General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]catrose
(5,050 posts)Certainly the courts should take into account other recovery systems, maybe specify that people need to be in one, rather than just send them all to AA. Courts move slowly.
As other people have pointed out: AA is free; you can find someone to talk to you at any hour of the day, any day of the year; you can fit it into your schedule rather than take time from your job; you can be as religious as you want or don't want to be; you can add whatever medical, spiritual, or other help is available to you. I don't imagine many people walk in their first meeting and never drink again, but I'd count any day that they don't drink as a victory.
Carrie Fisher spent her life in and out of recovery, but when you add mental illness to the mix, the problems are even more complex. Many people get sober and are thrilled at the clarity and quality of life thereafter. Carrie (and others like her) return to staring in horror at the bipolar brain she was trying to escape from in the first place.