in it." It sounded like he missed it. I'd rather have heard
> more about how he got straight and what he has done with his life
> since.
> Dan
>
>
>
>
Sounds to me like he is reliving his "glory" days. I'd just tell him to
"Keep Coming Back".

Jeff

> This guy, though, he was practically celebrating it. "I used to
> smuggle drugs for Pablo Escobar personally and I had a suitcase with
> $750,000 in it." It sounded like he missed it. I'd rather have heard
> more about how he got straight and what he has done with his life since.
> Dan
sounds like grandstanding to me...

when I hear a lousy lead (like the guy I heard speak for 30 minutes on the
finer points of Buddhism) I try really hard to focus in on the comments and
discount the lead.

my sponsor tells me there's no bad lead or bad meeting. my sponsor is almost
always right.

-Steve

> when I hear a lousy lead (like the guy I heard speak for 30 minutes on the
> finer points of Buddhism) I try really hard to focus in on the comments
> and discount the lead.
>
> my sponsor tells me there's no bad lead or bad meeting. my sponsor is
> almost always right.
>
> -Steve

Steve,
I can usually live with the leads and the comments are usually just
mutual stroking from their friends, so I can meditate through them. The
ones that drive me crazy are the comments that are really "mini-leads." In
you home group you can usually predict (and when you drop in on a group you
can usually look around and guess) who is going to give a 10 minute
"comment" that is basically a stream of consciousness rambling on their own
life.
My sponsor says to me on that: "Still have some resentment issues,
dude?" <grin>
Dan