The important thing is that you don’t consider yourself to be your own Higher Power, because your own best thinking found your bottom for you.
-Roger Ebert
The above quote from Roger Ebert is troublesome and it reflects a common view among AA members. Ebert says that “your own best thinking found your bottom for you”. When I think of the choices I made back when I was abusing drugs and alcohol I would NEVER characterize it as my best thinking – to do so would be to severely underestimate myself, and seriously inhibit growth and progress. It was my worst thinking. I learned that I was capable of making smarter choices, I proceeded to do so, and I’ve been free of substance abuse ever since.
Well said. What a nasty AA slur. And as much as I like Ebert overall, it was sure a bummer to see him take a shot at all “dry drunks” in his letter outing himself as an AA member. It’s hard for me to reconcile how someone can be so happy, joyous and free on the one hand and then also still preoccupied with people doing it another way as Ebert seemed to be.