Wow, I must say, I was quite surprised when I saw this sub-group. I was just logging on the forums real quick to check what one drop of extra high liquid was equivalent to, having just received my first e-cig. At any rate, my two pennies... There is not a way to make a 2nd moderator for the group? I've seen that in other forums. Or, is the issue the fact that said moderator would have to be a member of the group? Why not ask one who frequents the forums often? If that is not feasible, what about the actual e-cigarette-forum.com moderator(s) of the. If it is only one, then that would be too much to ask, but if there are others, why not? If it's not possible to give a few members the ability to be a moderator, then, I don't know. Maybe an account could be created, where only a few trusted members(servants)had the pw, that could be used to approve requests. For all that I just said, I'm honestly not so concerned. I haven't checked how many people are in this group, yet. But, from what I've seen, people at the forums seem to be very friendly. I'm not sure how often you all logon, and I'm assuming most of us have non-cyber AA lives. One of the few reasons I can think of to make it private is for the long-distance people, or bed-ridden, who can't physically attend an AA meeting. I have been in that situation in a small town in Europe. There is lamp-lighters for that and all the online AA meetings. At first, as I was reading your guys' posts I was leaning towards private, but now that i've rambled on, it's probably fine(maybe better)the way it is.
And about the post where somebody mentioned AA has no monopoly on recovery(I believe the book actually refers to G-d)in regards to people posting about other methods of getting sober, etc. Well, the group ideally wouldn't be called 'friends of Bill W.' in that case. A lot of people are very sensitive about that, as a couple of you already stated your 'secret'. I am fine with it, in the sense of personal tolerance and sensitivity. I have two aunts and two uncles with long-term sobriety in AA. I also have an uncle who has long-term sobriety, outside of AA. He is not a dry-drunk, he is very content with his life. I talked to him about this and, yes, he stated it wouldn't have been possible without G-d(he is also into his religion). When I was younger, I justified not following the suggestions given me by the rehab I was in, by citing my uncle. I firmly believe AA is not the only way(aside from personal experience and observation, just read 'Varieties of Religious Experience' cited by Bill W., for further proof). But it sure as hell has the best success rate--in terms of efficacy, and in terms of not driving someone away. So, having people talk about other ways of getting sober might be detrimental to a newcomer's ability to get sober. Of course, my not getting sober early on wasn't because of my uncle and my using him as justification, I simply was not ready. However, if this group is to function under the title of 'friends of Bill W.' then it might be a good idea to have some guidelines. I don't know, I'd have to ask my sponsor his opinion. Not really.
Although I wouldn't care either way, I just thought I'd throw in some jibberish to put in your pipe and smoke, while slightly introducing myself.
Best,
Tim
And about the post where somebody mentioned AA has no monopoly on recovery(I believe the book actually refers to G-d)in regards to people posting about other methods of getting sober, etc. Well, the group ideally wouldn't be called 'friends of Bill W.' in that case. A lot of people are very sensitive about that, as a couple of you already stated your 'secret'. I am fine with it, in the sense of personal tolerance and sensitivity. I have two aunts and two uncles with long-term sobriety in AA. I also have an uncle who has long-term sobriety, outside of AA. He is not a dry-drunk, he is very content with his life. I talked to him about this and, yes, he stated it wouldn't have been possible without G-d(he is also into his religion). When I was younger, I justified not following the suggestions given me by the rehab I was in, by citing my uncle. I firmly believe AA is not the only way(aside from personal experience and observation, just read 'Varieties of Religious Experience' cited by Bill W., for further proof). But it sure as hell has the best success rate--in terms of efficacy, and in terms of not driving someone away. So, having people talk about other ways of getting sober might be detrimental to a newcomer's ability to get sober. Of course, my not getting sober early on wasn't because of my uncle and my using him as justification, I simply was not ready. However, if this group is to function under the title of 'friends of Bill W.' then it might be a good idea to have some guidelines. I don't know, I'd have to ask my sponsor his opinion. Not really.
Although I wouldn't care either way, I just thought I'd throw in some jibberish to put in your pipe and smoke, while slightly introducing myself.
Best,
Tim
For anyone new, you can't beat this A.A. life!
