How many celebrities who claim to be AA/ NA sober / Clean - are really completely abstinent ?

Bradley Cooper is but he still has an insanely out of control ego.

☝🏼. And how do you know he’s totally high free ? Getting loaded is part of the entertainment industry core

I would go out on a limb to say that I think RDJ does not drink or drug anymore.

Ditto Stephen King.

Celebrities live real lives- they don’t only hang out with other celebrities and many of them are just doing a job when they are working. Not all are the same

R4, is delusional

Bump

In LA there is, essentially, now a separate celebrity AA. They all go to private meetings in people houses which are invite-only and kept strictly secret to outsiders within the fellowship. It's become a major social thing among AA social climbers to get invited to one of these meetings.

That's why you don't hear of, say, Brad Pitt being seen at AA meetings although you can tell he's staying sober. He's going to them, but behind closed doors and only among his 'peers'.

The problem is that, as OP notes, it means that the 'leave your ego/status at the door' element of AA is entirely lost on these groups, which means they are essentially severing themselves from one of the most important and helpful foundation blocks of the program - the one that helps the most with banishing misery. Ironic.

R7, back in the 90’s you could see celebrities all over LA AA. I guess the smart phone and social media spooked them. There were star fuckers who would go to these meetings just to meet and greet the celeb

I remember that too, r8.

AA starfuckers are literally the worst kind of starfuckers because of their cynical use of AA as a ladder to get to famous/rich people at their most vulnerable. Nothing more disgusting to witness.

Yes. I knew a girl that chose a famous model for her sponsor and totally used her to climb the fame ladder

I love how OP judges celebs as not being good enough to adhere to AA in a post asking people to out members of AA.

R11, celebs out themselves. They let the world know

There is also "LA sober" which is not drinking, but smoking weed, which many do successfully. I think Brad is LA sober.

I debated on whether throw my two cents in on this. I’m 25 years sober and spent a significant time of my recovery in the LA sober community. R4 is dead on and OP while not entirely true speaks ultimately what the problem is there. When I first started going to meetings, I thought wow this is the greatest recovery I’ve ever experienced. What I realized is while it’s mostly good intentions I’ve never seen a place and people built on a foundation of so much bullshit. The straight guys are so misogynist and mostly cruise the meeting looking for pussy(these are the Beverly Hills and Log Cabin meetings I went to can’t speak to anywhere else in the city) And while people pretend to want to connect with you most of its fake. Unless you have something they want. I lived there from 2010-2017 and had celebs all around me. Some are truly sober and the real deal. Others no so much. I know one A-List actress who said she was “sober” who never opened a Big Book or worked a step but hey that’s her journey. And I went to a few home meetings and was invited. They were fine. I didn’t really get into it. My point is LA is accused of being fake and BS. The meetings at least in BH and west side sort of follow the same path. At least that was my experience.

Bump

Anthony Hopkins has not only been sober for years, but sponsors people to go to Betty Ford. He also stops in spontaneously to speak to groups there.

LuAnn "Southampton Sober" De Leseppes

"I only do drugs with my kids and my friends, because I'm an artist."

^ and sometimes alone

There have been special private AA meetings for occupational groups for decades. Those in health care for instance. Pilots, clergy also. Groups for which breaking anonymity outside AA would be very harmful. The breaking is likely occur because of some other AA members who can be assholes. Technically they are not AA groups since the violate the tradition of not allowing any alcoholic to attend. But they function like official AA groups.

^ by not allowing any alcoholic to attend.

It’s a dangerous cult that has hurt far more than helped . They have done studies on people who get sober without AA and the results are the same . They may even be higher outside of 12 steps when you factor in all the relapses and returns

And the AA troll is back. ^^^^^^^^

Yes, and he has a simplistic notion of how “studies” work, R22.

The LA gays have ruined AA. Sobriety was supposed to be an anonymous endeavor according to the founders. Now they post every chip or milestone in their sober lives online and the other AA tools spend all day liking their posts. Nevermind the ridiculous hashtags like #soberissexy etc. they’ve made it so public that it’s a turnoff to anyone who isn’t looking for the same attention etc. they’ve all just traded one addiction for another. And they can be some of the nastiest most cliquey and miserable cunts you’ll ever meet.

AA teaches helplessness and frowns on critical thinking.

I wonder if Jami Lee Curtis is totally sober . She seems so unhappy and angry .

