Haven't touched a drop in...

Amazingfun

I really don't know any drunk who hopped, skipped and jumped happily into an AA meeting Most, including myself, went only when really desperate , with feet still dragging, as nothing else worked.

Now, years sober, I count myself lucky they let me in, lol!

I often describe these moments as "windows of Grace", the day the willingness was there to actually DO something about my drinking. These are precious and I hope you grab it as you never know when (or if) it will come round again. Active alkies always plan to do something about our drinking "tomorrow", etc, and I am sure you know that saying "tomorrow never comes". It becomes a vicious circle and can go on for years, wasting time that could have been spent building a beautiful new life instead of drinking ourselves into ever more serious problems.

Best thing to do is go and find out what a meeting is like for yourself, because your mind---the same mind that keeps bringing you back to drink, will only fill your head with excuses and the like and talk you out of going.

There are lots of cool and accomplished people in AA, nothing to worry about in who you may meet as they are there for the same reason. Good to keep in mind too that few of us when drinking were bothered much about who may have witnessed our drunks

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/Information-on-AA/Find-a-Meeting

tinpib

Hi Glen.

You don't have to be drinking spirits at 7am every day to go to AA. It sounds like you keep coming to the same point of " you know what, drinking really just isn't worth it". You feel it is having a negative impact on your life and that's all you need to go.

If it's a bit daunting then try the stopdrinking subreddit for starters.

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking

Glen_Quagmire

Thanks for the advice and links guys. This may be an impossible question to answer but what is the success rate of people going to AA? I know it would vary from person to person but would AA have a better success rate than other methods?

petes

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

Thanks for the advice and links guys. This may be an impossible question to answer but what is the success rate of people going to AA? I know it would vary from person to person but would AA have a better success rate than other methods?

I reckon that's a bit of a touchy question as I don't think the actual success rates are that high if I remember correctly.

Amazingfun

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

Thanks for the advice and links guys. This may be an impossible question to answer but what is the success rate of people going to AA? I know it would vary from person to person but would AA have a better success rate than other methods?

lol, not a touchy subject for me as there are always those who claim AA doesn't work, and yet I (and many others) know it does: for those that really want it. The "touchy part" comes really from those who perhaps don't understand what AA is-- that there is a program of recovery, a daily program of action, and it involves more than just sitting in a few meetings.

The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.

http://anonpress.org/bb/Page_17.htm


Thing is, there is plenty of this kind of "debate" all over the internet, so not sure why you ask this here.

Bottom line for anyone wrangling with a drinking problem is to consider your own success rate with what you tried as a means of solving your problem so far......how's that been working out? As stated many many times on this thread, AA is not for everyone, but it seems to work very well for those of us for whom other methods failed completely. Until you have your own experience with it, you won't know.

Whatever road you choose to go, best of luck

marienbad

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

Thanks for the advice and links guys. This may be an impossible question to answer but what is the success rate of people going to AA? I know it would vary from person to person but would AA have a better success rate than other methods?

I can't speak about any method other than AA . And all I can say is it worked for me , but I had to commit to it absolutely , as it says in the literature 'half- measures availed us nothing, we stood at the turning-point '

I know lots of people that even using AA did not get it the 1st time or the 2nd time and some never got it . But then some people got it first time out , it depends on how open ones mind is to change and how willing you are to let go of past ideas and behaviour .

So as you can see it is very difficult to measure success rates - is someone that was 5,10,20 years sober and then had a slip a success or a failure ?
These things don't matter if we take it just one day at a time .

One of the factoids I read somewhere years ago when I first joined AA was that 1in 10 of the population is alcoholic , and of that number only 1 in 10 go to AA and of that number only 1 in 10 succeeds . That is a frightening statistic if correct - maybe it is outdated these days . But it doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know - that alcoholism is a terrible soul destroying disease that cannot be cured but only kept in remission so to speak .

And this is where I found AA to be my saviour , I found myself among my own kind and it gave me a methodology to live a contented productive sober life .

petes

Amazingfun wrote: »

I'm not getting in to it because it's a pointless argument but you have basically made my point. You've just defended it for you but also made the reference 'for those who really want it'. I really wanted it but didn't find it in AA. Would that make me a success or failure of the AA program?

