Answering the Question ‘Alcoholic boyfriend?’

Here a good question I found in the comments section of a previous post. ‘Ashley A’ asks us the question: My boyfriend just admitted his alcohol addiction. His body is starting to feel the effects, and he is attending his first AA meeting tonight. He is by no means a mean drunk. What should I expect with him going through this? How can I help besides be there? Answer: Well, if he “gets sober” in AA, you’ll have to get used to the idea that “the program” will come first in his life, and that if you question anything he’s learning in there, you will be told that you “don’t understand, because only an alcoholic can understand an alcoholic.”You can expect to be told to attend Al-Anon meetings, ostensibly so you can learn how to support him, but when you go there, you will be told that you–like your boyfriend–have a disease and need a “program of recovery.”If your boyfriend goes to AA and doesn’t like it, which is a strong possibility, then do NOT panic; in fact, count yourself and him too as lucky…because AA is not actually a recovery program at all. It’s more along the lines of a religious cult.Look up Smart Recovery, LifeRing, SOS, Stanton Peele, and the Orange Papers online. Show them to your boyfriend if he is horrified to think AA is his only option. And good luck to you both. Tagged:Beer, Wine & Spirits
Source: Addiction Recovery Blog - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Alcoholic Recovery Source Type: blogs