&gt;Source: anecdotal data<p>trashing those who you don&#x27;t agree with isn&#x27;t a fair justification to downvote.<p>My point is proven in the _first_ and _third_ steps of the program, In the admission that you have a problem, and that you are helpless to solve the problem yourself, respectively.  [0][1]<p>What about your point?  Your personal opinion of it?  It is the admission that you are _helpless_ to your disease, and it is that very reason <i>you don&#x27;t have the self efficacy to overcome your issues yourself</i>.<p>An ego death involves, in albeit, sometimes flawed Jungian psychology a loss of identity, and A transformation of ones psyche in such a way that the Self is not perceived the same way after such transformation.[2]<p>MY argument is that AA involves such ego death in that your <i>admission over having a lack of self-efficacy in solving your own alcoholism is transformative</i>, and you can&#x27;t do it without the group or other external help, a la Step 3.<p>I am a different person than you.  I find my inability to solve problems for myself _weakness_.<p>And just because you disagree, instead of positing an argument against my thoughts, you downvote my comment and claim you &quot;read the book.&quot;<p>This was the same exact fashion of discourse that had me leave AA in the first place.  I handled &quot;alcoholism&quot; differently.  My life is a legal nightmare but alcohol isn&#x27;t a personal issue.<p>In sum:  People read things differently. But you don&#x27;t see my flagging your comments because I disagree.<p>[0] a real source: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.alcoholic.org&#x2F;research&#x2F;aa-step-1&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.alcoholic.org&#x2F;research&#x2F;aa-step-1&#x2F;</a><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.alcoholic.org&#x2F;research&#x2F;aa-step-3&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.alcoholic.org&#x2F;research&#x2F;aa-step-3&#x2F;</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.m.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Ego_death" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.m.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Ego_death</a><p>my source: sentenced to AA, went to a few meetings, found it damaging, and worked out an alternative treatment plan with court.