/edit just to add, I've sat in a lot of AA meetings, understood it and worked at it but at the end of the day it wasn't for me and I have my reasons.

Anyway as I said I'm not getting in to it and that's the only comment I'll make on it.

Each to their own and what ever gets people sober. That is what it's all about.

Amazingfun

Petes, you stated numerous times on here "AA wasn't for me".....how is that "wanting it" ?

And if we were talking one on one over coffee, I would ask you what you actually did besides attending meetings.
Because there is a program of recovery, an experience every alcoholic who wants it can have---if they want it. But it involves more than simply sitting in meetings.

I agree there is nothing to argue about, this is not the site for it anyways. If you want to discuss it further feel free to pm me.
We all have our own story, and mine is that I found a way to live happy and sober ---in AA. But it took a few slips and beatings from the bottle before I really got into the actual program. I had to learn the hard way, like most!

I am off to my homegroup tonight, enjoy your evening

petes

Yes, I stated numerous times in here it wasn't for me and that was after attending I don't know how many meeting sand trying my best etc.

How is that me not really wanting to be sober, again the AA speak is coming through. I wanted more than anything to be sober but the contradictory nature of AA is what wasn't for me and I'm not going to say any more about AA and it's short comings as I know it works for a lot of people who are sober because of it but it probably has the lowest success rate not because of someone not really wanting it but the very methodology it uses.

In the end I got sober on my own with some help. I'm now mostly content but I don't really ever think about drinking, much more to live for than that.

Seriously, if you are trying to entice someone even on this thread in to AA you are going the wrong way about it. 'If they really want it' doesn't really cut it because I can tell you that most people do as you well know.

Enjoy your evening, I intend to enjoy mine and not drag this thread off topic.

The flying mouse

Long term recovery
Hope Dave is ok with this. :-). I found it very interesting and helpfull...

Excellent Article

Who are the winners? The winners are the people in recovery who are actively creating a new life for themselves. They are definitely not whining. Instead, they take action. They create.
The winners come from different programs. Some are in AA and NA. Others do not follow a formal program at all. Some are in churches or religious communities. But all of them are recovering from addiction, and all of them are living the creative theory (whether they know it or not). They have found success in recovery from drugs and alcohol through the creative life.
The real winners in recovery are always creating a positive future for themselves. How could they not be? They are either creating recovery or they are creating addiction.
Attention: The actual program of recovery that got you clean and sober is a *minor* detail. It doesn’t matter if it was 12 step based, Religious-based, Rational Recovery, or whatever. The program you follow is mostly irrelevant. Stop confusing it with your salvation.
You’re either creating a new life for yourself or you are sliding back towards relapse. Any recovery program you happen to be working is just some window dressing….a fancy framework to push you to grow. Use these programs as such. They can help you, they might guide you. But they will not save you. Only creation can save you. And all of the winners in recovery are creating a new life for themselves each and every day….whether they realize it or not. Many of them will ignore the creative process and simply give credit to the program that got them clean and sober.
A program of recovery is not the solution. Working that program is the solution. It’s about action. It’s about creation. There are no magic principles out there. No recovery program has the secret sauce that can keep anyone sober.
In AA they say “it works if you work it.” They’re right. Virtually any program will work if you “work it.” There is no magic in that by itself. Even a program that simply states “don’t drink or use drugs” will work if you work it!
So of course the answer always points to action. And any recovery program is simply there to help guide us in our actions. And that’s where the creative theory of recovery comes in.
Transition

Consider your approach to recovery at 30 days clean and sober. Now consider your approach when you have 10 years in sobriety. Are they the same?
Of course not. That would be ridiculous. Just ask anyone who has several years of sobriety if their approach to recovery has changed over time. If they are searching and honest with their answer they will undoubtedly say that it has changed.
What got you clean and sober will not keep you clean and sober. Hence the need for transition.
Early recovery is often a brute force approach. I personally lived in long term treatment before I made the transition to creative recovery. Others might go to 90 meetings in 90 days. The point here is that early recovery is “stage one recovery”; a shock to the system. Most get through it using brute force and then eventually find a way to transition to long term recovery.
The creative theory of recovery is designed to help you make this transition into holistic growth. It is your path to a lifetime of recovery.
The need for creation

Addiction is complicated.
When most of us get to recovery, our lives are a tangled mess. Most of us have been using drugs or alcohol for a very long time. We have our whole lives set up in such a way as to support our addiction. In other words, because of our addiction, we have adopted a certain lifestyle.

