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Hey, there -
Thanks for responding and you have good questions, although I am not sure that I am able to answer them with any authority.
I can recommend that since you are online you might want to go to the AA website or others that utilize the AA literature and read some of the stories. I found that there are many different stories - all valid - on how and when a person's disease is activated. They also discuss why they drank and how that they couldn't STAY stopped, regardless of how religious they were or how great a moral character they possessed. It's interesting. It seems to be that my problem was never stopping - I stopped often - but I couldn't STAY stopped, not even when I KNEW utterly that the consequences would be dire. Of course, it was not that way when I started. But at some point I began to realize that I wasn't taking the drink....rather, the drink was taking me.
Again, I am certainly not able to speak for or about anyone else. But I can tell you that if you are interested to hear more that there are what are called "Open" AA meetings where you do NOT have to be an alcoholic and you do NOT have to say your name or ANYTHING AT ALL where you can just sit and listen. These meetings are usually listed in your local newspaper by town, day and time and they are marked "O" for open. Other types of AA meetings are what are called "closed" because a person has to be self-declared an Alcoholic to attend. Open meetings serve the purpose of letting any person at all find out more about the disease first hand in anonymity. Personally, I recommend that a person try at least 6 open meetings prior to deciding whether they are in the right place. But there are no rules or regulations about anything at all. None. But don't take it from me - I'm just another bozo on the bus. Try going to the AA web sight and investigating. Try reading the book. It's interesting and worth the time, in my opinion.
Good Luck -
Foxfollower
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