Why do so many people dislike AA?

There seems to be quite a lot of anti-AA feeling within the recovery world these days. There appears to be many people who would go so far as to say they hate AA. It is bit sad really; why has things ended up this way? It reminds me of the old advertisements for ‘Marmite spread’; you either love it or you hate it.

I was previously a member of AA. I first started attending in my teens and once managed to go to a meeting every day for two years. There were times that I disliked the organisation, but it never reached the stage where I started to hate AA. I could see that it does work for some people; a lot of reformed drunks would likely be dead if it wasn’t for this twelve step programme.

I think though, that AA has been a victim of its own success. It is surely the most well-know treatment option and in some countries it seems to be the only alternative offered by the medical establishment. I remember the first treatment centre that I ended up in insisted that we attend the meetings during our stay. It was due to this that I had a bit of resentment towards the group in my younger years.

I think another reason why people hate AA is that some member of these groups are quite loud in their opinion that the meetings are the only solution for drunks. They seem to be against any type of further research into addiction and believe that AA should be the only option on the table. If you say that you are doing fine without the meetings they will either accuse you of being a ‘dry-drunk’ on the verge of drinking again or that you never were an alcoholic to begin with. This sort of closed-minded attitude puts people off.

Despite all its flaws though, I believe that the twelve-steppers offer a real treatment option for drunks. They can provide a lot more than just a way of staying off the drink; some people really blossom in the programme and go on to live fantastic lives that benefit themselves and everyone around them. Those of us who do not belong to AA can likewise live amazingly happy and productive lives even without the programme. It doesn’t have to be that one way is right and the other wrong.