My Thoughts on Why AA Can Be Difficult for Traditional, Practicing Catholics

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split_pixel_personality__by_monsters_scare_you-d4yv6f7Because of this forum, I hear often from Catholics who are hesitant to go to AA. Certainly, AA isn’t for everybody. And there are more ways to get sober than Alcoholics Anonymous. What I hope to do is talk about the reasons why it was process for me to fully embrace the “program.” But, I’m glad that I did.  Maybe some of this resonates with you guys.

The Big Book
I like the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. I do. It makes a lot of sense, outlines a program of action and provides stories of alcoholics who have recovered using the program’s 12 Steps.  I do, however, still get uncomfortable when members of AA seem to treat the Big Book like the Bible.  This turns me off very much. Since AA is a spiritual program, it sometimes feels like some people worship the Big Book, quoting portions of it as if it is Gospel. This uncomfortability kept me from embracing parts of AA that would help me.

Finally, a friend told me the Big Book is not the “Bible” of AA, it’s just the “textbook.”  This helped me tremendously!  Looking at the Big Book as a text-book, I was able to read it without feeling threatened, or like I was being sacrilegious.  AA is not a religion, like Catholicism or Judaism. Some members do take it to that level; but if I’m able to look beyond this I can get a lot of insight and help from reading the Big Book.

My spiritual life is guided by the Church, not by AA.  So, as long as I can consider the Big Book the “text-book,” I am ok.  If I start quoting it like it’s the Bible, then I’m probably in trouble.

Community “Spirituality” with Non-Catholics
We Catholics have a lot of other spiritual practices, Sacraments, Mass, saints, devotions, the Rosary, Mary, priests, the Pope, etc… AA is not a Catholic devotion or Catholic spiritual practice. So, it’s uncomfortable for us to be in a spirituality-type meeting other than authentically Catholic ones.

In AA, in the beginning we’re encouraged to go to 90 meetings in 90 days. This was VERY helpful for me. The meetings were/are key for me–I hear other people getting through life sober and it gives me the strength to do so. Plus, my heart opens up to these people in a way that was impossible when I was isolating in alcohol.

But going one hour a day every day seems to me a lot like “worship.”  It seems a lot like “daily church.”  It seems like I’m starting to spend a lot of my time sitting with people whose faith and spirituality are much likely much different from mine–and none of it is Catholic.

Wouldn’t it be better if I go to daily Mass for 90 days instead of AA meetings for 90 days?  Certainly there’d be more grace!  But while going to daily Mass would be amazing, it’s still important to attend the meetings for me. In AA we focus on the problem we’re trying to overcome–alcohol.  There are all kinds of spiritual persuasions, but a strong Catholic can look beyond other’s ways of doing things and focus on the common problem: alcohol dependency.

12 Steps
Why would the Steps be problematic for traditional, practicing Catholics?  They’re a pretty simple, straightforward, action plan of turning my alcohol problem and my life to God. But they’re not Catholic.  I know I keep saying this, but for devout Catholics, we feel we already have the Steps. Turning our will over to God, surrendering, profession of Faith, examination of conscience, confession, reconciliation, penance, giving back to others through service.

So, why would I need AA and why would I need to work the Steps, as they say?

I’ve struggled with this one a lot. I’ve discovered that for we Catholics who already have all the resources of the Church it’s still important we sit down with another alcoholic, one-on-one and work through each Step, as it relates to our drinking.  Something about spending time with another alcoholic and working the Steps as they are written actually ends up making us better Catholics, more inclined to the Sacraments.

Sponsorship
I don’t need a sponsor. I already have a spiritual advisor or confessor.  My sponsor isn’t Catholic. How could she help me? This was my thinking when I first began to attend meetings and participate in AA.

However, I’ve learned sponsorship is key. This is the one person that you actually confide most of your bad drinking behavior too.  They listen and don’t judge; all they do is encourage you in the Steps. They tell you how they did it, how you too can just not drink one day at a time. Sponsors come in all sorts of varieties, but if you get one like mine, you’re blessed. Getting and staying sober is tough. Sponsors are there to guide us through the Steps because they’ve done them before. Also, in order for them to stay sober they have to help others get sober.

Tolerance vs Fear of Influence
This might not be an issue for every one but for me, someone who had previously been pretty susceptible to peer pressure, who avoids conflict and prefers everybody to be happy and get along–for me, I struggled with tolerance vs fear of influence.

