I'm a bright

http://the-brights.net/

that doesn't imply that people who aren't brights are stupid any more than the term gay implies that people who aren't gay are dull ;-)

as such i have difficulty with the aa / na program.

yes they typically say your higher power can be anything you like but requisites on the higher power seem to be that
1) your higher power is going to be interested in hearing you confess your sins (requirement of a later step)
2) your higher power can help you (sounds like an external agency who cares enough to help)
in short... as the steps progress the conception of the higher power starts looking increasingly... christian.

i don't believe in supernatural forces. hence... i don't have a higher power in the required sense.

but i get the feeling one must be careful... one country under god and co... i get the feeling one must be careful...

the aa / na program helps a lot of people and that is great :-)
for those who find the steps a little hard to take...
you might want to check out 'Rational Recovery' for meetings near you
(it is more CBT based so there can be some problems there... but at least your recovery isn't at the whim of a higher power)

;-)