"Exercise and eat right" is the message from schoolteachers and doctors. 2/3 of the people are obese, because they don't follow directions. That means education and medicine don't work!
"Don't drink, go to meetings, get a sponsor, pray, and work the steps" is the message from A.A.
That could be because most of that type of advice is either impracticable or makes life not worth living.
In terms of AA, when the alternative is a nasty and early death, many might put up with a bit of inconvenience.
If you think life not worth living without alcohol and or a decent diet, I'd seek help now.
The alternative may be to be a responsible drinker. After all, don't attendees "self certify" themselves as alcoholic?
In the absence of Government-supplied Soma, they certainly make life more agreeable.
Or even taking the lives of other animals, simply to gratify your own pleasure?
This is especially bizarre when there *are* plenty of alternatives and equally tasty / gratifying / indulgent foods that don't require any animals to suffer or die. ;-(
I guess to want to look you need to know just what goes on behind the scenes and what the full costs / risks are.
It's like Windows users not 'seeking out' alternative desktop OS's (like OSX or Linux) because they are 'happy as they are', when they could (in many cases) be *happier* with something else (Amiga OS?). ;-)
Cheers, T i m
Do some research, Max. An addict can't go back to being a 'responsible' drinker.
For those who aren't addicted, yes.
There's an old saying in AA and similar institutions. 'Only an addict can fully understand addiction'
But how do they know they were ever alcoholic?
When they can no longer drink responsibly? Plenty on line information. Or go to the AA website. There's an FAQ there.
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