Alcoholics Anonymous Group

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billgates

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#23692 7-Jul-2008 12:47

Me and couple of friends at work were having a discussion about AA and it's program. I know in USA if you are caught drunk driving too many times or you have a Alcohol problem, a court can force you to attend the AA program. My only problem with it is that is has GOD in it in the 12 steps and being a staunch Aiethiest you prob understand why I have a problem with the 12 step program. My question is can a court in NZ force someone to attend an AA program. Because if they force you then an Aethiest will be forced to follow the 12 step program and atleast in NZ you cannot force religion upon someone. Views?

Do whatever you want to do man.

freitasm

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#143717 7-Jul-2008 12:49

Another religion discussion?

What does it have to do with Technology? Why discuss here? And can you at least fix the subject and spell it correctly?

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billgates

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#143719 7-Jul-2008 12:50

freitasm: Another religion discussion?

What does it have to do with Technology?

Nothing, I just want to know whether a NZ court can force someone to go to an AA program.

Do whatever you want to do man.

sleemanj

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#143732 7-Jul-2008 13:14

freitasm: Another religion discussion?

What does it have to do with Technology? Why discuss here?

Please use this forum for anything off topic - this forum will probably be of a less moderated nature, so be warned!

If we are now only to discuss Technology issues here, you'd better change that.

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freitasm

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#143734 7-Jul-2008 13:16

I don't think anyone should remind me of the rules - ultimately I still make the rules here, just look at my BDFL title.

And although it is good to discuss off topic stuff - lots is better, religion is always going to attract the worst of each person - even though religions are supposed to preach tolerance.

It's just a case of using common sense. You start asking about religion stuff and in two pages someone will get all up in arms.

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sleemanj

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#143738 7-Jul-2008 13:20

billgates: Me and couple of friends at work were having a discussion about AA and it's program.

I don't know the answer to your question, but my suspicion is no ( is the "12 step" AA program even present in NZ?). I believe in the US the court can order you to attend an approved programme, and that there are non-religious programmes.

All that said, don't abuse alcohol or drink & drive, problem solved.

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bobmeister

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#143743 7-Jul-2008 13:22

I fought against the bottle, but I had to do it drunk.

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itxtme

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#143749 7-Jul-2008 13:29

Court cant force you to go to anything outside a sentence, however it can reccomend you do so or require you to do so when applying delayed sentence (cant remember the correct name for this). If you didnt attend the recommended courses then the judge could send you to jail instead

mobygeek

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#145275 9-Jul-2008 10:07

It can be any 'Gee Oh Dee' you like, so don't worry, It's probably not my God. It is, as I recall from my mother's experiences in an alcohol clinic, a "higher Power'. Could be anything you like, but probably not the 'god of the bottle'. I think it is a personally acceptable question to ask here; if we can discuss fake ab-king-pro's, why not your personal freedom to beleive or not, or be forced to fake belief? It is, at any rate, more of a real-life issue than the iPhone! But I would ask the question - do you have a drinking problem? Maybe if you don't want your personal freedom taken away from you, do the sensible thing, and keep off the roads, please. Not trying to be mean, but I have experience with my alcoholic mother drink-driving when I was a child. Not funny. Look after yourself...

...And others, especially the ones you love...

Nirodha

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#145549 9-Jul-2008 17:04

I'm from the US originally and am familiar with it's laws. Some US state courts can require that repeat substance abuse offenders attend rehab, on occasion, in exchange for a reduced jail/prison sentence. However, as far as I know, the rehab doesn't have to be AA/NA or any of it's derivatives. And, there are plenty of treatment options that don't include "God" as part of the equation. (By the way, I'm not an atheist. But, the spiritual practices I do engage in don't place any emphasis on gods nor are they seen as supreme beings.)

There's some debate going on in the US as to whether enforced rehab even works. As someone with experience in substance abuse related matters, I know that all attempts to help an addict - enforced or not - are bound to fail, unless the person is willing to admit that they have a problem.

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mobygeek

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#145960 10-Jul-2008 09:58

Nirodha:
There's some debate going on in the US as to whether enforced rehab even works. As someone with experience in substance abuse related matters, I know that all attempts to help an addict - enforced or not - are bound to fail, unless the person is willing to admit that they have a problem.

I agree totally.

marmel

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#146132 10-Jul-2008 14:51

itxtme: Court cant force you to go to anything outside a sentence, however it can reccomend you do so or require you to do so when applying delayed sentence (cant remember the correct name for this). If you didnt attend the recommended courses then the judge could send you to jail instead

This is not correct.

The court frequently "forces" people to undertake various courses and counselling. They do not recommend you do these courses, they order you to.

You are correct is saying though that if people do not attend when ordered they can be jailed.