Well, I’m coming up on 37 years this Saturday. During that time, I’ve lived in several places, including San Diego for 19 years. I frequently traveled to L.A. and P.S., and went to meetings there. There are all kinds of people, gay and straight, who cruise the meetings.

There are as many kinds of people in A.A. as there are anywhere else. People love feeling special; so they continually start “closed” meetings of their own. And cliques abound, like the notorious Pacific Group. In all my time, I’ve only seen a few so-called “celebrities,” whom I don’t envy, because of the pressures they must feel.

Sobriety is something you have to want more than anything else, and it requires daily maintenance. It has been the blessing of my life, but it’s not always easy.

I got sober on my own. AA was never for me. Not at all.

However, during one of my times trying to go the AA route, I got invited to a "celeb" AA at-home meeting. It was actually super fun. Wasn't that different from any other AA meeting. Just with a bunch of famous people talking about their shit. Food was better, too.

Oh, I had just begun dating the guy who invited me. Once we were no longer dating, I was no longer invited.

R27 , “Sobriety is something you have to want more than anything else, and it requires daily maintenance. It has been the blessing of my life, but it’s not always easy.“

You have almost 3 decades of sobriety and you still believe you are enslaved by the “ daily reprieve “ BS ?! And why do people boast about their sobriety years if only one day at a time?

Because R29 it helps those who are struggling see that long term sobriety is possible. No one is enslaved by a daily reprieve. The one day at a time mantra is to help not to think too far ahead.

I have 25 years and my life has only gotten better. I am sorry you are so miserable in yours. I hope you find peace.

R30, typical gaslighting cult member.

[R27] here: I’d rather be a “cult” member than alone and miserable. Never made any friends by going to bars.

Alcohol is not your friend.

AA is fantastic for people who are joiners. And there's nothing wrong with that. Being a joiner is an important part of being human for many.

For me? I hated church as a child. I hated frats in college. I hated AA as an adult. Forced group activities, where a hive mentality is a must to attain cohesion, just don't work for me. And there's nothing wrong with that either.

AA isn't evil. AA has some issues it really should address (ie get more science based after all these years). But that doesn't make it evil or without merit.

Not getting sober through AA also isn't evil.

Life isn't a one size fits all hoodie.

R33, true AA philosophy is they are the only way and you are dry drunk / addict if you don’t comply

Aside from marijuana (L.A. sober), there are prescription drugs and methadone to keep people "sober" and pacified. I'm guessing RDJ is on rx drugs.

Also, celebrities relapse, then get sober again. It's normal (happens to all addicts), but you might not hear about it.

That was not my experience, R34.

In fact, I have a few friends who are in AA. They were incredibly supportive when they found out I got sober on my own. I haven't felt the slightest hint of judgement or that they think I'm a "dry drunk".

Though we share much more interesting things in common than our drunk pasts. It doesn't often come up anymore. We've all been sober for years and years. So maybe that's why?

R31 why is anyone who has found long term success in AA a “gaslighting cult member”? Millions of people get sober every day and use different methods, ONE of them being Alcoholics Anonymous. I would never begrudge how anyone chooses to do that. Quite the contrary. I realize there will be some enlightened response but the rest of you if anyone in Alcoholics Anonymous is telling you that their way is the only way they’re full of shit.

Another inane post by a clueless dolt making sweeping claims that have no basis in reality or more important quantitative proof.

I might add that those claiming AA is a cult etc are also full of it. They know nothing of AA or are simply toxic people who for some reason begrudge AA and anyone who manages to stop abusing substances with or without AA. And you know what? They need not know anything about AA. It exists only for those with A desire to stop drinking.

These posters vociferously defending AA remind me of Scientologists defending their respective cult

Who is vociferously defending AA anywhere on this thread r40? Name one post?

To get back on topic ...

I think Mackenzie Phillips is completely sober. She seems like a totally new person now, and works as a drug counselor herself. I hope she is sober and happy; she deserves it.

She totally deserves it ☝🏼🙌👍. That has nothing to do with 12 steps . She is no longer addicted to substances. God bless her ! She had a very neglectful and abusive childhood. She’s a good soul

Funny Mackenzie Phillips Fact: At some of the very first AA meetings she attended, she noticed the various AA slogan signs taped up on the walls. When she saw that one of them read 'One Day at a Time,' she thought to herself "How nice! They must have known I was coming!"

