Atheists... Your life is pointless

An atheist's life has as much point as anybody else. Only difference, in general, it interferes with others' lives, on average, less than other lives do.

OK, you really want to know?

I was born and raised Irish Catholic in upstate NY. I was pretty much forced to go to church through my childhood. Like most kids, I really didn't care for it. I was more interested in sports and having fun. I was a good student and typical suburban kid until I got involved with drugs and alcohol in my early teens. I gradually deteriorated as a student and as a son. I dropped out of high school and before I was old enough to legally drink, I was a full-blown alcoholic. I was always in and out of trouble, and lost all interest in anything other than drugs, alcohol, and fun. I did this for a number of years, in and out of rehabs and jails until finally enough was enough. I had enough pain. By the time I stopped drinking, I had lost all faith in anything other than the bottle. I cursed God and said if he even did exist I didn't want anything to do with a God that would send me to hell for my sins. I tried to stay sober by myself for a while and although I didn't drink, I remained angry and depressed. That is when I joined a twelve step program that I had heard about in rehab. You see, I have what me and my fellow alcoholics call a soul sickness. There's no medicine that can cure it. The only cure is a spiritual program that I must continuously work and if I don't take care of my spiritual needs, then I'm heading for trouble. I believe in God today because I've seen and felt what happens when I stop trying to control everything that happens and just let God take care of me. This might sound crazy to many, but I see walking miracles every day. People that should be dead or in prison who have lives beyond their wildest dreams. This is my experience and I apologize for anyone I offended. I'm obviously slacking on my program.

Thank you, that helps me understand where you are coming from better.

John Creasy,

I, too, am a friend of Bill's. I know exactly where you are coming from. It's a process, a daily process. It's work, yes, but so well worth it! God Bless You!

John Creasy
John Creasy, congratulations for finding help that worked for you. Each person must find a structure in which they can thrive.

For those who want a non-religious program, there are several they can turn to:

Rational Recovery:
http://www.rational.org/

AND

The SOS International Newsletter

The Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) National Clearinghouse publishes a quarterly newsletter that is filled with items of interest to all recovering substance abusers, to professionals, and to the families and friends of alcoholics and addicts. The SOS International Newsletter serves as an information source for group convenors and as a forum for newsletter subscribers. Subscriptions are $18 per year. Subscribe to the SOS International Newsletter today!

What Is SOS?

SOS is an alternative recovery method for those alcoholics or drug addicts who are uncomfortable with the spiritual content of widely available 12-Step programs. SOS takes a reasonable, secular approach to recovery and maintains that sobriety is a separate issue from religion or spirituality. SOS credits the individual for achieving and maintaining his or her own sobriety, without reliance on any "Higher Power." SOS respects recovery in any form regardless of the path by which it is achieved. It is not opposed to or in competition with any other recovery programs.

SOS supports healthy skepticism and encourages the use of the scientific method to understand alcoholism.

The SOS Groups

SOS is a non-profit network of autonomous, non-professional local groups dedicated solely to helping individuals achieve and maintain sobriety. There are groups meeting in many cities throughout the country.

All those who sincerely seek sobriety are welcome as members in any SOS Group. SOS is not a spin-off of any religious group. There is no hidden agenda, as SOS is concerned with sobriety, not religiosity. SOS seeks only to promote sobriety amongst those who suffer from alcoholism or other drug addictions. As a group, SOS has no opinion on outside matters and does not wish to become entangled in outside controversy.

Although sobriety is an individual responsibility, life does not have to be faced alone. The support of other alcoholics and addicts is a vital adjunct to recovery. In SOS, members share experiences, insights, information, strength, and encouragement in friendly, honest, anonymous, and supportive group meetings. To avoid unnecessary entanglements, each SOS group is self-supporting through contributions from its members and refuses outside support.

The Sobriety Priority

Sobriety is the number one priority in an alcoholic's or addict's life. As such, he or she must abstain from all drugs or alcohol. Honest, clear, and direct communication of feelings, thoughts, and knowledge aids in recovery and in choosing non-destructive, non-delusional, and rational approaches to living sober and rewarding lives. As knowledge of drinking or addiction might cause a person harm or embarrassment in the outside world, SOS guards the anonymity of its membership and the contents of its discussions from those not within the group.

SOS encourages the scientific study of alcoholism and addiction in all their aspects. SOS does not limit its outlook to one area of knowledge or theory of alcoholism and addiction. To break the cycle of denial and achieve sobriety, we first acknowledge that we are alcoholics or addicts. We reaffirm this truth daily and accept without reservation the fact that, as clean and sober individuals, we can not and do not drink or use, no matter what. Since drinking or using is not an option for us, we take whatever steps are necessary to continue our Sobriety Priority lifelong.

