Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Long View

This photo is from the drive on Sunday - obviously at such a low altitude, we were still under the tree line!

I heard an advertisement yet again on the television this morning. It grates on my nerves a little bit more each time I hear it.

He says: "This is not a twelve-step program. This works."

He says: "I know, I was a drug addict for ten years, and now I'm not."

I did a little bit of research on this joint, and they charge $67,000 + a month for their "cure." They frequently need a person to stay longer than a month. The owner of the place states in an interview that people frequently need to mortgage their houses and max out their credit cards, but then they are "cured." But he also states that 30 days of sobriety is a "cure." Interesting. No follow up, no meetings, no help after you are gone. You're just "cured."

I find it irritating because of the people who need help desperately and don't have $134,000. laying around the house and the ability to leave their lives for a month or two may actually believe that "twelve-step programs" don't work. That they either need to cough up this money or die. And our beautiful fellowship does not argue with them. We avoid controversy. We don't express opinions on outside issues.

So, since I am a member of AA, I shan't argue.

But I shall say:

Twelve-step programs do work.
Twelve-step meetings are full of people who are clean and sober (and 30 days is considered kind of new in our world - not cured).
Twelve-step meetings do not cost anything.
You can still keep your job and family and go to meetings and get the help you need.

Sobriety is good. Having a program and fellowship full of people is something I wouldn't miss for the world.

Thanks to the Grace of God.


5 comments:

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

Don’t ya hate it when something like this comes along and tries to mess with a program that has been successes for decades ?~! Who are these liars and why are they allowed to be in business.

sorry-i’ll chill now.

Lou said...

I just read of a place that has someone clean your house before you are discharged, so there are no "triggers" when you get home.

And I thought life was a "trigger"

dAAve said...

I'll just stick with what works for me.
Those programs are good reminders that there's always people out there who are willing to relieve me of my money.

Dr24Hours said...

I did go to a rehab. AA hadn't occurred to me when I was in the thick of it all. It was expensive. I was away from home for 45 days.

And I am thankful every day that that rehab was owned by a member of AA. That the first day I showed up they handed me a Big Book. That everyday they brought me to an AA meeting or an AA meeting to the rehab. That I was told that the only way for me to stay sober was to join AA, and get a sponsor, and do the steps, and go to meetings.

I have nothing against rehab facilities. But the one you're writing about seems like it's peddling snake oil to desperate people. And that's sad. AA works. But I won't condemn the concept of Rehab either. Because I went. And I'm a member of AA. And I'm sober. And I'm grateful.

Carverlane said...

I had the same experience as AnyEdge. They told me to seek out the literature-based AA meetings, because that is where people learn how to RECOVER. Thank God for AA. And thank God for people like you, Mary!