Why do you think that, I can’t find any evidence for it, is it simply your opinion? I would read any articles you could point me to that demonstrates that. I find it hard to believe that people known for having social and communication problems amongst other difficulties, would start an organisation based on having to meet strangers in unfamiliar surroundings and talk publicly to them randomly, while being expected to touch them in some way too. That’s more like the average aspies idea of a nightmare than anything else.
You seem to see a lot of people in AA/NA on the spectrum but that was certainly not what I saw when I attended, it was more like an NT social gathering, I was always very much on the far edge of whatever was happening. I don’t think that the 12 step program is something that many aspies would gravitate towards and as we are 1 in 63 statistically, there are unlikely to ever be much more than one aspie per meeting, at most.
Desperation makes for strange bedfellows. When confronted with the spectre of imminent death human beings are willing to endure any discomfort in order to live. The AA founders lived in a different time. AA in1935-1945 was quite different from AA 2018. Mental health was limited in its scope and Apergers was unheard of at the time. Alcoholism wasn't even considered a disease at that time. It was a moral failing. So alcoholics, who were the object of rejection, ridicule and scorn, found a fellowship that welcomed them and they clung to it. Attending meetings wasn't the focus because there simply wasn't an overabundance of meetings to attend. Belief in a power greater than human power, and a willingness to live by spiritual principles was all that was, and still is, necessary to recover from a hopeless state of mind and body.
I am 63 and was undiagnosed for 58 years. For 17 years in recovery I fought through depression. In 2012 a fellow Aspie heard my talk at an AA meeting and suggested I had been misdiagnosed as a sociopath. She asked what did I know about Aspergers, and thus started my journey that has brought me here. High functioning Aspies end up in the rooms of recovery quite often. They are undiagnosed and their imminent problem is a life and death matter, not a matter of discomfort. Besides, in order to recover one must become willing to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Meetings last an hour. Putting up with NT's pales in comparison to the self-inflicted horrors of addiction.
The characteristics of the alcoholic and addict are very similar to Aspergers. This is why I thought AA was my tribe. I did share much in common with the other alcoholics, but after a while I started noticing a marked difference between me and others. I just considered it was my sociopathic behavior. There are many more like me. One out of ten people are alcoholic. That would include many Aspies. If there is only one in every meeting that is still a considerable number. There are over 150,000 AA meetings in the US alone.
In my 26 years in the fellowship many alcoholics and addicts have gravitated towards me because they heard something familiar when I shared my experience, strength and hope. I also offer an educational path to recovery that's based in the program in the AA Big Book. This is far different from the fellowship based recovery that is common today. What I offer is based on the original AA style recovery forged by the AA founders. Meeting attendance is optional, but many of those I help experience a spiritual awakening that alters their motives and outlook on life, and they go to meetings, not to stay sober, but to help others to get sober. This approach is more attractive to Aspies in recovery, who can't grasp the nuances of the fellowship. I only go to a couple of meetings every week, but I practice spiritual principles every day.
Many of the AA founders were traveling salesmen. This was a grinding career path, but for outcast alcoholics this was the only avenue of employment available to them. They didn't commiserate in meetings to share their tales of woe as many do in AA today. They were solitary messengers carrying a message of hope to alcoholics across the country. This would have been a perfect job for Aspies at the time. I worked as a courier for six years. It required limited human interaction. So I really relate to the AA pioneers.
I wish that I could refer you to a book that goes in depth on the subject of alcholism/addiction and Aspergers, but none exist. So I guess I am operating on opinion, but a very educated opinion. Just as my friend recognized my Aspergers in me, and I recognize it in others, my educated opinion of the AA founders was formed by me and other Aspies in recovery. When you work the 12 Steps you monitor your behavior. As such, you become an amateur behavorist. That is why my friend spotted the Aspergers trait in me, and it is the same power of observation that led me to my conclusion about the AA founders. I was blessed to have an AA sponsor who obsesses about AA history. He is my knowledge base that supplies much personal information about the AA founders. The idea of writing a book about this has crossed my mind. It would prove helpful to those who work with both Aspergers and addiction. These disciplines are so intensive that very few professionals cross study into the different fields. But as a layperson with knowledge and experience with both Aspergers and addiction, I can offer much to the professionals. I have not only my experience to draw on, but the experience of Aspies in recovery, as well as those in this forum, like yourself, who haven't found success with 12 Step fellowships.
