Addiction & Recovery

Of course, having started in 1935, a lot of the literature mentions God as the higher power and I know that can turn some people off. At one of my first meetings, some guy who knew all the literature started highlighting passages in the Big Book that I brought with me and I interrupted saying "I'm not religious." And he said "Are you open minded?" That's all it took. In my travels, I've run across many more people who aren't religious and substitute GOD for "Good Orderly Direction," "Group of Drunks," the list goes on. My sponsor was Jewish and not religious. Instead of ending her meetings with the Serenity Prayer, she'd use The Responsibility Declaration which is about reaching out to others.

I realize that some are religious and if that's what works for them, good for them. Everyone's perspective and background - and beliefs - are different. The way I look at it is "Take What You Want and Leave the Rest." I know that there are more God-centered groups around here, but I haven't been to them. And if someone wants to end the meeting with The Lord's Prayer, I'm not about to walk out (like one woman I know who has 37 years does), I figure if that helps them, that's okay with me.

Have you looked online for nearby meetings that aren't held in churches (though that doesn't necessarily mean they're particularly religious, it's just the venue) or different groups than you tried before? I was lucky that I found my "home group" at my second meeting, but that group fell apart (after 35 years), so I started going to what was a beginners' group, held at a treatment center/halfway house and discovered that they needed me since that meeting had a lot of turnover. Sometimes it takes awhile to find a place where you're comfortable.