Getting clean and sober requires us to abandon that lifestyle. Huge changes are required. For example, consider someone who normally spends 5 or 6 nights a week drinking in a bar. Or someone who has a close circle of friends that they always get high with.
Now obviously, if someone is going to stay clean and sober for any length of time, those situations need to be changed. Drastically. You can’t just continue to hang out in the bar every night and expect to remain sober.
So when we strip away this “lifestyle” component, there is a real need for replacement. But there is more to it than that. Consider too the sense of belonging that those people in the examples get, or their sense of fulfillment that they receive from their daily ritual of drinking and using drugs. In recovery, these things need to be replaced as well.
So when an addict gets clean and sober their is a real need for replacement. They strip away the drugs and the alcohol. They strip away the lifestyle. They strip away the drug culture, the sense of belonging, and everything else that goes along with getting high. In a twisted way, getting drunk or high is a spiritual quest as well, and that is stripped away too when we get sober.
All of this creates a huge void in the life of the addict. It is not just a spiritual void. It is bigger than that.
And therefore the solution needs to be more than just spiritual. It needs to be holistic.
Thus the need for creation.
Guidelines for creative recovery: 3 simple strategies is all it takes

The solution for recovery is more than just spiritual. Given that, 12 steps that focus exclusively on spiritual development doesn’t make much sense as a long term strategy for recovery.
On the other hand, “just don’t drink” doesn’t really cut it either. So where is the happy medium?
The answer is in these 3 core strategies:
1) Caring for self
2) Push for personal growth
3) Network with others in recovery
These 3 strategies are all you really need to guide you in your recovery. Let’s take a look at them:
1) Caring for self
This is a fundamental principle of healthy recovery. Simply care for yourself. This can be applied in several areas of your life. With each decision, simply ask yourself: “Is this a loving and caring thing to do for myself right now?” Such a question can help guide you away from relapse, towards healthy lifestyle choices, to eating healthier and exercising more, and so on.
Caring for yourself is essential. You’ll get better at it with practice.
And in early recovery, some of us will have to force ourselves to do it. Because of low self esteem, not everyone will have a strong drive to care for themselves. In this case, we’ll have to settle for a little “fake it ’till you make it.” Start caring for yourself in every decision, and eventually your self esteem will rebuild.
2) Push for personal growth
This is a fundamental principle of long term recovery. If you don’t push yourself to grow in different ways, then eventually you will stagnate and possibly relapse.
Complacency is the biggest enemy in long term recovery. The push for personal growth is insurance against complacency. But there is another huge benefit of pushing yourself to grow in different ways: self esteem.
Virtually any recovering addict or alcoholic can benefit from a boost in self esteem. This works hand in hand with the first strategy of “caring for self,” because as you build more and more self esteem, you will naturally want to take better care of yourself.
In this way, the strategies here can create a positive feedback loop, one that reinforces itself as you progress in recovery.
So how do we build self esteem?
My direct experience with this is that it comes through genuine accomplishment (and not through affirmations). I think building self esteem requires real action, not wishful thinking.
For example, I was encouraged in early recovery to go back to college, and also to quit smoking and to start exercising on a regular basis. While none of these things related directly to my recovery, all of them ended up playing a huge part in my holistic growth. These things all required real action on my part and the payoff in self esteem was huge.
3) Network with others in recovery
The younger you are, the more important networking with others in recovery is.
The earlier in recovery you are, the more important this is as well.
The easiest way to build a recovery network, by far, is to simply go to AA or NA. These fellowships are well established and can be found in most any part of the world. They are powerful because of the common bond and shared interest of recovery.
Regardless of whether or not you subscribe to 12 step theory is irrelevant, especially in early recovery. Just get to the meetings if you need the support. Later you will transition into creative, long term recovery. At that point the networking aspect becomes less important and the focus shifts even more towards holistic growth.
This is the power of the creative approach. Your long term solution becomes the push for personal growth. If you are motivated and can overcome complacency then there is no need for dependency on group therapy in the long run.
Exclusive focus on a spiritual solution limits you

