I grew up in an alcoholic household. I am the child of an alcoholic. My father was what you call a “functional alcoholic,” whatever the heck that means. But he lived to be almost 89 and was drinking until the end. He did seem to cut back as he got older, but he drank every day.
Anyway, I also lived with a young active alcoholic in college. She got sober and went to meetings while we lived with her. We went to some AA meetings with her. It was educational for me. Everyone smoked, drank a lot of coffee, or both. The mood was supportive and friendly. My roommate and I celebrated her 1 year of sobriety.
I have read a lot of books and articles about alcoholism, about co-dependence, and about addiction in general. I think AA can really work for some people, but others object to it’s “higher Power” references and insistence to “Let Go and Let God.”
I like how it identifies “Stinkin thinkin.” It is a colloquial way to name behaviors and thoughts that need some work. One of the ways of thinking that really “stinks” to me pervades our society. And I believe its root is in dysfunction. I think a lot of people are from dysfunctional families and that colors our whole society.
Some people in our society echo the “stinkin’ thinkin” kinds of things that AA warns against. Specifically, there…
