I wish that were true. I’m working around it, but it does require constant effort to recalculate my brain when I hear that word. I realize it’s my issue, and I need to be tolerant. I wonder how many times the word “God” is used in the Big Book, 12 and 12, and in the literature that is read at every meeting?? Meetings, the steps, and the overall AA program are an essential part of my recovery. Regardless of the words used, I’m not going to let anything get in the way of my sobriety.
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The "of your understanding" that was added to "god" was added because of the urging of "Dr. Bob's" atheist friend, Jim Burwell. His story is in the BB, entitled "The Vicious Cycle.
I don't find it necessary to "believe in something". It even seems silly to me. I'm cool with hanging out with sober people, doing better as a human by helping others get sober. I only push back when I see people preaching that baloney that you can't get sober without a belief in their god etc. I find that very predatory and disgusting. So I have to post this kind of thing once a month or so, in case there are struggling people out there that need help but don't wanna go the god route. When someone asks if you are willing to do anything to get sober, it absolutely should not require religious conversion. A lot of the higher power talk is simply priming people for eventual conversion. Religion is a sneaky predator. It's like high school football for priming boys to become cannon fodder for war. Teaches them to do what they are told without question. Follow orders. Chain of command etc.
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I get what you’re saying and totally agree. You absolutely don’t need any type of higher power to become and stay sober - it’s whatever works for you and that could be literally anything. Proud of you for standing up for yourself about it and proud of your sobriety no matter what it took to get there!
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Where I’m at we read the serenity prayer and even some scripture before we begin and I feel that’s so unfair to those who have different beliefs.
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Hey, thanks for sharing this info. Very helpful! 
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Overcoming the god hurdle was hard for me. I finally just shrugged and made peace with the use of that word.
I tried for 25 years to quit drinking before I went to my first meeting. Since that meeting I have gone 996 days without a drink. So I do believe that the fellowship of AA is a power greater than me. And if you want or don’t want to call that power “god” makes very little difference to me.
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Yeah, see? That reading scriptures nonsense is what I'm talking about. Complete rubbish. The Bible is not AA literature. That's religious conversion. And that's my point with all of this.
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Agreed.
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i use smart for the tools and secular aa/tus nua/satanic temple sober faction for the fellowship. and secular aca/coda/therapy/dbt/bipolar support group for extra recovery.
there are certainly lots of programs out there, many non-god/hp based.
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Wow... apparently...I'm gonna look those up lol
Thank you
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An true A. A. Meeting will not use none A. A. Sanctioned Books. The fact that scripture is being read actually infuriates me due to it breaking tradition. Technically speaking those beloved Hazltion books every one reads and are even sold at meetings aren’t A. A. Approved literature. If this meeting is listed as an A. A. Meeting in an A. A. Issued meeting book or on their website, I would encourage you to research the issue further-how it’s in violation of tradition and bring it up at the next group conscious.
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They did it at the rehab I was in as well! Not only at the AA/NA meetings but every morning before group therapy.
Think of GOD as “good orderly direction.” 
I was hung up on the God idea when I first came to the rooms of AA in the late 90’s. I guess I’ve been fortunate because no one in the program has ever told me what my higher power should be or were Big Book or Bible Thumpers. I was the one with the “hang ups.” There are different resources and recovery options to say sober, but for this alcoholic, the only thing that has brought me peace, hope, and some longevity in sobriety is the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. My “thinking” was the problem. I’m not sure a lot of people get that about the program. The disease of alcoholism is our thinking, not the act of drinking.
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Well everyone seems to be talking about God.. you must believe that there is a God..
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Spoken like a True Believer.
There is no need to "think of god" in any way, not even with cute little acronyms that really are only there to make the believers feel better. For some reason, in our society, their feelings are the only feelings that matter. Everyone has to be sensitive to their feelings and beliefs, haha.
I just don't even see the need to belive in anything unseen. It's pointless. Humans are funny. We will go out of our way to work less, purchase things to make life easier, etc but when it comes to something like getting sober, instead of realizing that if we simply start hanging out with other sober people, try to help others struggling and work some basic physical steps, that we can have a better life, but we muddy it all up with trying to believe in something mysterious and undefined. Talk about sidestepping accountability. Also thinking you have a power that guides you completely contradicts not being the "center of the universe". Total madness
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Everybody has their values, belief system, and most importantly their own experience navigating through this thing we call life. Whatever helps you stay sober, do that. No one recovery program or any one resource, tool, etc, has cornered the market on maintaining sobriety. No one on this app is an expert. We are here to give hope and suggestions, not criticize what people believe or how they go about maintaining their sobriety.
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My only view/opinion, again, is that nobody should be preaching that you need god to get/stay sober. This is a fact that the believers can't seem to stop crossing the line on. I hear it consistently at meetings and often on this site.
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I wasn’t necessarily directing my comment towards you. It was more of a general comment to everyone participating on this thread.
The great thing about this platform….members can preach whatever they want. Take what you need and leave the rest….
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