How does a law removing AA ties to religious affiliation make this a is this an example of "It can be done"

The foundation (according to a woman I once knew (co-worker) who was a regular attendee (until her tragic relapse) is that you accept you have no value and must accept you need the help of a supernatural (God/Creator). Recovery is not possible without the necessary Faith/God component to your path to recovery. So they can't claim Catholic God/Creator or (insert any other faith based theistic based religion's specific version of an invisible sky daddy. I wonder if removing the world (Catholic) etc. changes AA's 80 to 90% failure statistics.

@NoMagicCookie Because Britain is multi-cultural and therefore the religious conponent has been removed. In its place is an expectation the person will devote themselves to self discovery. I sometimes refer patients to AA and NA. It would not work for Brits with the religious bit. There are so few people of faith here.

@Amisja
Please clarify you answer. Are you saying in Britain AA does not assert believing in a supernatural sky-daddy/sky-daddies? as the core element in recovery from addiction?

Checking the AA Page 568 linked from www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk I find

“God-consciousness.”
Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic
capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of
our experience can recover, provided he does not close
his mind to all spiritual concepts. He can only be de-
feated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

Sounds like they are still using the supernatural sky-daddy as a part of their (recovery method)

@NoMagicCookie They don't, I assure you. "all spiritual concepts" does not necessarily refer to 'God'. They do have links to spurituality but it does not necessarily mean 'god'. The NHS is a completely inclusive organisation and its associate groups have to too. There is no mention of god in any healthcare in UK and referring to god can get you disciplined. There is no longer conscientious objector either. So you can not object to working in hospitals that provide termination.

@Amisja Thanks for the clarification. Sounds much better there then in the states.

@NoMagicCookie I do recommend CBT though. We now provide CBT alongside px for antidepressants.

@Amisja I am actually very lucky. When I was very young I figured out that the best way to get really nice things was to not spend money on small things so I never spent any money on drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. The only drug I occasionally use is over the counter Loratadine (for seasonal allergies). Tried over the counter pseudoephedrine for allergies but that pill put me to sleep and makes me not think clearly the next day.

@NoMagicCookie I like wine and gin but not to excess and only on non-working nights.

@Amisja I do like wine. A friend of my father made wine and when he sold his house to move to another state (10 years ago) he gave me as much wine as I could carry (as many trips as I wanted) - Still have several dozen bottles of his wine in the basement.

@NoMagicCookie oooh how nice

@Amisja He died in a different state earlier this year. He lost a leg from WWII's the battle of the bulge. Really nice fellow. Some of the wine is good. Some is not.

@NoMagicCookie Thats a fascinating story. The wine is an exciting adventure. You'll have to send me some

@Amisja Old heavy glass bottles (recycled as he got his bottles in the alleys of bars) Sadly wouldn't be worth the postage but if you ever find yourself in ND. You would be welcome to a few bottles. The vast majority of the bottles I no longer have were given away to neighbours and guests.

@NoMagicCookie Well thats 1000 miles from me....oh well

@Amisja I know, I live in the blackened (theistic) middle of nowhere.

@NoMagicCookie I live in the grim North West of England

@Amisja Figured you were from England as you had knowledge of the English version of AA. Always thought England had a pleasant climate. I like cloudy and humid but I have no idea what it is really like there.

@NoMagicCookie Well you are welcome. Cold and wet

@Amisja That is my favorite weather. Have traveled to the west coast Washington State a few times logging more then a week and it was warm and sunny. Supposed to be wet and cool.