Fellowship not Faith

By Mick S.

In September of 2024 I had an article printed here entitled AA Then and Now which told the story of my Australian experiences in AA starting with my introduction to AA in 1966 and my subsequent 10 years of sobriety. I told of my return to drinking for many years culminating in my return to AA in 1999 and my continuous sobriety to then.

At the time of writing that piece I had distanced myself from the religiosity and cultishness of modern traditional AA. I had first hand experience of the uber traditional leadership of Australian AA and their subtle but determined resistance to secularism or any form of inclusivity within the fellowship.  I was in fact extremely disillusioned with the whole thing and formed the opinion that AA was approaching a state of total irrelevance which would see its demise over the next decade or so.

I was pretty vocal in my assertions that Secular AA needed to step up to fill the developing  vacuum. As is usually the case with volunteer organisations 90% of the work gets done by 10% of the people so even those who agreed with me were unwilling to become proactive.

It was suggested to me, possibly with some validity, that my predictions of the demise of AA was counter productive in the context of newcomers being spooked by hearing this old bloke proclaiming that their path to sobriety may disappear. There was no way I was going to be responsible for that.

So I realised that I was achieving nothing by my continued involvement with either branch of AA and in fact the stresses involved were reflecting negatively on my physical and mental health.

So, what next?

I know that my continued sobriety is contingent upon my unwavering acceptance of the fact that I am an alcoholic and can never take the first drink. That acceptance is in turn contingent upon my regular association with and identification with like-minded people.

So I decided to try creating a little group of non believers who would meet regularly on line to engage in discussion on sobriety related topics. It’s not an AA meeting but it’s certainly not anti AA. Respectful debate is encouraged and there are no rules other than those of decency and civility.

So on Feb 23rd 2025 our little Zoom group “Abstinent Atheists Australia” had it’s first meeting.

It is described in the opening of each meeting as;

“This meeting is for atheists, agnostics and freethinkers and anybody who wishes to engage with like minded people about their search for recovery from alcoholism. It is unaffiliated with any 12-step program or other organization, but it acknowledges the experiences, both negative and positive, emanating from the efforts of alcoholics throughout history to find sobriety through fellowship and mutual support. It is not an AA meeting, nor is it anti AA.”

The experience has been heartening, informative and sometimes surprising. Numbers remain small with usually a fairly even split between Australian and North American participants. There are a few, including myself who are “dyed in the wool” atheists but most would describe themselves as agnostics or tell you to mind your own business if you asked. What most participants say they value is the freedom of expression and encouragement to engage in open discussion and even (respectful) disagreement. There are no restrictions other than decency and good taste. Topics arise from the body of the meeting or from the host and informality is the keynote.

The meeting is listed on the “Worldwide Secular Meetings” website where you will find your local time. For Australians it’s 10:00 am Sundays AEST and North America early evening Saturday. ID 83192206790 PW 311200

A perusal of the “Worldwide Secular Meetings” website reveals a growing number of unaffiliated meetings catering for those who embrace the need for fellowship in their search for sobriety but are repelled by the direction AA has taken in recent times. Could this be a harbinger of times to come with people seeking sobriety being drawn to individual unaffiliated gatherings, mainly on line, because that is becoming more the norm than face to face events ? I know there are meetings I which I occasionally visit in the USA which have transitioned from secular AA to unaffiliated.

I believe that the very act of exploring various avenues of sobriety is in itself a further aid to maintaining my sobriety by keeping important priorities front of mind.

I will be forever grateful to the AA of the 60’s and 70’s which gave me a wonderful gift which I subsequently squandered, wasting 22 years of my life. I am forever grateful that the memory of those years was powerful enough to drag me out of the pit which was 1999 for me.

I feel a great sadness that it no longer exists and in its place there stands a broken and corrupted version of itself which would exclude those who are unable or unwilling to embrace a fairy tale world of fanciful deities, the existence of which there is not only no proof but not a scrap of evidence.

Even my 10yo granddaughter recently informed her parents she was a wake up to Santa, The Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy and she’s an atheist like grandpa. If a 10 year old can differentiate between fanciful illusions and reality why is it so hard for many adults?

Following is the bio which accompanied Mick’s 2024 contribution. This article is the continuation of his journey in sobriety having made the decision that continued interaction with today’s AA is not conducive to his good mental health or peace of mind. Mick was born in rural Victoria, Australia in 1947. At an early age he resolved never to work where he couldn’t see the sun for most of the day and a life spent largely behind the wheel of a long haul truck was the outcome. He did manage to spend some time at home as is evidenced by his 6 children, 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Today he is retired in subtropical Brisbane Queensland with his wife, Joan, and two Cocker Spaniels, Joe and Charlie, and most of his family live within an hour’s drive. His experience of 2 introductions to AA 40 odd years apart qualifies him to draw comparisons between AA “then” and “now” and he’s no fan of the modern iteration.

For a PDF of this article, click here: Fellowship not Faith.