Most recovery programs are spiritual in nature. There is a strong emphasis on spiritual growth and spiritual matters.
Now spirituality is definitely important for recovery and there is nothing wrong with pursuing spiritual growth. The problem comes in when we focus on spiritual growth to the exclusion of other parts of our lives.

Addiction is complicated. The solution is holistic, not spiritual. The solution goes beyond spiritual matters.
I know that sounds blasphemous but it’s true. When I first started out in recovery in the 12 step program, the message I heard loud and clear was that “spirituality was the key.” So I focused heavily on all things spiritual. I studied spiritual texts, such as books about Taoism and Buddhism. I focused heavily on spiritual principles, and of course I was working through the 12 steps with my sponsor. This produced fairly stable growth but it wasn’t anything revolutionary.
Later on I switched sponsors and my new sponsor didn’t seem to think that spiritual matters were “the whole story.” Instead, he was pushing me to go back to college, to start exercising, to quit smoking, and so on. At first I did not think that these things related to recovery at all, but looking back now I can see that they were part of an holistic approach to long term sobriety.
There is more than one way to grow in recovery and if you limit yourself to spiritual growth then you are missing out on a whole bunch of experiences. Push yourself to grow holistically and that’s when your recovery will really take off. Which brings us to our next point:
An holistic approach leads to explosive growth

Growth in recovery is not linear. That means that it does not follow the typical linear growth pattern that you are so used to from other experiences. For example, when you are learning college algebra, the learning process is fairly linear. You learn a few things each day and slowly practice them. You learn bit by bit about Algebra. This is linear growth.
But in recovery, the growth/learning process is not really linear. Instead of going up as a straight line, it is curved, so that your growth starts out very slowly. Then it curves slowly upwards and later it takes off at high speeds. This is because recovery is holistic and involves your entire life. The learning curve is steep because the task at hand is so overwhelming. Instead of learning Algebra, you have to learn how to live again. Not only that, but you have to do so in several different areas of your life.
Because of this, growth is slow at first. That’s why so many will relapse in early recovery….because they have not stuck it out long enough to start seeing the benefits of staying clean. The benefits do come, if we give it a chance, and once they start coming, it is like a recovery explosion. Life starts getting better in so many different ways if we are truly focused on an holistic approach. Because we are trying to grow in different areas (such as emotional balance, physical health and exercise, relationships, and so on) the benefits of this growth are truly huge when they finally kick in.
An holistic approach is synergistic

What is synergy? That’s when the total of something is greater than just the sum of it’s parts. And that’s a perfect description of what happens when you approach recovery in a holistic manner. The end result is much greater due to the connections of growth between different areas of your life. We grow in one area and it enhances our growth in another area.
One area that this becomes apparent to most people is with physical exercise. We don’t normally think of exercise as being important to our recovery, but those who get in the habit of doing it report that it energizes them in a way that they never could have predicted. It has a certain spiritual quality for some people, and seems to enhance other areas of their lives. In other words, because of their efforts towards physical health and well being, their exercise seems to bring about emotional balance, spiritual growth, and possibly even benefits them mentally as well.
We can discover these kinds of connections when we push ourselves to grow holistically. Growth in one area of our lives can unexpectedly boost our efforts in another area. Many times this is part of a high level learning process where we start to intuitively see connections between things that we previously thought were unrelated. In this way, the holistic approach can open up a whole new world to us.
The only long term enemy is complacency

