Subject: AA

 "They say, but I can't confirm, that when you join AA, you have to
  stand up and pledge your totaln acceptance to Christ the
  Savior,  and Koresh knows those words weren't going to come
  flying out of my mouth."

 Dude:

 Way off on the AA thing.  First off, while it IS in fact a
 religiously-based organization (despite what AA's themselves will tell you
 over and over), there's no special agenda or faith inherent in the
 program.  I know Jews and Xtians of every stripe, along with long-term
 agnostics (or Recovering Catholics, in my own case) who have benefitted from
 association with AA.

 One of the 12 steps says that you need to turn your addiction over to a
 "higher power" as you understand it.  The important concept
 with that particular step is that the alcoholic has to realize that they
 aren't going to beat the problem by themselves, and that by accepting that
 there's a power higher than themselves they can be freed from it.  Yes,
 it's a big leap of faith...but it's one that I was willing to make at that
 time in my life, and one that benefitted me greatly.

 Maybe it's that "higher power" thing I've heard about.
 If I felt like I was in the clutches of a powerful drug, that'd be one thing,
 but "higher power?" That sure sounds religious to me.

 I guess the good news is I'm too goddamn arrogant to accept that.
 My plan is/was to tell the addiction to "Eat me."
 There was even a small part of me that was looking forward to the battle.
 As of now, my arrogance seems to be winning.