Court mandated attendance – the 'chit' system

A contribution from the States:

“Background

At one time the government money was separated into alcohol money and drug money. A few years ago all the government money was put into one bucket called substance abuse money. This forced the Rehab centers to become Substance abuse recovery centers. When this happened, the Rehab centers and Court system began to treat Alcoholics Anonymous as just another Substance abuse class and this loaded Alcoholics Anonymous with substance abusers and criminal abusers including sexual predators.

This brings us to this: “Alcoholics Anonymous World Services and Santa Clarita Alcoholics Anonymous has been sued by the parents of murder victim Karla Brada.”

“Grieving parents say in court that their daughter was murdered by her sociopathic addict boyfriend because Alcoholics Anonymous concealed his history of domestic violence.”

For more information go to:http://nadaytona.org/tag/lawsuits-against-alcoholics-anonymous/#sthash.exXy0u2P.dpuf

Or Google, Lawsuits and Alcoholics Anonymous.

We have brought this about through our court card system.

I would like to see either the CPC committee or a special committee work with the Rehab facilities and the Courts to change the system.

My idea for a solution would be to send panels of AA speakers to the Courts and Rehabs; this would relieve us of the accounting for the attendance and put it back on the Courts and Rehabs. It would keep much of the criminal element out of AA.

…..."

(edited to preserve anonymity)

Comment: Well argued and succinctly put

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our thanks to this contributor

Mark M (Strood - West Kent)

Some of our more dedicated readers might have been wondering whatever happened to Mark M … you remember Mark don't you! We had numerous entries for this particular 'Joy Boy' under our Area News section for West Kent..... a devious bugger by all accounts .. some things never change:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/medway-launch-appeal-91204/

Just another case of leaving before you're sacked!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our thanks to our correspondents

Alcohol Awareness Events

A member drew our attention to a series of “Roadshows” being organised by Cornwall Intergroup. It seems fine as far as it goes until you get to the bit about the organisers issuing a “Continuing Professional Development Certificate of Attendance (CPD)”. This sounds like an extension of the already questionable 'chit' system...... whatever happened to non-endorsement??

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our thanks to the AA for sending us this information

Future Lawyers Are Hiding Depression and Drug and Alcohol Use

“Some of America’s future lawyers are hiding drug, alcohol, and depression problems instead of seeking help, a new report shows. Law students with  addiction and mental health issues may be afraid to report the  problems  because they think that doing so would jeopardize their chances of being admitted to the bar or getting a good job after graduating, according to the study, which was conducted by a law professor, a dean of law students, and the programming director of a nonprofit focused on lawyers' mental health. It was  published last month in the Bar Examiner, an industry magazine.”

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

An alternative to AA....

AA is not (nor has it ever claimed to be) the only way to get and stay sober....

“Nearly five million Americans woke up on New Year's Day with champagne headaches and a new resolve to renounce drinking. Traditionally, that would involve pouring out the content of one's liquor cabinet and heading to a doctor's office or an AA meeting.

But in the wilds of Reddit - of all imaginable places - more than 30,000 recovering problem drinkers have found that there might be another way. It's called r/StopDrinking, and it is, in a nutshell, the Internet's unlikely answer to traditional addiction therapy......”

So if AA's not to your taste why not give it a try! What have you got to lose!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Friday night Hinde Street on 'the turn'!

“Fellas.... Trouble at mill!! This is the 4th time I've been to this meeting in the last 6 weeks and all 4 times its been a cult oik in the chair! Tonight was a bizarre chair from a Norwegian lady who's a good few years away from the booze(reluctant to use the sober word) and even though she doesn't sound as mad as others she started with "I'm a very grateful recovered Alcoholic as it says in the first few pages of the big book" I'm bored of this argument and even more bored of this tiresome mob preaching their same old same old version of recovery!! So beware Friday night Hinde Street!! If you want to do as your wise old sponsor tells you!! Then this is the boring meeting for you!! Good news is it's a candlelight meeting so no one can see you snooze!!”

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Thanks to our correspondent