How I did it without AA. THE SMALL BOOK: HOW I BEAT ALCOHOLISM AND WHY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS DOESN'T WORK. by Charles Hurst www.amazon.com/SMALL-BOOK-ALCOHOLISM-ALCOHOLICS-DOESNT-ebook/dp/B08VGVJ39K

My sponsor tried playing amateur psychologist with me and the experience damn near killed me.

The cult members always attack when you offer people another way to stop drinking. Idk why it infuriates them so much that people actually can solve their issue through another way

It works for some people. They should stick to it. I personally don’t like to make sobriety a major part of my identity. I used to drink, now I don’t. I don’t see a point of dwelling on the past.

After my 48 year marriage fell apart I ended up dating a "recovered alcoholic" and learned just how dependent she was on her "group". She'd been sober for 26yrs even though in fact, she'd been sober for 40 but to a alcoholic, if they take one drink and "don't get the benefit of the buzz" they've fallen off the wagon and start the clock over. The point is, they've traded one dependency on another-the group! They even have conventions where they have break out sessions and exchange stories about how lousy their lives were when they were drinking. I gave up chronic pot smoking well over 40 years ago and asked her why alcoholics continue to label themselves as such and never let it go when I could label myself as a pothead but refuse to. Anyway, at the end of the day, even though I believe and feel that we deeply loved one another, she just couldn't face life with a "normy" (the label alcoholics give to those of us who grew up in a solid, loving home without alcoholics) and ended up leaving. Lesson learned, I have been super cautious about building a relationship with anyone who's baggage weighs more than they do.

I used to be addicted to AA, it was what I slept, ate and lived. It did help in its own way. It’s just full of shitty people mostly who are really out for themselves. If you truly connect and build a king lasting friendship with ONE person for life, that’s a win. It doesn’t mean you have to keep subjecting yourself to the BS AA promotes and is full of. Way too many crappy ppl for me. Get sober on your own is my advice. Stay away from drama.

Clever writing: “rereading the Big Book and working the twelve steps.”

" It works if you work it, it won't if you don't " You're probably right, but if its ok with you, I'm gonna keep going.

God bless and im happy you found your path. Love and tolerence is our code.

The AA program works(31 )years for me, but we never said we have cornered the market on staying sober

My wife and I never went to AA either. Sitting in a room with other people, acknowledging that we're hopeless and can't get sober without a higher power, talking about something we can never have again, experiencing shame for actions we did on a highly addictive drug. WE got sober ourselves. It wasn't a higher power, it was US. We're 1 year 9 months sober today.

I left AA but learned a lot and am sober. Wayyyyy too much drama and bs. Huge egos and too many sickos in that program. No thx!

Well I’m sober through CA, what works for some doesn’t work for others your resentment for AA is deep you should focus on your own recovery and leave others to there’s. Many things you mentioned in this video about what you’ve heard I’ve never heard in meetings.

I feel that if you need to go to a meeting every night and your whole life revolves around staying away from bad influences then the DOC is still running your life.

More people quit on their own that’s a statistical fact. But they weren’t the real alcoholics lol okay my dad has 20 years and he’s a great person today. Nothing like the guy I grew up with, no sober birthday date no nothing he doesn’t even think much of it anymore. This was a guy that quit in his 60s, and was literally a stage five alcoholic. The guy couldn’t even go to the bathroom and constantly fell down. 24 everyday for years. Glad to have him as a powerful example in my life.

Time has proven Bill Wilson right, lsd can help with alcoholism.

AA clearly doesn't work for you, but why do you feel the need to go around trying to convince everyone that they should share your beliefs?

I’ll say it all to save you guys some time. “You’re just a dry drunk, not recovered.” “You’re so close to drinking, you just don’t know it.” “The program didn’t fail you, you failed the program.” “You’re not a real alcoholic.” “See ya when you’re ready to really recover.” There…I said all the criticism.

Hats off to you

I think it depends on whether your truly at rock bottom. For some people they have nothing else. No friends or family left to support their healing journey.,For them AA takes on that roll. GRATZ to you for being able to go cold turkey, the success rate of that is lower then having AA help.

AA is not a cult. AA is just people getting together for social contact. AA is no more a cult than being part of a sports team is

Its up to me not AA. Its a choice. Mine.

All of these AA "debunking" videos either come across as smart assy guys such as yourself shitting on something to that genuinely helps people, or like when someone can't be happy for someone getting well.

LOL! As a recovering addict with 35 years clean I would beg to differ. I am glad you found a way to stay clean.

"A very failed program". Right, because being focused on the absolute freedom to "live to good purpose", is a terrible thing. The horror of it all! The presenter of this doesn't know how much he doesn't know.

It's unfortunate the man went to two meetings. Did you give the steps a shot? Did you work on the ego that Carl Jung, the world renowned psychologist has written so extensively about? This has gotta be the most egocentric, Holier Than Thou video I have seen besides the recent presidential debate. I have gotten my life back. Traveled the world. Gotten married. Bought a house. Feel inner peace regularly. Have a group of friends I never believed imaginable. I wish you continuous sobriety and hope you one day, find inner peace, my friend.

