When I came into the rooms of AA in the late 1980s, in the deep south of the US, the Christian God was still the Highest of Higher Powers in my home group. Several group members would begin sharing with – and I quote – “My name is Joe or Jane…and through the mercy of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous I am sober today”…
I was agnostic and leaning towards athiest, so all the talk of Jesus removing the affliction and sin of alcoholism gave me the creeps. I did not believe I was going to burn in an imaginary, medieval christian version of hell because I suffered from the disease of alcoholism any more than someone who suffers from the disease of diabetes.
I tried to tune out all the religiousity and Jesus talk, and just take away the things that I related to which could help me in my newfound sobriety. But it was hard to have intimate, honest discussions about recovery and sobriety with some of the members who drank the Jesus juice – and in true evangelical behavior, they tried to recruit me onto team sober Jesus.
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