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Rageaholics Anonymous

Rageaholics Anonymous (RA) is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help other rageaholics to recover from acting out in compulsive and destructive anger. RA, like many other twelve-step programs, follows the traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous (RA).[1] Wikipedia lists 29 twelve-step groups patterned after AA. [2] Another authority lists 49 official twelve-step fellowships, dealing with 49 different addictions.[3]

The primary purpose of RA is to help recovering rageaholics to abstain from committing acts of rage. The RA group distinguishes between anger and rage. Anger may be a healthy reaction to adverse circumstances among non-addicts, but for rageaholics the compulsion to rage goes way beyond anger, leading to "pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization."[4]

Program

The RA program differs from tools for self-control taught in anger management courses. just changing drinking behavior.[5] AA process encourages the transformation of the alcoholic' character, producing a "personality change sufficient to recover from alcoholism"[6] while abstaining from alcohol, one day at a time. The personality change is believed to be brought about by means of a spiritual awakening achieved from following the Twelve Steps,[7] helping with duties and service work in AA,[8] and regular AA meeting attendance[9] or contact with AA members.[7] Members are encouraged to find an experienced fellow alcoholic called a sponsor to help them understand and follow the AA program. Some members suggest the sponsor is preferably one that has maintained sobriety for at least a year and is of the same sex as the sponsored person, and who does not impose personal views on the sponsored person.[10] Following the helper therapy principle, sponsors in AA benefit as much, if not more, from their relationship than do those they sponsor. Helping behaviors correlate with increased abstinence and lower probabilities of binge drinking.[11]

AA's program is an inheritor of Counter-Enlightenment philosophy. AA shares the view that acceptance of one's inherent limitations is critical to finding one's proper place among other humans and God. Such ideas are described as "Counter-Enlightenment" because they are at variance with the Enlightenment's ideal that humans have the capacity to make their lives and societies a heaven on earth using their own power and reason.[5]



Meetings

Anyone, including non-alcoholics, are allowed to attend "open" AA meetings, while "closed" meetings are reserved to those who have a desire to stop drinking.[12] There are also specialized meetings, for example; groups for men or women; groups angled at gay people; and groups for speakers of minority languages, in general, however, no one is excluded from these specific meetings. Most AA meetings begin with socializing. Formats vary between meetings, for example, a beginners' meeting might include a talk by a long-time sober member about his or her personal experience of drinking, coming to AA and what was learned there about sobriety. A group discussion on topics related to alcoholism and the AA program might follow.[13]

In a typical meeting, the chairperson starts by calling the meeting to order and offering a short prayer, meditation, and/or period of silence (practice varies by meeting). Then, a section from the book Alcoholics Anonymous may be read aloud, usually the beginning of Chapter Five, entitled "How It Works". Announcements from the chairperson and group members follow. Many groups celebrate newcomers, visitors, and sobriety anniversaries with rounds of applause. Following announcements, donations are collected, usually by passing a basket around the room. There is no requirement to make a donation and most members will only contribute a small amount, often just some loose change. Depending on the type of meeting, a talk by a speaker relating their personal experience with alcoholism and AA or a discussion session with topics chosen by the chairperson, the speaker, or the attendees follows.[14] Sharing at meetings is not required nor expected and members are not frowned upon if they choose to pass and just listen. The "no crosstalk" suggestions, where responding to another member's comments is discouraged, is a hallmark of AA meetings. In many meetings, in order to encourage identification, members confine their comments to their alcoholic drinking and recovery, following the guidelines of "what we were like, what happened and what we are like now". This format is intended to avoid distracting the group from its primary purpose. After the discussion period, the meeting is typically ended with a prayer, usually the Serenity Prayer or often in the US, the Lord's Prayer. These ending prayers are sometimes undertaken by the entire group forming a circle and holding hands. Members are neither expected, nor required to say the prayer nor hold hands. More socializing typically follows the close of the formal meeting, and it is common for members to gather at a nearby café. Other meeting formats also exist where specific AA related topics are discussed in more detail, a common example is a Step Study meeting where one or more of the 12 steps are discussed at length.

During AA meetings, some 'in-group' language is used, for example, members will freely use idiomatic and metaphorical phrases such as “Keep it simple”, “Let go and let God”, and “If you turn it over, but don’t let go, you end up upside-down”.[15]

References

  1. ^ The original Twelve Steps are described in the "Big Book" (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th edition (February 10, 2002), New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services) An online version of the Big Book can be found at the AA official website.
  2. ^ See the following list of twelve-step groups.
  3. ^ See 12 Steps for Everybody, Pacific Palisades: 12 Steps for Everybody, Inc.
  4. ^ p. 30, Alcoholics Anonymous
  5. ^ a b Humphreys, Keith. "World Views of Alcoholics Anonymous, Women for Sobriety, and Adult Children of Alcoholics/Al-Anon Mutual Help Groups". Addiction Research & Theory. 3 (3): 231–243. doi:10.3109/16066359509005240. {{cite journal}}: Text "year-1995" ignored (help)
  6. ^ (Alcoholics Anonymous, Appendix II)
  7. ^ a b This is AA pamphlet
  8. ^ Sponsorship-A Vital Stepping Stone to Service & Sobriety[dead link]
  9. ^ "A Newcomer Asks pamphlet". Alcoholics Anonymous website. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  10. ^ [1][dead link] Questions and Answers on Sponsorship pamphlet
  11. ^ Zemore, S. E., Kaskutas, L. A., & Ammon, L. N. (2004). "In 12-step groups, helping helps the helper". Addiction. 99 (8): 1015–1023. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00782.x. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "AA at a Glance pamphlet". Alcoholics Anonymous website. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  13. ^ [2] Suggestions for Leading Beginners Meetings pamphlet
  14. ^ Kirkpatrick, Kayla EJ. "Interpreting AA (and other 12-step) Meetings." American Sign Language Interpreting Resources, 10 December 1999. <http://asl_interpreting.tripod.com/situational_studies/kejk1.htm>. 12 March 2008.
  15. ^ Kirkpatrick, Kayla EJ. "Interpreting AA (and other 12-step) Meetings." American Sign Language Interpreting Resources, 10 December 1999. <http://asl_interpreting.tripod.com/situational_studies/kejk1.htm>. 12 March 2008.
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