With the creative theory of recovery, the only real enemy is complacency. If you stop growing, then a slow slide towards relapse starts occurring.
Recovery is a pass/fail proposition. You do certain things in order to maintain sobriety, but if you take a drink or a drug, then it’s all over. Back to square one. This is very different from the way things work in most other areas of our lives. With most of our life situations, if we put in a modest effort, we get out modest results. This is not true with recovery. If you put in a modest effort you will relapse.
his has a lot to do with maintaining long term sobriety because so many of us have a tendency to push hard in early recovery and then slack off a bit as our life stabilizes. We cannot afford to do this and the key is to keep pushing ourselves to grow holistically and challenge ourselves to grow in new areas.
Remember that the holistic approach has an explosive growth curve. It starts slow as we attempt to learn new things and make changes in multiple areas of our life. But if we stick with it long enough, things start coming together and our level of progress and growth eventually takes off. Keeping this momentum going as we transition into long term sobriety is the whole key to overcoming complacency.
Ignore tactics and relapse prevention; instead, use strategies and structural changes in your life

Most people in traditional recovery circles try to overcome their addiction using tactics. For example, they might talk about having “the right tools to deal with their addiction,” and these tools might include specific actions such as “calling my sponsor if I feel like using” or “going to a meeting if I get urges” and so on.
This sort of tactical approach is not ideal, and often breaks down in the face of real-life complexity. Relapse prevention is just a bunch of tactics. What’s worse is that these tactics are almost always reactionary in nature; they do little to actually prevent urges or triggers to begin with.
Traditional recovery almost always uses tactics and tends to focus on this “reaction-style” recovery. Things happen in our lives and we simply react to them as best we can, given the “tools we’ve been given in recovery.” Again, this is not optimal. We can do better.
The alternative to a reactionary approach is to get proactive. This starts with a decision to use the 3 strategies to start guiding our decisions, because they are flexible enough to deal with any situation that life throws at us. The other part of the equation is to use structural changes in our lives instead of mere tactics. This is especially effective in early recovery when the need for structural changes is greatest.
For example, choosing to live in long term treatment during early recovery introduces a very large structural change for pretty much any addict or alcoholic. Another structural change might be to walk away from a bad relationship that promotes your drinking or drug use in early recovery. Another example might be leaving a job that is no good for you, or enrolling back into school to further your education. Notice the difference between a structural change that impacts your whole life versus tactics that take more of a band-aid approach to fixing a problem.
In other words, think big when it comes to creating life change and overcoming your addiction. Don’t just react to situations and struggle to stay clean. Instead, use major structural changes to reshape your life in an empowering way. Follow the 3 simple strategies instead of trying to build up a “recovery toolbox.”

Rest of Article:
Start Here: The Creative Theory of Recovery Explained

Irish_rat

11 months sober today.

I gave up alcohol after my 30th birthday which is next month.

Very enjoyable lately. I found the first few months fairly hard but the urges do mellow over time.

Settled into my new house and back in college part time sponsored by work. Life is busy but with a purpose to it.

The flying mouse

Irish_rat wrote: »

11 months sober today.

I gave up alcohol after my 30th birthday which is next month.

Very enjoyable lately. I found the first few months fairly hard but the urges do mellow over time.

Settled into my new house and back in college part time sponsored by work. Life is busy but with a purpose to it.

Well done Irish rat from a fellow mouse

Amazingfun

petes wrote: »

Yes, I stated numerous times in here it wasn't for me and that was after attending I don't know how many meeting sand trying my best etc.

How is that me not really wanting to be sober, again the AA speak is coming through. I wanted more than anything to be sober but the contradictory nature of AA is what wasn't for me and I'm not going to say any more about AA and it's short comings as I know it works for a lot of people who are sober because of it but it probably has the lowest success rate not because of someone not really wanting it but the very methodology it uses.

In the end I got sober on my own with some help. I'm now mostly content but I don't really ever think about drinking, much more to live for than that.

Seriously, if you are trying to entice someone even on this thread in to AA you are going the wrong way about it. 'If they really want it' doesn't really cut it because I can tell you that most people do as you well know.

