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AND he was a jerk. Or, at least, I didn't like him,
But mostly he was an alcoholic, and we know this because he was recovered and somehow managed to work it into discussion at least once per class. Not that recovering from alcoholism isn't a part of most US high school health curricula, but I really don't think we needed to hear about it every day. I mean, we're all happy he's sober and all (even me, and I didn't like him), but can we get back on topic here?
Anyway, as we go on, one day, when it actually *was* on topic, I mentioned that AA wasn't the only option for alcoholics, that there were alternatives to 12-step programs. I could not remember the names of any of these alternatives (why would I need to? Should I ever become addicted to something and decide to change my life, I can always turn to Google), but it didn't matter, because I could not get it through his head that I wasn't referring to copycat programs like NA or Al-anon or whatnot, but to programs for alcoholics that simply did not use the 12-step motif.
Yeah. I ultimately failed that class (it was third period, and he had this thing about the pledge, and with one thing and another it just got easier and easier to simply not show up. Next term, I got him again, and he and I mutually agreed (I suspect he liked me even less than I liked him) that I should just do independent study with an entirely different teacher. So he wasn't totally useless), and tried hard to put it out of my memory, but I was reminded today after reading a very sappy book about a teen in AA.
In case anybody here ever needs this information and doesn't have it (a program that works for many people might not work for you, after all), a quick google search provided me with the following links:
SOS
Women for Sobriety
Moderation Management
SMART Recovery
Lifering
I don't know anything about these programs other than that they happen to exist, but more information instead of less is almost always a good thing.
But mostly he was an alcoholic, and we know this because he was recovered and somehow managed to work it into discussion at least once per class. Not that recovering from alcoholism isn't a part of most US high school health curricula, but I really don't think we needed to hear about it every day. I mean, we're all happy he's sober and all (even me, and I didn't like him), but can we get back on topic here?
Anyway, as we go on, one day, when it actually *was* on topic, I mentioned that AA wasn't the only option for alcoholics, that there were alternatives to 12-step programs. I could not remember the names of any of these alternatives (why would I need to? Should I ever become addicted to something and decide to change my life, I can always turn to Google), but it didn't matter, because I could not get it through his head that I wasn't referring to copycat programs like NA or Al-anon or whatnot, but to programs for alcoholics that simply did not use the 12-step motif.
Yeah. I ultimately failed that class (it was third period, and he had this thing about the pledge, and with one thing and another it just got easier and easier to simply not show up. Next term, I got him again, and he and I mutually agreed (I suspect he liked me even less than I liked him) that I should just do independent study with an entirely different teacher. So he wasn't totally useless), and tried hard to put it out of my memory, but I was reminded today after reading a very sappy book about a teen in AA.
In case anybody here ever needs this information and doesn't have it (a program that works for many people might not work for you, after all), a quick google search provided me with the following links:
SOS
Women for Sobriety
Moderation Management
SMART Recovery
Lifering
I don't know anything about these programs other than that they happen to exist, but more information instead of less is almost always a good thing.