A quality of life - "the good life" - can be achieved. However, life is also filled with uncertainties. Therefore, we do not drink or use regardless of feelings, circumstances, or conflicts. We share in confidence with each other our thoughts and feelings as sober, clean individuals. Sobriety is our Priority, and we are each responsible for our lives and our sobriety.

In James Christopher's book, How to Stay Sober: Recovery Without Religion, Christopher, founder of SOS, describes his own "recovery without religion." He focuses on the practical aspects of his triumph over alcoholism and includes guidelines for the formation of secular support groups. In Unhooked: Staying Sober and Drug Free, Christopher recounts the evolution of SOS, invites the reader to sit in on a fictionalized SOS meeting and offers further strategies for achieving and maintaining sobriety and self-respect. In his most recent book, SOS Sobriety: The Proven Alternative To 12-Step Programs, James Christopher describes the proven methods of alcohol and drug abstention advocated by Secular Organizations for Sobriety (also known as "Save Our Selves"), the world's largest non-12-Step addiction recovery program.

The History Of SOS

The SOS movement began with an article in the Summer 1985 issue of Free Inquiry magazine, the leading secular humanist journal in the country. James Christopher, the son of an alcoholic and a sober alcoholic himself, wrote "Sobriety Without Superstition," an account of the path he took to sobriety. This path has led Christopher from seventeen years of a fearful and guilty alcoholism to a fearful and guilty sobriety with Alcoholics Anonymous. Christopher felt that there must be other alcoholics who wanted to achieve and maintain sobriety through personal responsibility and self-reliance. He also felt that turning one's life over to a "higher power" was not compatible with current research that indicated that addiction is the result of physiology, not psychology. As a result of the tremendous response to the article from alcoholics and addicts who wanted to maintain sobriety as a separate issue from religion, Jim Christopher founded the Secular Organizations for Sobriety.

Today there are SOS groups meeting in every state, as well as in other countries. SOS has gained recognition from rehabilitation professionals and the nation's court systems. In November of 1987, the California courts recognized SOS as an alternative to AA in sentencing offenders to mandatory participation in a rehabilitation program. Also, the Veterans Administration has adopted a policy which prohibits mandatory participation in programs of a religious nature.

More information for families of alcoholics:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1478X13.pdf

Re: Atheists... Your life is pointless




I agree with you. If I implied that there is a difference, I apologize for the confusion. However, I think it is worse if the do believe in God and still have no concience.

Creasy, congratulations. I'm an atheist who says "Whatever works." But I'm sure your spiritual orientation does not depend on the kind of "intrusive" fundamentalism Edgar and I detest.

JLN, Include me as one of you's.

Well thank you all for the praise. Momma, it's nice to meet someone from the fellowship here. This is exactly why we're supposed to stay anonymous, they don't want knuckleheads like me giving them a bad name!!!!! Ah well, too late.

PS- My sponsor told me that two things I should never argue is politics and religion. That shows you how much I listen. But no I don't try to push my beliefs on people accept the occasional lapse of judgement(like now).

John Creasy,

There is never a need to apologize for standing up for what you believe in. My sponsor told me never to argue. Told me to state my side and listen to theirs. I, too, am guilty of not following that advice at all times. It's a growing process.

John Creasy, by no means a "knucklehead." You are a survivor.

John Creasy and Momma Angel: Congrats to both of you for your successes with the 12 steps. You are doing/have done what not everybody can do: give up their bad choices and replace them with good choices. You've both chosen sobriety and life. Well done

Best decision I ever made! Thanx so much!

Thank you for the kind words and my condolences for your loss. This disease is a motherf*cker. Sometimes I really hate it.

I've not been around much lately, but I still want to respond to this:



There is nothing to explain, one doesn't need a heartbeat (clinical life) in order to see and remember, one just needs functioning eyes, functioning optical nerves, and a partially functioning brain. A person could have all of those, and still be unconscious and clinically dead.

You failed to catch the gist of my post, which was that we know that consciousness at least relies heavily on the brain. Isn't it then something of a wild proposition that it can function just the same without it?

I must agree with you, despite being opposed to John Creasy's belief. As someone from a Voltaire story once said, "I may not believe in what you believe, but I will fight for your right to believe it."

There's just the whole controversy of whether people should be allowed to believe in Nazism.

When one is clinically dead and remains dead, then tells the same story, I may believe him.

Although I despise the entire concept of Nazism, I don't think that there is a question as to whether people should be "allowed" to believe in it. No matter how heinous, people have the right to believe in anything that they want. The issue is whether it is lawful to act upon those beliefs.

There are those who would want that it be unlawful for people to have Christian beliefs.

The life of an atheist is not pointless. They have their belief system the same as anybody else. We all must accept the consequences of our beliefs.