RE: Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

June 6, 2001

Are "outsiders" welcome here?

Must be, cuz 6 weeks ago I was da new goyl.

--Mona--

June 6, 2001

Sure are, Braid, jump right in.

Dave Trippel

Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

Are "outsiders" welcome here? Braidenstone

June 6, 2001

> Sure are, Braid, jump right in.

>

> Dave Trippel

Thanks Dave!

I had posted a message yesterday, and really need some help here.

Could you maybe give me some feed-back?

Braidenstone

> Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

>

> Are " outsiders " welcome here?

>

> Braidenstone

>

June 6, 2001

braidenstone@... wrote:

> Are " outsiders " welcome here?

>

> Braidenstone

Braidenstone,

You are more than welcome here. The only thing that everyone has in common,

is that none of us are happy with the Step groups.

Right now, there is a lot of political discussion here which gets _very_

heated at times. There is _no_ general consensus. Politics vary from far

right to far left to " middle of the road " to outside the polar axis. As far

as abstinence/moderation goes, we have people who espouse one or the other

and both. We have people who support one way of maintaining

abstinence/moderation or another (e.g. RR, SMART, MM, therapy, " nothing " ) and

people in a wide range of opinion on each one of them.

About the only thing that isn't accepted here is proseltyzing for the step

groups.

One thing to caution you about is that if you are still closely tied to the

step groups in the way you frame things, you will get a broad range of

response from the list members varying between attack for the use of clichés

to (hopefully) explanations as to why the language sets many of us off. That

_doesn't_ mean you don't belong here.

If you don't like the discussions, feel free to start a new thread. That is

the best way to talk about what you want to. You also have the option of

waiting until the topics change, which surely they will.

In any case, welcome.

Ken Ragge

list manager

June 6, 2001

Braidenstone (whew)

I started perusing this list over a month ago. I have gotten very much out

of it. Most of the topics/retorts/comments are very intelligent and well

researched. There seems to be many professional people here, which I find

exuberating, as my past attendance in a.a. found very little in the way of

challenging discussion. The last meeting I attended, I felt like I just left

a bar.

Just read these messages (their is a lot of them) before you post. You will

get the 'feel' of it sooner than you think. The mainstream here seems very

anti X.A., which I now pretty much subscribe to.

Hope to see you around, I guess you are the 'new guy' now.

Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

Are " outsiders " welcome here?

Braidenstone

June 6, 2001

Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

> Are " outsiders " welcome here?

>

> Braidenstone

>

The only requirement for membership is a desire to be an outsider ;-)

I suspect that the reason your original post didn't get a response was that

it asked for opinions about problem gambling, and no one who read it had

any, or wanted to make something up on the spot. I don't recall any

substantial discussion of problem gambling, or posts by ex- or current

problem gamblers in the now almost three years this list has been in

existence.

I have known a few heavy 'compulsive' gamblers, and when it comes to how

they act when they're in the throws of their 'addiction' they might as well

be Martians as far as I'm concerned. I just don't get it.

Anyhow, of course you're welcome.

--wally

June 6, 2001

> In a message dated 6/6/01 5:21:03 PM US Eastern Standard Time,

> braidenstone@h... writes:

>

> > Are " outsiders " welcome here?

> >

>

> Must be, cuz 6 weeks ago I was da new goyl.

>

> --Mona--

Hey " new goyl " . Ha!

It's funny, my son used to pronounce it that way! Never seen it

spelled by anyone else like that but by me!

June 6, 2001

>

> > Are " outsiders " welcome here?

> >

> > Braidenstone

>

> Braidenstone,

>

> You are more than welcome here. The only thing that everyone has

in common,

> is that none of us are happy with the Step groups.

>

> Right now, there is a lot of political discussion here which gets

_very_

> heated at times. There is _no_ general consensus. Politics vary

from far

> right to far left to " middle of the road " to outside the polar

axis. As far

> as abstinence/moderation goes, we have people who espouse one or

the other

> and both. We have people who support one way of maintaining

> abstinence/moderation or another (e.g. RR, SMART, MM,

therapy, " nothing " ) and

> people in a wide range of opinion on each one of them.

>

> About the only thing that isn't accepted here is proseltyzing for

the step

> groups.

>

> One thing to caution you about is that if you are still closely

tied to the

> step groups in the way you frame things, you will get a broad range

of

> response from the list members varying between attack for the use

of clichés

> to (hopefully) explanations as to why the language sets many of us

off. That

> _doesn't_ mean you don't belong here.

>

> If you don't like the discussions, feel free to start a new

thread. That is

> the best way to talk about what you want to. You also have the

option of

> waiting until the topics change, which surely they will.

>

> In any case, welcome.

>

> Ken Ragge

> list manager

Thanks for the welcome Ken, I already like it here!

Braidenstone

June 6, 2001

> Braidenstone (whew)

>

> I started perusing this list over a month ago. I have gotten very

much out

> of it. Most of the topics/retorts/comments are very intelligent and

well

> researched. There seems to be many professional people here, which

I find

> exuberating, as my past attendance in a.a. found very little in the

way of

> challenging discussion. The last meeting I attended, I felt like I

just left

> a bar.

>

> Just read these messages (their is a lot of them) before you post.

You will

> get the 'feel' of it sooner than you think. The mainstream here

seems very

> anti X.A., which I now pretty much subscribe to.

>

> Hope to see you around, I guess you are the 'new guy' now.

>

Thanks ....How 'bout Braiden for short? (and I am a gal!)

Braiden

>

> Ummm...is this a clique like A.A.???

>

> Are " outsiders " welcome here?

>

> Braidenstone

>

June 6, 2001

Hi Braiden! My name is Eddie, I'm new here too. So far it seems like a

pretty neat place to be. I don't agree with everything everybody says, but

what kind of person would I be if I did? I know this much for sure, when I

check my E-mail at least I've got something besides junk mail(lol). I mean

a whole bunch of mail. Welcome new gal!! Eddie Osborne a/k/a the