Before you critique it, I suggest you do a wee bit more research than attend a couple meetings. If you had read any actual original AA literature you would have found, in the forward to the first edition of the "Big Book" that it says, "We are more 100 men and women who have RECOVERED from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body". The word recovered is used multiple times in the Big Book. Yes, you can go into far too many meetings today as hear what you heard. You'll be forever sick, always in some phase of recovery, just one drink away from disaster. That jargon is what has leaked out of treatment centers over the decades. It's not traditional AA belief. Yes, meetings are not perfect nor are they for everyone. It also states in our original literature that "we have no corner on this market and wish the best for those that have found another way". If AA has made any mistake over the years, I would say the biggest one is trying to be all things to all people. We're not that. I have 39 years of continuous sobriety and have been active in AA, sometimes more, some less, for that entire period. Why do I still go? Because somebody must be there to tell the newcomer that they can indeed recover from this, never drink again, and live a happy and productive life. It was given freely to me, and it is an obligation that I do the same. We're not perfect, never claimed to be, have plenty of bullshit in our game. In essence we are a reflection of our screwed-up society, but for some people it works. The statistics of recovery are horrible. That only demonstrates just how insidious this affliction is once it gets it's hooks into you. You found another way. Good for you. You can share that other way without bad mouthing what you clearly don't fully understand. I suggest you try that approach, and you may be able to help many people.

Hi charlie I highly recommend you listen to bill finley’s 7 part AA big book discussion from Lorain Ohio, he delves deep into the big book what it all means and the history behind AA and its origins. The sole purpose of the book big to enable a person to find a power greater than themselves . If you’ve found an Alternqte path to recovery god bless you ! You’ll never need treatment or detox again

I figured almost every comment would be what I read. Hmm..

Charles Hurst Reinvention - Physical Therapist turned author of fiction, and people believe this guy???

Good to hear the most successful recovery program in history doesn’t work now. Thank goodness you found all the answers. Thank you Charlie for saving us all

So, AA's been working splendidly for me, coming up on 18 years sober and loving it. If you have an alternative or better method, I say BLESS IT, but you might shift your focus away from just pissing on AA to simply offering your alterative "better" method and ATTRACTING addicts/alcoholics rather than just venting some sort of resentment about AA. Good Luck!

My wife is 40 years sobor with aa, i tell her aa might have been there, but she did it, not god or twelve steps but her own inner strength. What aa does do is let you know you are not alone. But it is a bit cultish.

1:00 the big book talks about people like you, It says you weren’t as seriously alcoholic as the founders were! Some ppl don’t need 12 steps some day, there’s a reason AA’s 12 steps has been copied, before AA behavior modification and psychology was tried with Rolan hazard and Carl young, it didn’t work. AA was born from the Oxford movement and Christianity ✝️

I recall reading that AA works for about 5% of the people who attend (based on what studies, I don't know) - these 5% are those who really need someone or something external to help them direct their lives. For most other people, it's inherently disempowering and the overt religiosity of it can be very off-putting.

Meetings are variable in content and efficacy for sur

n the Big Book, "recovered" is prioritized, with no room for relapse; it's not part of the program's philosophy. Discussions center on solutions, not problems

I'm leading a meeting tomorrow so of course i have to talk myself out of what i been doing on and off for 44 years. Like Amway in my twenties I read Amway the cult of free enterprise and my upline went ballistic lol.

If you were able to just stop drinking, you were never a chronic alcoholic. The reason people don't recover in AA is because they don't actually do the 12 steps, they just go to meetings and wonder why it doesn't work. Get a life....

Maybe your not alcoholic

The reason for the 5-10% Success rate is the actual structure of AA. It's not based in reality. It's Christianity. You would be better off going to church. Christianity does the same thing. The church blames the person if things are not working for them. You're not pretending hard enough.

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This was one of the biggest load of rubbish I ever heard or seen on You Tube! This could endanger people's lives.

U must get a kick back from these drunk places. Like Passages. They are for the extremely wealthy drunks that have daddy's money. It's not called AA but ur there for the same reason, but at least u get nice sunsets for the money.

I see alcohol was not your lord & savior. only a real alcoholic is their lord & savior: step one powerless ? over the lord & savior of your choice. Pick any alcoholic drink in store. What else would you be powerless over🤔 Now for the state law separation of state & religion that’s another topic.

AA needs constructive criticism and needs to make many changes to best help folks struggling with alcohol dependence. However, this snarky, blanket condemnation is not an insightful analysis of what is wrong and what is right with 12 Step groups.

I think the point of this video is supposed to enlighten the power of the self without the assistance of a program. I've been to AA and what I've observed is they are creating a new addictive relationship with their program. So you don't drink because you are now addicted to the groups and the program. It's a strange mental conditioning/brainwashing that happens

100's of 1000's of people world wide have 1000's of years of sobriety as a result of AA. That is a fact. So Charlie saying it doesn't work is only an opionion and not a fact. You are a dangrous man spreading ill informed view that may stop people teying a proven method of recovery. Charlie why not focus on telling people what has worked for you rather than slated something yoi are ill equiped to talk about. By slating Aa which is peoven to work for some you may put off someone from going who it was the ideal mode of recovery for. As I stated mot omly are tou dangerous but your views could actually be killing people. Please consider this.

I would love to talk to you. You’re way off base. I don’t think it’s fair for you to bad mouth AA. It has helped way more people that you have. Promote your way sure. But half way into your video you have done nothing but bad mouth AA.

We keep a chair open for you!

Yeah, these people don't go to the gym to work out. They smoke cigarettes and talk a lot of smack.

"Two meetings" to "Find out what it was all about"??? THAT'S some world class arrogance, and delusion to conclude that you know "what it's all about". I suppose two flying lessons makes you a pilot. I wouldn't take this guy's advice about crossing the street!

Whatever gets you out of the addiction and on the road to recovery works. No need to pan the program that didn't work for you.