What do I mean by this–I’ve always been and am tolerant of everybody, all religions, races, sexes, political-leanings, sizes, colors of people–I can “live and let live” pretty well.  But, I do prefer to stay closest to the people who are like me, or that are the way that I want to be. Because I am easily influenced by others. If you’re funny, I gravitate to you. So, I worried I would be influenced away from Catholicism if I got too involved in AA.  I worried I would lose my Faith.

That didn’t happen.  In fact, being a part of it actually made me a better Catholic, a better person even.  It’s hard to explain. But I really was pretty on guard at first.  Worried I would be infected with heretic points of view (ha ha–sounds lame). But in the meetings everybody respects (for the most part) everybody else’s faiths (or no faith).

So, these are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours or tell me why I’m wrong :)   XOXO

Number 9

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Feds want to lower standard for DUI.

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My goodness? Okay, if I was politically correct I’d say yay!  But this is not logical.  People have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and drive home. They are fine to drive. This is crazy. I’m sure many, many disagree with me.  But this is crazy.

Washington (CNN) — A decade-old benchmark for determining when a driver is legally drunk should be lowered in an effort to reduce alcohol-related car crashes that claim about 10,000 lives each year, U.S. safety investigators said on Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all 50 states lower the threshold from 0.08 blood-alcohol content (BAC) to 0.05.

The idea is part of a safety board initiative outlined in a staff report and approved by the panel to eliminate drunk driving, which accounts for about a third of all road deaths.

The board acknowledged that there was “no silver bullet,” but that more action is needed.

“This is critical because impaired driving remains one of the biggest killers in the United States,” NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman said ahead of a vote by the panel on a staff report.  Read more here.

The Fix Interviews Co-Chairs of the Congressional Addiction, Recovery and Treatment Caucus

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the fix logoOne of my favorite magazines is The Fix, “addiction and recovery straight-up.”  For those of us interested in this kind of thing there are a lot of great articles published each week.  Here is one which highlights an interview The Fix did with the two co-chairs of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus.

In this piece there is information about a possible “Americans In Recovery” Act.  Also, there is a discussion about how policy needs to address early intervention and prevention. Most policies and treatments are affective after the fact, but preventing our children from becoming addicted in the first place is so important to me. As a parent, I just can’t leave this disease to genetics when it comes to my children.

Here is the intro… read the full article here:

It’s been said that addiction and recovery don’t get enough attention in Washington, DC—a result of the stigma attached to the disease, as well as the reluctance of some sober people to speak out about what they and their families have been through. And the latter is precisely what is needed to push forward a positive legislative agenda on addiction and recovery, according to Rep. Tim Ryan, Democrat of Ohio, who co-chairs the 62-member Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus alongside Rep. John Fleming, Republican of Louisiana, who is a physician.

Read the full article HERE.

Great read: Religion and Public Life in America by RR Reno

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I got this article from my monthly subscription to Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College. In the April 2013 issue, RR Reno, the Editor of First Things writes a great piece about religion in America.  First Things is a journal of religion in public life. Reno received his BA from Haverford College and his Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale.  He is the author of Fighting the Noonday Devil, Sanctified Vision, and a commentary on the Book of Genesis, as well as many other books and essays.

The following is from a speech he delivered on February 20, 2013 at Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Here is an excerpt and click here to read the article in full:

“Religious liberty is being redefined in America, or at least many would like it to be. Our secular establishment wants to reduce the autonomy of religious institutions and limit the influence of faith in the public square. The reason is not hard to grasp. In America, “religion” largely means Christianity, and today our secular culture views orthodox Christian churches as troublesome, retrograde, and reactionary forces. They’re seen as anti-science, anti-gay, and anti-women–which is to say anti-progress as the Left defines progress.  Not surprisingly, then, the Left believes society will be best served if Christians are limited in their influence on public life. And in the short run this view is likely to succeed.”

to read the full article, click HERE…

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Guilty! Abortion “Doctor” Guilty of Murdering Babies and An Immigrant Woman

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Will anything convince you that you've been sold a lie when it comes to abortion "rights?"

Will anything convince you that you’ve been sold a lie when it comes to abortion “rights?”

If this had been an upper or middle-class neighborhood, the media would have sensationalized this trial like they do every other high-profile gruesome trial in this country. But they had to protect their carefully crafted definition of abortion as “healthcare” so they ignored the story.

And because these crimes were perpetrated only on poor women and their babies, they were able to ignore the story for two years because nobody cared, right? It’s malpractice journalism. But they get away with it.  Thank goodness for blogs and social media!

Justice for a few of these underprivileged women and these babies today when Kermit Gosnell was convicted of the murders of three babies and one poor immigrant woman.  Sad that there were hundreds (or thousands?) more that will not receive recognition and justice.

