The program of AA is not a "We" program.
It's often heard in some AA meetings that AA is a "We" program. As an AA literature enthusiast I find that this is a misleading party line that is outright wrong in a number of ways and simply not true.
First it has to be understood by anyone who wants to practice the AA program correctly, as designed and written in the AA book that meetings are not the AA program. Meetings are the fellowship. Meetings are NOT the AA program.
This is plainly said in "How it Works" read at the beginning of most every AA meeting. In the "How it Works" reading we hear. "Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a program of recovery". So the 12 steps are the program. Meetings are the fellowship. Two very separate things. This must be understood. The AA book specifically lays out the 12 step practical program of action to give recovery from alcoholism. No where in the book does it say meetings of the fellowship give recovery.
So, with that in mind let's look at how the AA program is NOT a "We program".
It is simple. The 12 steps which are the AA program have to be completed by the alcoholic themselves. Nobody can do it for them. We cannot do it for them. It does not make sense to call it a "We" program for this simple fact. "We" cannot do the AA program together. For example "we" cannot do a fourth step together. Every alcoholic must individually do their own 4th step inventory. This is true for ALL the steps. They have to be done by the individual. In the 5th step we ask someone to "hear" our 4th step but it is an individual alcoholics 4th step. The other person involved listens. They do not "do" the step. Same goes for the 9th step amends. The alcoholic who does 9th step amends must do that work themselves. Other people are involved but they receive the amends. They do not do the step.
I humbly ask the anyone reading this no longer repeat this misleading party line in AA meetings if they have in the past. It is misleading, not true and NOT the program of AA.
I can only speculate about how this party line started. My opinion it is that more than likely the majority of people who frequent AA meetings do not take the time to study the AA book. They look at the steps on the wall and make assumptions and make their own conclusions about what they mean. Many of these summaries use the word "We" so people conclude it must be a "We" program.
In reality the steps put on window shades or placards in brick and mortar AA meetings are summaries of the steps. Those summaries do not contain enough for anyone to complete the steps correctly. Any AA Book enthusiast knows that there are specific instructions in the AA book.
