Is Alcoholics Anonymous a spiritual?
Although AA is a spirituality-based program, it works through a number pathways. As such, individuals may benefit from AA participation regardless of their spiritual leanings.
Is Alcoholics Anonymous considered a religious organization?
AA itself believes it is indeed spirituality that is the answer, explicitly stating that recovery is achieved through a “spiritual awakening” from working through its 12-step program (“The great fact is just this and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our …
Does AA require a belief in God?
You do not have to stay prayer to prayer. Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, said “It must never be forgotten that the purpose of AA is to sober up alcoholics. There is no religious or spiritual requirement for membership. … God and higher power are interchangeable words according to the Big book of AA.
Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening?
“Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? . . . No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on.
What is the difference between being spiritual vs religious?
What’s the difference between religion and spirituality? … Religion is a specific set of organised beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group. Spirituality is more of an individual practice and has to do with having a sense of peace and purpose.
Can you be spiritual not religious?
Many people think that spirituality and religion are the same thing, and so they bring their beliefs and prejudices about religion to discussions about spirituality. Though all religions emphasise spiritualism as being part of faith, you can be ‘spiritual’ without being religious or a member of an organised religion.
Is aa really effective?
After evaluating 35 studies — involving the work of 145 scientists and the outcomes of 10,080 participants — Keith Humphreys, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and his fellow investigators determined that AA was nearly always found to be more effective than psychotherapy in achieving abstinence.
What does spirituality mean in AA?
“When I first came to A.A., I thought that religion and spirituality were the same thing. But I’ve come to realize that religion means being committed to a practice of belief, and being spiritual means actively living life through a life-giving force.
What’s the meaning of spirituality?
Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature.
Can an AA member ever drink a beer?
Can’t an A.A. member drink even beer? There are, of course, no musts in A.A., and no one checks up on members to determine whether or not they are drinking anything. The answer to this question is that if a person is an alcoholic, touching alcohol in any form cannot be risked.
Does AA work if you don’t believe in God?
Yes, although you may have to do some internal mental gymnastics to be cool with it.
Why does AA use the word God?
There is room in AA for people of all shades of belief and non-belief. … Some people have the thought of the word God as standing for “good orderly direction”, or even “group of drunks”, but many of us believe that there is something bigger than ourselves which is helping us today.