A fantastic organization, Susan B. Anthony List, reacted to the verdict as well on Monday:

“The greatest tragedy is that Kermit Gosnell is not alone. Exploitation of women and complete disregard for their health and well-being are problems endemic to the entire abortion industry,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “There are numerous examples of negligence and even death in abortion facilities across the country. Now is the moment to realize that abortion is neither safe, nor rare. Abortion is a brutal, painful procedure, both for the child that it kills and the woman who it wounds. We must protect children both inside and outside the womb who experience unspeakable pain from abortion.”

Here is a portion of the AP story, in case you, too never heard of this trial:

Former clinic employees testified that Gosnell routinely performed illegal  late-term abortions past Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit, that he delivered babies  who were still moving, whimpering or breathing, and that he and his assistants  “snipped” the newborns’ spines, as he referred to it.

The grisly details came out more than two years ago during an investigation  of prescription drug trafficking at Gosnell’s clinic in an impoverished section  of West Philadelphia.

Authorities said the clinic was a foul-smelling “house of horrors” with bags  and bottles of stored fetuses, including jars of severed feet, along with  bloodstained furniture, dirty medical instruments, and cats roaming the  premises.

Four former clinic employees have pleaded guilty to murder and four more to other charges. They include Gosnell’s wife, Pearl, a cosmetologist who helped  perform abortions.

Midway through the six-week trial, the public accused the  mainstream media of ignoring the case because it reflected badly on the abortion  rights cause. Major news organizations denied the allegation, though a number  promptly sent reporters to cover the trial.

After prosecutors rested their case, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart  threw out for lack of evidence three of seven murder counts involving aborted  babies. That left the jury to weigh charges involving fetuses identified as  Baby A, Baby C, Baby D and Baby E.

Prosecution experts said one was nearly 30 weeks along when it was aborted,  and it was so big that Gosnell allegedly joked it could “walk to the bus.” A  second fetus was said to be alive for some 20 minutes before a clinic worker  snipped its neck. A third was born in a toilet and was moving before another  clinic employee grabbed it and severed its spinal cord, according to testimony.  Baby E let out a soft whimper before Gosnell cut its neck, the jury was told;  Gosnell was acquitted in that baby’s death.

Gosnell’s attorney, Jack McMahon, argued that none of the fetuses was born  alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms.

He also contended that the 2009 death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar of  Woodbridge, Va., a Bhutanese immigrant who had been given repeated doses of  Demerol and other powerful drugs to sedate her and induce labor, was caused by  unforeseen complications.

Prosecutors described Gosnell’s employees as nearly as desperate as the  patients. Some had little or no medical training, and at least one was a  teenager still in high school. One woman needed the work to support her children  after her husband’s murder.

Stephen Massof, an unlicensed medical school graduate who could not find a  residency, told jurors that Gosnell taught him how to snip babies’ spines,  something he then did at least 100 times at the clinic.

Read more:  HERE

Update on My Sister’s “New Evangelization” through Facebook

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get-attachmentAbout six weeks ago I wrote about my sister’s little “new evangelization” ministry, her Facebook page “Love Being Catholic.”  She had reached 10,000 fans and I was so excited to share it with you all here.

Well, today, it’s up to 21,800!  And the “reach” in analytics terms is in the millions!  She’s got fans from over 30 different countries!

And she gets so many sweet comments from readers saying her posts are the highlight of their days. She does this page out of her love for the faith. It’s a beautiful thing.

Proud to be Catholic

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Cardinal_Sen_Patrick_OMalley_OFM_Cap_of_Boston_File_Photo_CNA_CNA_US_Catholic_News_11_7_12I was so proud to read that the Bishop of Boston, Cardinal O’Malley is not going to attend and speak at Boston College’s graduation ceremony out of a special stand for the unborn!!!! I love him. I love that he stands up for us, we Catholics who have no say in the Catholic colleges and Catholic parishes across the country that diminish the rights of the unborn!!!

Cardinal O’Malley is modeling excellent Catholic beliefs!! I’m really very warmed and comforted by his actions and I hope all of you are, too.

Boston College is granting an honorary degree to an Irish politician who is pushing to downgrade the rights of the unborn in Ireland. This seems, coming from a “Catholic” college, to be an abomination against our faith. I feel empowered by Cardinal O’Malley’s refusal to take part in celebrating this person.

Thank you Cardinal O’Malley for standing strong for Catholic beliefs!!! Thank you. You will be hated for this but I LOVE you for this.