drug dealing and sex offerings ...man have much to look forward to when i go
I don't think you'll have to go to prison Thursday.
well NA/AA are both religiously based.
We have to be careful when we say things like this. "Spirituality-based" is probably a better term (anybody who gets the same creeps from the word "spiritual" as from "religion," I'd encourage to properly research the difference). I know that the meetings toss around words like "god" and "higher-power," but the intention of the program is to leave this up to interpretation. Yes, some meetings can feel very Christian, and of course many people are going to try and project their interpretations of "higher-power" onto the group, but nobody should feel pressured out of a meeting for any personal belief (or lack thereof). Even the most religious people at the meetings would rather have an atheist there who wants to get sober than to see a devout believer there but not giving a shit about breaking the habit. Everybody may have different higher powers, but they all have a common devil - one that finds victims through alcohol, pills, needles, and so on. Bond over the darker side of it all and develop your own individual compliments.
I actually think that a lot of the religious reputation that AA/NA/xA has is due to people painting a premature picture of it. Perhaps a little because of the actual program, but a lot because of all the "I don't want to go to AA because it's so religious."
Point is, courts (or other substitute enforcing bodies - work, parents, the tanned and firm one that shows up at the Tuesday evening meetings, etc) make people attend these meetings. It would be awesome if courts gave credit for SMART Recovery, Celebrate, and so on, but they don't and people need to try and make the best of what they have to do. Think of it like going to an art museum. You can still heavily appreciate and learn from faith-based art regardless of your own personal beliefs, right? Appreciate that other people are using what they like to get clean (they're people too and they've been through the same hell as you...you do want to see them get better, right?) and just mentally pass over any content that might not be applicable to your own situation.
If you are required to go, don't torture yourself over it. Try and make the best of it.
As for the sex, I've personally never see anything at a meeting, but I've heard tons of stories. That's going to be much more common at NA meetings, where most people are kicking opiates and rediscovering their sex drives.
P.S. badfish - I just quoted you to start my conversation, and am not suggesting you said anything wrong.
