Just another viewpoint Mr. Cuban

This is a response to a post from a member of our fellowship - the original is here:
http://www.briancuban.com/is-god-an-alcoholic/#IDComment14780131

At the vary least it will get us to think and hopefully pray.  words have very little power but we do tend to be drawn to folks with money and charm.  lets hope that we can show Mr. Cuban the beauty of this simple and effective program

Welcome to our fellowship.

Just a couple of things for your consideration. These are not concepts they are instructions. Instructions based on the practical experience of the men and women who founded our program of recovery. The sum total of their years of failure and success at recovering hopeless alcoholics from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. No, not concepts to be discussed and twisted and thought about, a definite and clear cut set of directions that I am to live by and when I do I am sober and happy and free from my past as well as the tortures of alcoholism.

And you are close - this program has its roots in first century Christian teachings, bible based. we have learned from our past failures to be all inclusive, never exclusive, God, the creator, creative intelligence or the vibrations of our universe is beyond my conception and most probably every other living things conception. So who are we to tell you what to believe? We don’t - we only ask that you be willing to believe that maybe, just maybe something out there has more power than you. On that bit of hope you can begin to pray, and on that bit of action you may begin to experience what all of us (that have followed these directions thoroughly) have experienced – freedom, happiness, a sence of peace and directions that I never thought possible when I was sitting in bar rooms and dope houses and prison cells and suicide prevention cells, naked and broken and hopeless because my family had left me and I intuitively knew that I was going to die in one of these places alone and afraid and powerless to ever stop drinking and drugging. Hopeless enough to become willing to believe that maybe our founders were not lying.

Maybe the big book thumper, who told me I was not working the program by going to meetings and running my mouth, wasn’t lying. His message was simple, do these things, don’t talk about them, don’t think about them DO THEM and then and only then are you working the program of alcoholics anonymous. This is not debatable any more than the chemo treatments for those stricken with cancer are debatable.

I am not trying to force “my version” of anything down your throat. And you are correct you do not need to say you believe in god in the meetings. In fact based on what I have read I wonder why you go to meetings. Lets see:

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(a) That I am alcoholic and could not manage my own live. (when I want to stop on my own power I cant or cant stay stopped)
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved my alcoholism. (NOTHING HUMAN - no meetings – no dr’s. – sponsors – my deep thoughts or opinions – NOTHING I DID – NOTHING I CAN DO – I AM HOPELESS)
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

Only if I meet these simple requirements am I alcoholic. Going to meetings and telling my friends how alcoholic I am and all about the poor folks I must hang around and how hard it is for me to stay sober one day at a time (poor baby) and oh, look at me! how good and how strong I am, does not make me alcoholic. Any more than going to a cancer recovery group makes me have cancer, thank god I have enough self esteem as to not join them and tell them that I don’t believe in chemo and they just need to not get hungry and angry or lonely or tired, they just need to share and open up to the group and keep coming back and want it enough - thats it they must want it enough and maybe it will get better?

You are right - If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. It probably is a duck and if it doesn’t suffer from the obsession of the mind and the physical craving of the body and even though it sounds so damn convincing and intelligent and full of itself if it can recover on its own terms by its own power – well maybe just maybe it is not …..alcoholic - find out yourself, try some controlled drinking.

So please stay away from the newcomers who like me and my friends and Joe, rest his soul, are 100% absolutely powerless and need this simple program in its entirety. You see I believe the book when it says the words in our third step prayer are not important – it is my surrender to that fact that I am powerless, no half measure, middle of the road garbage that kills people like me and Joe and Dominick, who live under a bridge and has no teeth nor family nor job nor hope. He picked up cigarette buts and cans and teenagers spit on him and take his beer and he is sober today and not because of your ideas or beliefs or philosophies my powerful friend. He is sober because he stopped long enough to listen to my story and he heard his and he heard what I did and he did what I did and he didn’t argue and discuss because his hopelessness was close and real and he was tired and thank God today he is helping to carry this beautiful wonderful simple and clear cut message of recovery to other still suffering alcoholics.

Don’t mess this thing up – cool if you don’t believe cool – welcome, but maybe just maybe not all of us are liars maybe just maybe some of us have been saved from a place that you don’t know anything about (and that is ok and I am glad for you) and you are welcome to join us because we need you and your help. But please please consider that this just might be what someone less fortunate and further down the road from where you are might need.

Btw. – under my power I went from running a state prison to living in prison with the same folks I used to watch. My father died 7 days before I was released (second bid), my children stopped talking to me and my wife was divorcing me. a jail guard saved me from my last attempted at suicide and I hated him for it. you see I had come to a point that most of us do (if we have this and it remains untreated) I had tried to stop so many times and failed that I knew the only way to end this was for me to end me. Many of us commit suicide as a last resort to save our families from the torture of watching our deterioration. This and more is my experience all in about a ten year period all while I was going to meetings and doing “my” best not to drink. No drama or poor me – just my story. It got me here, thank God. Now, under the power of hope and prayer I am nothing like I was and most importantly my family is happy and I am free to carry this message to those who still suffer. I am no longer afraid. I am recovered.

Btw I pray that if this is your revolution - it ends here.

Peace and love,
Don’t be afraid to call,
Mike D
607-323-4266
 

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