Enjoy your evening, I intend to enjoy mine and not drag this thread off topic.

Delighted to hear you are doing well Petes!

I am not in the "enticing" business, however, for as with most alkies , it's the beatings from the bottle that do the work on that end. True in my case as well.

Just for clarity: when I said "want it"---I mean the AA program of recovery as found here, pages 0-164 . Anyone I know who really goes at it with the same spirit they went after booze will recover, and never have to return to drinking again as long as they keep it "in the day", as we say.
http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/alcoholics-anonymous

Anyways I am coming close to 15 years at this, and the feeling of immense gratitude I have for the gift I've received hasn't faded one bit over the years. Wish ya nothing but the same: permanent sobriety and a beautiful life

petes

Amazingfun wrote: »

D

Just my experience mate. I know we all share a similar path so at the end of the day it's how we get there for us that matters.

I do understand where you are coming from with the 'want it' part from an AA perspective. I've seen many people in an out of AA during my time there (most of whom were coming from rehab) and I don't think that they've actually gotten to that point that they really want it and are willing to put the work in.

As with any program of recovery a lot of hard work is involved and unfortunately some people think just going to an AA meeting regularly is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow.

I have more or less finished a years worth of counselling with an addiction counsellor so that was my path. I'll continue what I am doing to keep me right and as always I wish nothing but the best for each and every one of you

lawlolawl

The success rate for AA is supposedly around 5-10%. That is, about one of every fifteen people who enter these programs is able to become and stay sober.

Honestly, i think the best way to get sober is just to decide to stop drinking. That might sound obvious but you can dress the process up with steps, meetings and "working" on your sobriety but it all just boils down to not putting alcohol in your body anymore because it has a negative effect on your life.

A certain amount of experts see AA/NA/rehab etc as a form of pseudoscience.

Muff Richardson

lawlolawl wrote: »

The success rate for AA is supposedly around 5-10%. That is, about one of every fifteen people who enter these programs is able to become and stay sober.

Honestly, i think the best way to get sober is just to decide to stop drinking. That might sound obvious but you can dress the process up with steps, meetings and "working" on your sobriety but it all just boils down to not putting alcohol in your body anymore because it has a negative effect on your life.

A certain amount of experts see AA/NA/rehab etc as a form of pseudoscience.

I just finished reading Empowering You Sober Self, interesting read but too much emphasis/focus on AA and its limitations rather than his own methodology, in a nutshell, with statistics provided from over a one year period there is a 5% success rate where people enter, stay sober and keep attending meetings.

I hear your logic but the AA's mantra or argument to that is that staying sober without drinking and not working their programme leaves you nothing but a dry drunk. i.e. still dysfunctional and exhibiting the behaviour of an addict, just not drinking/using. And you will never find the inner peace and happiness that a "working the programme" member has, also if you stop working the programme and attending meetings you will turn into a dry drunk.

lawlolawl

Muff Richardson wrote: »

I just finished reading Empowering You Sober Self, interesting read but too much emphasis/focus on AA and its limitations rather than his own methodology, in a nutshell, with statistics provided from over a one year period there is a 5% success rate where people enter, stay sober and keep attending meetings.

I hear your logic but the AA's mantra or argument to that is that staying sober without drinking and not working their programme leaves you nothing but a dry drunk. i.e. still dysfunctional and exhibiting the behaviour of an addict, just not drinking/using. And you will never find the inner peace and happiness that a "working the programme" member has, also if you stop working the programme and attending meetings you will turn into a dry drunk.

"Dry drunk" is another very AA-ish term and seems to be used as an excuse to keep people in the programme after they've quit and don't really need it any more.

Addict behaviour to me is being addicted to something and consuming/using it. So if you are still doing that you haven't quit anyway.

AA et al just seem to needlessly complicate quitting. Then when you do quit they tell you you haven't really quit and you still need to stay involved with them for some reason. All the while with a 1 in 15 success rate.

Maybe it works for some people but i find the entire thing silly. My biggest issue is the idea that you are "powerless over your addiction".

