Is Being Addicted to Alcoholics Anonymous a Bad Thing?
Joining the program Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a good thing; however, becoming addicted to the program in place of your substance abuse could be a bad thing. Self-awareness is the key to knowing your underlying motivation for behaviors, including attending support groups like AA. Substituting meetings in place of substance abuse means that the underlying addictive behavior has not been addressed. Addicts will use people, places, and things to self-medicate. Sometimes this translates into meetings. Behaviors that some addicts in AA display are:
- Codependency – Wanting to help and support everyone while neglecting themselves.
- Complacency – Going through the motions, attending meetings but not participating.
- Control – Passing judgment on fellow peers who aren’t meeting your expectations.
All three of these behaviors are relapse warning signs, as covered in our Lakeview Health Systems’ webinar for April, and need to be resolved so that recovery is not compromised. It is important to remain aware of our underlying motivation behind behaviors so that we are able to avoid old patterns that we fell into while using. Changing old behavior patterns will help maintain sobriety and decrease the risk of relapse.