A friend claims as is oddly cliquish. It triggered him. As a gay, he was never allowed into cliques growing up. When he saw that at AA, he recalled how desperately he wanted to be in a clique but was always left outside.

He tried to stay but had to leave because he hated seeing that

They all think alike

Has anyone tried Recovery Dharma?

Well not Johnny Depp or Amber Heard. They are both two steps short of being full blown crack whores. One or both of them will die in the very near future.

I believe Stephen King when he says that he stopped drinking/drugs long ago and is in recovery. I believe he is an honest man.

Eleven years sober here. Any Program will work if you are willing enough. SMART is a rationalizing program where you could still imbibe or partake of substances, but AA is “abstaining from all mind altering substances”. It really doesn’t work any other way if you are a “real deal” druggie or Allie, trust me…

Calling AA a “cult” is harsh, most of these people are completely estranged from family, came from broken homes, lost their jobs, home, money and friends, as well as any health insurance acoverage- nd have absolutely NO where else to turn unless HIV positive. I know I didn’t two decades ago.

I didn’t and still don’t agree with large swaths of fellowship, the strong or colorful personalities that are part of it, or that many people use it as harm reduction rather than get sober. Part of what works for the most desperate and down and out isn’t the Program itself initially, but the fellows devoted to reaching out and helping them, giving back. They aren’t paid like expensive doctors or prescriptions, and it works to keep them sober as well.

I would say if you have an issue staying sober, perhaps it’s not AA but that YOU are the issue. I went to my first meeting in my 20’s but didn’t get sober until my 40’s and it was definitely ME and my ego that was the problem.

“Alkie”, nor Allie.

Part of getting sober and staying sober is living a sober lifestyle, which is incredibly difficult. AA provides a network of people (hopefully) on the same path and you can make friends who will support your sobriety and help you navigate a life without alcohol. I absolutely understand that people can have bad experiences in AA - I tend to stay on the fringe and I’m careful with the people I choose to get close to. There are most definitely sone bad characters in AA but there are also some amazing people there as well.

0/10 r45

R45, we come in with preconceived notions about 12 Step programs, resents that we could abstain on our own, and personal biases formed from childhood. This can be a lethal combination!

Unfortunately, we don’t have the benefit of “normal” people we have a disease that tells us we don’t have a disease.

Thank God that nobody explain to me when I came in the room that a clock of ACCOUNTABILITY started ticking. It was best and worst thing to ever happen,

because I realized I was running out of time.

Sobriety is every alcoholics and addicts birthright. Once you understand this premise, I PROMISE YOU everything falls into place.

R54, typical stepper nonsense . It’s a cult !

R54 REALLY makes AA sound unappealing.

I’ve used it and it has been helpful and it has definitely helped a lot of people. But it’s bullshit the way rehabs and judges push people into AA. I think they do it because AA has crowded out other approaches, especially harm reduction strategies. And that makes sense. If you are dealing with an alcoholic, you want them to not drink. Not to get it down to a manageable level where they are much less likely to kill someone in a DUI, but they still might.

Unfortunately, the AA success rate is really, really low. And rather than own that, but be proud that it’s not zero, they say, “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.” How can you take people who say that seriously? If that’s not passive aggressive gaslighting, I don’t know what is. They like to dance around it when someone who has been bragging about being sober 20 years or applying sponsoring 6 people gets arrested for DUI.

I’ve used naltrexone and it was a game changer. I did therapists and AA for years and even rehab once. Naltrexone works for some people. I still drink and on rare occasions I sometimes still drink too much (but not blackout, vomiting on myself drunk). But I drink when I am frustrated and tired after a long day and I’ll have 1-4 beers, never more. It takes the edge off, but I no longer get the rush of pleasure and that uncontrollable drive to keep going. Previously I might have have started with 1 or 2 beers and then all I could think about was how to get more. Now I’ll leave a drink unfinished. My issues with alcohol are now learned behavioral issues, not physical. Over time I am drinking less and less and my goal remains to not drink. But naltrexone changed my physical response. I suspect my response to alcohol is now what a “normal” person always experienced. In that sense, it really is a disease. It took YEARS to get someone to let me try naltrexone and, even then, it was only in conjunction with the advice to go to AA and not drink. To get the results I got, you have to actually drink while taking it (and you have to be careful of your liver).