It's quite the opposite, you are the only person who can stop you being an addict.

petes

lawlolawl wrote: »

Honestly, i think the best way to get sober is just to decide to stop drinking. That might sound obvious but you can dress the process up with steps, meetings and "working" on your sobriety but it all just boils down to not putting alcohol in your body anymore because it has a negative effect on your life.

Seriously? I wish I had of thought of that at the time when I was physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol.

The flying mouse

petes wrote: »

Seriously? I wish I had of thought of that at the time when I was physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol.

Same here, if it was only that simple.

Dave!

lawlolawl wrote: »

"Dry drunk" is another very AA-ish term and seems to be used as an excuse to keep people in the programme after they've quit and don't really need it any more.

Addict behaviour to me is being addicted to something and consuming/using it. So if you are still doing that you haven't quit anyway.

AA et al just seem to needlessly complicate quitting. Then when you do quit they tell you you haven't really quit and you still need to stay involved with them for some reason. All the while with a 1 in 15 success rate.

Maybe it works for some people but i find the entire thing silly. My biggest issue is the idea that you are "powerless over your addiction".

It's quite the opposite, you are the only person who can stop you being an addict.

Let's leave the critique of recovery methods there please.

souls

One year and 15 days since my last drink. That is, nothing short of a miracle! Alcohol had completely consumed me and infiltrated every facet of my being. For me, id reached a point where I knew id run out of road. The realisation that Alcohol just didnt work for me anymore. I had to do something about it. I asked for help. I put my trust in those who wanted to help. I went into treatment on the 22nd of September 2015 sober 8 days. I then began a day program in Jan 2016 which I completed on the 2nd September just past. I do aftercare and visit my counsellor monthly now. I have literally come back from the brink one day at a time since then. Now im beginning a new life,starting my college education, and on a new path. I have rebuilt relationships family,friends. I have it all and I thank god I am where I am today! Its by no means being easy nor at times does it continue to be but it does pass, I still have a long way to go and I don't know whats gonna happen. But I know today drink isnt in my picture.Today I get to help out a family member which is a privilege, I feel part of life now. It is all the small things that have stacked up over the year every day that slowly begin to reveal their significance,every decision made today has significance for myself tomorrow. I hope anybody reading this who is struggling right now can take that couargeous step and do something about it! Life is a gift. Every person deserves a chance. Have a safe weekend everybody whereever you may be!

marienbad

souls wrote: »

One year and 15 days since my last drink. That is, nothing short of a miracle! Alcohol had completely consumed me and infiltrated every facet of my being. For me, id reached a point where I knew id run out of road. The realisation that Alcohol just didnt work for me anymore. I had to do something about it. I asked for help. I put my trust in those who wanted to help. I went into treatment on the 22nd of September 2015 sober 8 days. I then began a day program in Jan 2016 which I completed on the 2nd September just past. I do aftercare and visit my counsellor monthly now. I have literally come back from the brink one day at a time since then. Now im beginning a new life,starting my college education, and on a new path. I have rebuilt relationships family,friends. I have it all and I thank god I am where I am today! Its by no means being easy nor at times does it continue to be but it does pass, I still have a long way to go and I don't know whats gonna happen. But I know today drink isnt in my picture.Today I get to help out a family member which is a privilege, I feel part of life now. It is all the small things that have stacked up over the year every day that slowly begin to reveal their significance,every decision made today has significance for myself tomorrow. I hope anybody reading this who is struggling right now can take that couargeous step and do something about it! Life is a gift. Every person deserves a chance. Have a safe weekend everybody whereever you may be!

Great and uplifting story , thanks very much .

