Is religion part of Recovery meetings?Like AA or NA?

Answer 1

In some groups yes it is, but they normally tell you or is very apparant. Obviously some people of faith like going to a faith orientated recovery meeting. Soulsearcher above had a good suggestion on to replace it with something else, nature or just yourself or even some object like your "pet turtle" .

The AA program does as already pointed out, have as steps a belief in a "higher power".

I found this out:

"They believe that most people, even non-religious people, believe in powers greater than themselves. As such, in the 12 Steps they discuss 'A Higher Power'. This higher power could be God, or could be the AA group, a dead relative, a principle or the universe. It is only imperative that the power is outside of the person."

http://www.mmegi.bw/2006/March/Friday17/17510939352.html

Here is the uk website, you can have a look.

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Look here for critical info. on AA/NA
http://www.sossobriety.org/aalinks.htm

NA is based around the same steps.

I found this at their website:
"2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

"3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

" 5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

"11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening......"

I also found this:
"Anyone may join us, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion or lack of religion."

http://www.na.org/ips/an/an-IP1.htm

Anyway you can visit the site and see.

I would also like to talk a little bit about Narconon as it was mentioned.

Narconon is highly disputed as a workable method and its theories upon which it is founded are actually in conflict with much established scientific knowledge on drugs.

This is a site that looks at Narconon. Narconon is connected to and based upon Scientology, and is often thought of as a recruiting tool amongst other things.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/
http://www.stop-narconon.org/

Here is their website:
http://www.narconon.org/

Here is a critical site of scientology & the Cult of Scientology to continue reading if you want (this is where I got the links):
http://www.clambake.org

Here is the official site for scientology by the Church of Scientology
http://www.scientology.org

Read and make up your own mind on NA, AA, Narconon, and any other group. Don't just trust their literature, look up what others say too, do your own research and make up your own mind.

Answer 2

In an indirect way, yes. As part of the 12 Step process they require that you give your life to a "higher power". And they let you select who that higher power might be. It might be God, it might be your best friend, it might be your dog (which is God spelled backwards by the way).

There are some chapters of AA/NA that have formed across the country that do not require this submission to a higher power.

Answer 3

Not all of them. Secular Organizations for Sobriety don't have the spiritual component. I do believe that the twelve step programs do require you to admit you have no power over your addiction and need the help of a higher power, though they would say that since they don't tell you what that power is they are not endorsing a religion. This is technically true, but disingenuous at best.

Answer 4

Yeah aa is a spiritual organisation check it out on wikipedia. Also south park did something about it in season 10

Answer 5

I'd seriously doubt it if it's a state sponsored class, or done at a YMCA or something. They need to be acomodating to people from all religeons, the best way is to keep it as secular as possible.

Now I believe some say a prayer, but I think it's more of a mantra than an actual prayer to god or anyone. and I don't believe it would be mandatory.

Answer 6

"A courtroom contained in the wide-spread Oneiza area before rejected a request through the girl's mom for a divorce and ruled that the girl might want to ought to attend until eventually she reached puberty to report a petition then." What the holy f*ck?! How about waiting until eventually she reached puberty before being compelled to marry some crusty previous guy?

Answer 7

Yes, it is. One of the steps of AA is giving control of your life to God.

Answer 8

It depend on which side you look at it from. People have to deny themselves earthly matter in order to reach that divine intervention with God while in AA you have to deny yourself alcohol in order to be cured of a disease you have,

Answer 9

Most groups including AA and Narconon are secular.....

Narconon has the highest success rate of all of them.

Answer 10

NO! "religion" ia absolutly not. You do find a "higer power", but it is whatever you feel--could be AA itself! Or you're pet turtle, whatever works!