Wednesday, January 17

The Whiskey Fields: the Educated

Continuing my catalogue of those nice folks in AA

This is where I fit—my slot: the over-educated and neurotic individual intellectualizing a program which, ironically, urges us to “Take it Easy.” With so many anomalies, inconsistencies, plot holes, and illogical missteps beginning from and developing into the foundational tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s easy to get bogged down and forget the message. It’s easy to indulge in cerebral musings such as, “if the program is all about acceptance, why are Steps 6 & 7 asking me to change”? and “Why does the program paint such negative landscapes of the alcoholic? For example, why am I always bad in this program? And how come the good things in my life result from God’s will but bad stuff naturally and automatically result from my will?” These ramblings of a pedantic madwoman aren’t shared, nor do I divulge information about my PhD or world travels. This is why exclusive meetings for lawyers or doctors started: to speak freely without the fear of bruising egos. I often flirt with the idea of starting a smart people meeting, but, it’s too much work and I’m incredibly busy writing judgmental and self-important treatises about my recovery program.