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 M¢37  Funded By Mahalo ? |  September 13, 2009 12:41 PM

Giving a fake name at Alcoholics Anonymous. Inconsiderate or Expected?

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buddawiggi buddawiggi
 
 September 13, 2009 01:07 PM | view on twitter
No worries as of yet. Everyone is fearful when the first come in to Alcoholics Anonymous

However if you find out that AA is for you and you would like to stay you will find the program is one where anything short of *rigorous honesty* will not be enough to succeed.

The best part is that *very* rarely does anyone use their surname (last name) everyone usually goes by their first name and last initial (i.e. Susan K or Danny C) to keep the program anonymous. Which is the spiritual foundation of the organization.

Tradition 12 states
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions ever reminding us to put principal before personality."

Keep coming.
Source(s):
http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/en_appendicei.cfm
http://www.aa.org/index.cfm?Media=PlayFlash



Tags: aa, alcohol, recovery

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Helpful: girlieq3000, chriswingate

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melanielma... melanielma...
 
September 13, 2009 01:49 PM | view on twitter
I'm not sure if giving a fake name at AA is expected, but I'm sure it happens. It is somewhat inconsiderate, though, since AA is for the person suffering with alcoholism, it probably doesn't affect the other people much. Also, 'anonymous' is part of the program's name. It is perfectly acceptable not to give your real one.

That said, I think giving a fake name at Alcoholics Anonymous can be a detriment to what the program is about: responsibility and accountability. If you are pretending to be someone else, or inventing an imaginary self, it can be that you are not owning up to the fact that YOU are the one with the problem. That is a personal thing, however, and may not affect everyone trying to stop drinking.

Tags: aa, alcoholics, alcohol, anonymous

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Voted as best: ddavis
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ravi2483 ravi2483
 
September 13, 2009 02:38 PM | view on twitter
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a Cult

My experience with AA was never very much first hand. I have been to exactly two AA meetings in my life. Both were observational in nature, a "field trip" if you will, so that I could see what I was recommending to my patients. What I saw during those two meetings was non-remarkable. People speaking about their drinking issues and receiving support from the group; pretty much what you'd expect. These experiences took the novelty of the thing away from me, but hardly qualify as a good sample of what AA is about. More to the point, my impression of AA's usefulness came from our patients, and from our staff, a few of whom were in recovery themselves. The point was made in my head that addicts are unable at first to control their own behavior, and thus need and benefit from programs like AA that help to set limits on them.

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Unhelpful: psionandy, buddawiggi

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psionandy psionandy
 
September 13, 2009 05:25 PM - Fact Refuted
your experience at AA wasn't yours at all.... it was written by Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. and can be found at http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9527&cn=14

Please do not pass off other peoples work as your own, and read the copy and paste rules for Mahalo
http://www.mahalo.com/copy-and-pasting-on-mahalo

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fightingba... fightingba...
 
September 13, 2009 03:02 PM | view on twitter
I think it makes a person cowardly and still in denial. To hide behind another name just shows you are still hiding behind other issues and may not be serious enough yet for the help. Alcoholism is a disease, not something some people actually thought they would ever get but did. Be strong and fight the disease but do it as yourself.

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