The flying mouse

souls wrote: »

One year and 15 days since my last drink. That is, nothing short of a miracle! Alcohol had completely consumed me and infiltrated every facet of my being. For me, id reached a point where I knew id run out of road. The realisation that Alcohol just didnt work for me anymore. I had to do something about it. I asked for help. I put my trust in those who wanted to help. I went into treatment on the 22nd of September 2015 sober 8 days. I then began a day program in Jan 2016 which I completed on the 2nd September just past. I do aftercare and visit my counsellor monthly now. I have literally come back from the brink one day at a time since then. Now im beginning a new life,starting my college education, and on a new path. I have rebuilt relationships family,friends. I have it all and I thank god I am where I am today! Its by no means being easy nor at times does it continue to be but it does pass, I still have a long way to go and I don't know whats gonna happen. But I know today drink isnt in my picture.Today I get to help out a family member which is a privilege, I feel part of life now. It is all the small things that have stacked up over the year every day that slowly begin to reveal their significance,every decision made today has significance for myself tomorrow. I hope anybody reading this who is struggling right now can take that couargeous step and do something about it! Life is a gift. Every person deserves a chance. Have a safe weekend everybody whereever you may be!

Delighted for you

eamor

Into day 3....I've been seeking out a person I know for a while. There's a peace & and a calm about him that drew me in so intensely. I rang, he answered and held a mirror up for me. It was heartbreaking. But he was right, I am attracted to his sobriety. He held my hand while I cried my heart out & then gave me his 18 year chip to keep in my pocket. In 8 hours of sobbing,drinking tea & holding on to a chip, he did more for me than I've ever done for myself. But he was very clear, he can show me a road, but he cant walk it for me. I know some people don't buy the 'god' part of AA and maybe I was 1 of them- but when he asked if I wanted to meet someone & maybe go to a meeting- I was struck by a peace & serenity that I've never had before. 1 person, on my periphery, not quite the kindness of strangers, but enough for me to believe in a higher power.....

Great to see you back, Souls! A massive bualadh bos for you. Well done. It gets easier, and further away, each day. There's so, so much else to get into/going on in life.

Diablo Verde

I decided that I'd had enough of alcohol late in 2013. I never really considered I had a problem, but was just sick of the hangovers. I didn't bother with it for over two years and was perfectly happy, until one day, with plenty of stag parties and other social occasions on the horizon, I decided to go back to it.

I've had a fair amount of upheaval in my life for various reasons since then, and have spent quite a bit of time "blowing off steam". Once more, the reasons for drinking alcohol seem to be less and less in my mind, and I'm determined to get back to the lifestyle I had for those two years.

Wish me luck.

DAY 3!:)

The flying mouse

Welcome back Diablo verde, this is your last post here, hope you don't mind me bringing it up..


465 days...One year and 100 days now Best decision I ever made. Actually, it's a decision I made various times, but this time I've stuck to it.

On an even more positive note, everyone seems to have accepted that I just don't drink anymore. This was a huge part of the battle.



You have done it before so you know what you have to and can do, Good luck :-)

realdanbreen

Muff Richardson wrote: »

I hear your logic but the AA's mantra or argument to that is that staying sober without drinking and not working their programme leaves you nothing but a dry drunk. i.e. still dysfunctional and exhibiting the behaviour of an addict, just not drinking/using. And you will never find the inner peace and happiness that a "working the programme" member has, also if you stop working the programme and attending meetings you will turn into a dry drunk.

I attended aa meetings and I can say that doing so got me to stop drinking and I have'nt done so for a long time. However I never pursued the steps or 'worked the programme'. I resent when people (albeit a minority) refer to people like me as a 'dry drunk' or that I don't have the'inner peace' that they have . Horsecrap! I am as happy and content as I could wish to be and it was the holier than thou brigade who use AA meeting as their main social outlet who put me off the wonderful association in the first place.

Kunkka

5 years sober today, 3 days after that awful night I went to a meeting for the first time not expecting it to work at all. Fast forward 5 years & so much has changed. Most importantly I am comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my life.

ThreeTier

Hi - I'm new to posting!

I'm a year and two months sober now. I attended AA for the first six months and found it to most-likely have been a life-saver for me! Will always be grateful for that time and the people (like me) who I met and the relief I felt when I could actually talk to people who understood exactly what I was going through. Tough times!

However, after six months or so I personally felt that, being someone with obviously addictive tendencies, I needed to stand on my own two feet and I didn't want to find myself "needing" meetings, like I used to believe I "needed" alcohol.

So, here I am and here I am very glad to be!!