How popular are these programs?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: South OC, Ca
Posts: 20
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Join Date: Jun 2014
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Aside from SOS, there is LifeRing and SMART. Where I am, there are no SOS meetings. All I could see that is available is an email list and I was asked to leave because I simply mentioned LifeRing. But, things change and other people's experience can be different.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: South OC, Ca
Posts: 20
You would think they'd be a bit more accessible lol.
Everyone is different so different approaches are good. AVRT (you can Google it, I am not allowed to link it) specifically tells you not to go to any meetings! The reasons are explained in the 'crash course' you can do for free. AVRT has been great for me but other folks might prefer a different method.
No matter how you go about it you are wise to stop! Deciding you have to quit is the biggest step IMO. Once you're ready to stop there's hope.
No matter how you go about it you are wise to stop! Deciding you have to quit is the biggest step IMO. Once you're ready to stop there's hope.
LifeRing grew out of SOS in the '90's, and with some old-timers there's still bad blood. Freestyle Recovery grew out of LifeRing, SMART grew out of Rational Recovery, so there's some history in the secular (read: not AA) groups. In my experience, most people in all these groups don't care about the history, but you'll hear it now and then from people who have been around a long time.
waking down
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Refuge Recovery is based out of LA. Buddhist/mindfulness/godless recovery group: Home | A BUDDHIST PATH TO RECOVERING FROM ADDICTION
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 17
If you're interested in learning about SMART, just Google "SMART Recovery" and there's an official online site. You can even participate in online meetings, which are very different from AA meetings. It's more of a brainstorming session where cross talk is not only allowed, but encouraged.. and there are no "chairs", there are only facilitators who are actually trained in SMART Recovery. It's fantastic, you should give it a test run if you think you might be interested.
Better when never is never
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Wisconsin near Twin Cities
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It would be interesting to read a history of how all these California based groups originated and then split off into new entities. I imagine it would be quite a dramatic soap opera.
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Roseville, Ca
Posts: 35
Buddhism is religion to me, Refuge Recovery is not even a blimp on the recovery programs,
Slowracer you have a Lifering meeting in Costa Mesa, SOS seems to just have a few active meetings in Hollyweird and have lost their way imo, if you want choice in recovery then get out and start a meeting, it just may be the missing link in staying stopped
Slowracer you have a Lifering meeting in Costa Mesa, SOS seems to just have a few active meetings in Hollyweird and have lost their way imo, if you want choice in recovery then get out and start a meeting, it just may be the missing link in staying stopped
Actually there is quite a bit of drama. People get really passionate about this stuff, maybe sometimes too passionate.
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