Next to AA what is the next common method of trying to quit

[Pboy]

????

[Dee74]

Here's links to some of the major ones, including AA.
Don't discount anything pboy - the life you save may be your own

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...resources.html (Recovery Programs and Resources)

D

[totfit]

The majority of problem drinkers or alcoholics if you prefer to use the term quit on their own without any type of "program". You don't often hear about them, read about them, because they are the unadvertised majority. A JAMA study a couple of years back alluded to the fact that all methods were equally effective. Since you are inquiring it would seem you might be looking for support. You can google alcoholism+recovery+groups or several other combinations and find many groups. Look carefully and find what suits your needs best. The one undercurrent for the most part is that abstinence is the tried and true method. There is a very, very, small minority that can moderate once the line has been crossed. From what I have seen even for that small minority it is more trouble than worth. Abstinence would be much easier. Good luck.

[smacked]

When I decided AA was not going to be my program of choice, I still knew I needed to do anything I could. I turned to individual counseling with a psychologist who specialized in addiction issues. I saw him often, 2 times a week, for over 6 months. He certainly didn't get or keep me sober, but it was good support to have for the decision and committment towards sobriety that I had already made on my own.

I can't speak for anyone else, I don't honestly care what a majority method might be.. I only know what worked for me

[Wolfchild]

A.A., as well as many other fellowships of support, cannot get you sober & clean. You have to have that desire within yourself. They, and many others, can help you in your struggles to live a better way of life, but they cannot do it for you. You've got to want it for yourself and make the effort to have daily sobriety become a reality for you. There are those of us here that hope the best for you and many are praying that you will live a sober and clean life. Trust and believe that if you want the absolute best for your life, the help and encouragement will be there waiting for you to accept it.

[johnstacey45]

I don't know. What ARE other advisable methods??

[Dee74]

check out the link in post #2 John.

The suggestion about Alateen is a good one for you tho - seriously.
Al-Anon/Alateen
D

[Threshold]

I have no idea about how others do it, but I can speak of my own experience.

I first came to address my multiple addictions through an unexpected way...a diet book. A VERY different sort of diet book, but a diet book none the less.

It's approach to weight loss was to address the underlying issues of WHY an individual uses food inappropriately, find productive coping mechanisms and thus lead to weight loss and a healthier life. I got the book, and began to work the program (it was a journaling approach and I write, so it really suited me)

By the time I'd picked up that little book I'd actually addressed many of my issues regarding food and was at a healthy weight, so I decided to do the same exercises but address my other addictions. That got me started into serious recovery.

As I did that, other books "came" to me. I'd find them for 25 cents at thrift stores, library book sales, etc. Books on a variety of different subjects that were now interesting to me because I'd begun the process and was feeling real change in my life. These totally unrelated books, and my taking time to truly consider and journal about what they said, propelled me onward.

I keep two different types of journals, one I just write stream of thought into, about my day, about whatever the books bring up, etc. The other is my recovery journal, and it is divided into several sections. When a great thought, insight, etc comes to me, a real nugget of truth or personal conviction, I copy it into the appropriate section of my recovery journal.

There is a pledge section in there, where I write down what I pledge to do to advance my recovery, one of the first pledges is to read my recovery journal regularly. This has been critical, to read MY OWN insights, when the addict in me is screaming louder than the sober person in me is talking...I can read MY OWN insights...and it sort of talks me out of the tree. Because those are not some one else's words or experiences, they are my own.

I date the entries in these journals, a simple way to keep track. And sometimes when I read my journal, I notice that I worded something a particular way and that through growth I see a better, more true way to word it...and I alter it and date that too.

A few things I have scratched out, learning them to be not so helpful, as time went on. It's my journal and my recovery, and I can do that!

Some of the books I have picked up along the way have been AA/NA/OA materials. Some have been psychology, some spirituality, some humor, some diet. I take good solid suggestions no matter what form they come in.

I know for me the only way to tackle my addictions is to come to recognize their role in my life, and find more appropriate coping mechanisms and heal up the wounds where that is possible. Honesty is critical for me, and humility.

People have told me I cannot do this on my own, and I agree. Humans don't live in a vacuum, we NEED people, and our relationships with others are the most important things in our lives. I am not alone,even if I am not attending 12 step meetings, there are other ways to not be alone in the process. We each have to discover the best way for us. Sometimes, and for some people a support group is the best or only way to get the needed fellowship.

but again, honesty and humility are critical.

I am also open to the idea that at another time in my recovery I may need a different method or type of support, but have learned to trust that all the elements of sobriety are available to me. That has been my experience. When I am truly committed, the materials and methods are available to me, I just need to reach out to them and make use of them. when I am not committed, the things are there, but I don't "see" them, or use them. The difference is in ME, my own willingness to make use of the resources.

It appears to me that my own committment, willingness, honesty and humility are the most important factors. The methods I use ALL require those aspects of myself. That does not seem to vary,no matter which method I use, or which suggestions I have followed that have proven helpful to me.

[littlefish]

I use AA and an outpatient addiction rehab center. Sometimes the two programs are quite diametrically opposed, but I use them both. Essentially, I threw everything into my recovery, including the kitchen sink.
My rehab outpatient service is meds and therapy based: therapy with an addiction therapist, ("think, then do") and the use of antabuse, naltrexone and campral. I've used two of three of those meds during the last 15 months.
My AA program is the total opposite: "do, then think recovery. Both have helped me enormously.
Some people want an all or nothing and one single method for recovery: I am sort of a free spirit and I just used everything.
It is kind of based on your personality and how you like to do things.
You will find on these boards that people often use a wide ranging choice of methods or one single thing, but it boils down to what works best for you and your personal style.

[Boleo]

Originally Posted by totfit

...The majority of problem drinkers or alcoholics if you prefer to use the term quit on their own without any type of "program"...

That begs the question - If you can "quit on your own" do you have the ISM of alcohol-ism?

I quit on my own dozens of times without any kind of a program - for a few weeks. My problem started when I stopped drinking. Like having a stone in my shoe, I was uncomfortable in so-called sobriety.

[SalParadise1951]

Originally Posted by Boleo

That begs the question - If you can "quit on your own" do you have the ISM of alcohol-ism?

I quit on my own dozens of times without any kind of a program - for a few weeks. My problem started when I stopped drinking. Like having a stone in my shoe, I was uncomfortable in so-called sobriety.

I know that I have alcoholism (I'm also a drug addict rather than a drug user). In regards to whether I could have quit without a program, I guess it depends on your definition of a program. If a person can one day decide to set down the bottle or the pipe and never give it a second thought, I'd guess they were never an alcoholic or addict. However, my own recovery involves quite a bit. I read a lot about addiction. I post on here (I recently adopted a new profile to become more anonymous). I take pieces of wisdom from AA, NA, SOS, Rational Recovery, etc and the people that practice their methods. I see a private addictions counselor and attend marriage counseling. I practice my faith and spend a lot of time getting to know myself. I eat right and exercise.

Am I working a program? I'm not working an specific program of recovery that has thus far existed. It may be that I'm working my own program. Did I quit on my own? I didn't quit by myself.