A Conference for Atheist and Agnostic Alcoholics is Taking Place in California This Weekend

This weekend, in Santa Monica, California, the We Agnostics & Free Thinkers International AA Convention is taking place for non-religious people who struggle with alcoholism:

It’s fascinating for a few reasons: Alcoholics Anonymous is a theistic group (forcing atheists who use the program to make adjustments to the Twelve Steps). The speakers are (mostly) anonymous, using the typical first name, last initial designation.

The topics are interesting, too. Among them: “Is spirituality compatible with Agnostic AA?,” “The importance of having the WAFT voice in AA literature,” “Reaching WAFTs in the Digital Age,” and “LGBT WAFT.”

While it may not be possible, especially since this is the first conference of its kind — organizers plan to hold a conference every two years — I hope there’s a way to make these speeches and discussions available to the public. I’m sure they could help a lot of people who would shy away from AA’s religious program but who are unable to make it to California this weekend.

Incidentally, the New York Times covered the organization earlier this year and you can read more about how atheists deal with alcoholism here.