Does James Frey reject Alcoholics Anonymous?

Question by Cindy R.: Does James Frey reject Alcoholics Anonymous?
Does James Frey, the “Million Little Pieces” author reject AA?

Was he forced to go to AA?

Did he like AA?

Best answer:

Answer by raysny
He hated AA and wrote a book about getting sober without AA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Million_Little_Pieces

Unfortunately for all the people that book resonated with, Fry embellished much of the book, giving AA members something to denounce the book over. Many feel that catching Frey in untruths somehow make their lies true.

People in AA tell the same sort of stories, called drunkalogues, in meetings all the time. Frey was put under a microscope because he doesn’t believe people are powerless over their addictions or that you need AA’s particular god to bail out out on a daily basis.

AA members claim they are the only way a person could possibly get sober. Ignoring all the alcoholics that quit on their own for thousands of years before Bill and Dr. Bob got together for a moment, let’s look at some FACTS:
“One recent study found that 80% of all alcoholics who recover for a year or more do so on their own, some after being unsuccessfully treated. When a group of these self-treated alcoholics was interviewed, 57% said they simply decided that alcohol was bad for them. Twenty-nine percent said health problems, frightening experiences, accidents, or blackouts persuaded them to quit. Others used such phrases as “Things were building up” or “I was sick and tired of it.” Support from a husband or wife was important in sustaining the resolution.”
Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction — Part III, The Harvard Mental Health Letter, October 1995.

The Effectiveness of the Twelve-Step Treatment
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html

1) Dr. Brandsma found that A.A. increased the rate of binge drinking, and
2) Dr. Ditman found that A.A. increased the rate of rearrests for public drunkenness, and
3) Dr. Walsh found that “free A.A.” made later hospitalization more expensive, and
4) Doctors Orford and Edwards found that having a doctor talk to the patient for just one hour was just as effective as a whole year of A.A.-based treatment.
5) Dr. George E. Vaillant, the A.A. Trustee, found that A.A. treatment was completely ineffective, and raised the death rate in alcoholics. No other way of treating alcoholics produced such a high death rate as did Alcoholics Anonymous.
1) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html#Brandsma
2) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html#Ditman
3) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html#Walsh
4) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html#Orford
5) http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-effectiveness.html#Vaillant

Penn & Teller:
12 steps programs 1:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=8tPNgHrIkgo& NR=1

12 steps programs 2:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=5uwx2P5LJgk

12 steps programs 3:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=7PjpOsE3xoY

Videos from BlameDenial:
http://blamedenial.co.uk/confessionsession.html

Effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effectiveness_of_Alcoholics_Anonymous

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 

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