matt4x4

If I lived in a remote part of the world, I most likely would. But I am an isolationist at heart, so using this alone would be apart of the problem not the solution. Human interaction is what cures problems in life, this is why you see a married couple die months apart.

ScooterBoo

I am on Day 19 and only use SR. I am a very private person so would not do well in a group setting. My primary care physician is at Brigham&Woman Hospital in Boston, and I have never told her the extent of my drinking; I have only admitted to being a social drinker. For some reason, all my annual blood tests show results in the normal range. My pcp has remarked several times that I am in perfect health except for the extra weight. It will be interesting to see the results of my next annual physical in December.

Soberpotamus

I no longer attend face to face meetings. I went to 10-15 AA meetings just after completing IOP. I attended IOP Continuing Care meetings sporadically the first year and for a short while after hitting my year mark. I've also attended a few Women For Sobriety face to face in that time period as well.

What I do now: SR, read recovery books and devotion type books, meditate, exercise regularly, take care of my two new dogs, and write! That fills out my day nicely. I do keep in contact with my old sponsor who took me through Steps 1-3. We text on the phone if I ever need or want to. And I have several meetings times/places programmed into my calendar and phone in case I feel the need to go. These are my safety net just in case.

sobercatholic

[QUOTE=matt4x4;4876689 Human interaction is what cures problems in life, this is why you see a married couple die months apart.[/QUOTE]

But there is human interaction here. It isn't face-to-face, but people aren't really alone and isolated. (And not all marriages die when the couple has been apart. Many military marriages succeed, despite one being overseas. Not all, but enough.)

nigey1

I am SR only. I live and work in an isolated position and don't want people knowing my problems.

sobercatholic

From AA's "Big Book": (the "Forward to the Fourth Edition, page xxiv",

"Taking advantage of technological advances, for example, A.A. members with computers can participate in meetings online, sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country or around the world. In any meeting, anywhere, A.A.’s share experience, strength, and hope with each other, in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics. Modem-to- modem or face-to-face, A.A.’s speak the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity."

Interesting, but this omits the line, "Fundamentally, though, the difference between an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner is only one of format" that is found in the early printings of the 4th ed.




'

Nocturnal

Im not a group type person so its only been SR and its great thank you everybody.

IOAA2

Hi.
Since the late 70s AA has worked for me. To me the challenge I see is staying sober for most people. As stated there are many ways to stop drinking and a small % can stay stopped for long periods. To me if we don’t address the underlying reasons we drank usually sobriety is short lived. Someone mentioned ½ measures avail us nothing, so true in my observation. The old timers stressed that sobriety is an alcoholics main goal and today I agree.

At meetings I still get pearls I may have heard years ago but had forgotten and be of use shortly. FtoF meetings has an advantage of people observing us and to be helpful ask how things are going.

An old observation is that first drink in a relapse occurred within us long before we pick it up. It’s called building up to drink. Many times it’s seen by others in our actions and reactions and because of the caring is brought to our attention. It helped me several times over the years.
JMO

BE WELL

pinkgate

SR only as far as interactive resources go. I am an introvert and group settings just exhaust me. I was not closed minded to a group but it was just more in my nature to use an online group.

I also read some stuff at orange papers (the more resources type stuff, not the "anti" material).

I dropped into some online AA groups but didn't stick with it.

I had many years of psychotherapy well before I even had a drinking problem and that has continued to pay off. I think if I hadn't had that, I might well have needed a more educational setting and perhaps that would have meant a recovery group of some sort.

Pretty sure I would have kept trying different things if what I was doing wasn't working. I still will, if it comes to that.

17 months now. Very grateful to SR and to myself!

Itchy

I used everything at first, really! Started with my doc's medical support along with my whole family, an in hospital one week self admitted detox. Counseling, and Joined SR and AA as soon as I was out. I declined the 28 day following rehab. After three months we dropped monthly blood testing, biweekly doctor follow ups, and I had gotten all I needed from F2F AA. So from three months to now, four years, one month, and a recovery later I hang out on the one year and over club.

Did I do too much? Was it overkill? My life was on the line, and I was willing to do whatever it took.

I'm recovered. If you encounter folks that lost sight of the goal, be gentle. At some point we all have to come out of being in recovery, and be recovered, never to want a drink of alcohol again.

Now I'm just here to show it can be done, even by me. Even by you.

Do it all, take what you need, and leave the rest.

miamifella

I think this is part of the problem you have. It is probably important to feel gratitude, but the pressure to "show" gratitude can distract one from the true purpose of the organization. While there may be things you miss working your recovery online only, one of the positive things is that the pressure to prove one's recovery is much less than in f2f organizations.

For some that pressure is a help. For others it is a hindrance. Learning to understand one's self and one's own individual needs is an important part of recovery.

SoberLeigh

Yes, SR, is my only program.

HeadLump

SR is my only programme too. I lurked from day one and joined at six months. I did promise myself that if I faltered I would go to AA, but, at nearly 21 months in, I'm feeling strong in my sobriety.

I have been very lucky to have an extremely supportive partner and good friends. From reading some posts here, I appreciate how important that can be

least

I see a counselor once a month but consider SR my primary sobriety resource. And it's always there, always 'open'.

XIIIXXIXXVI

SR is my only resource as well. I quit drinking this past July and stumbled upon SR earlier this month. Prior to that, I had just been going at my sobriety a day at a time and journaling to stay committed and make sense of my emotions along the way.

B

TylerDurden99

I only use SR, I realy enjoy it. Like silentrun said, I don't think I could be this honest if I wasn't behind a screen. "Give a man a mask, and he will tell the truth." - Oscar Wilde

desypete

my only worry about online only is the fact that isolation is a huge problem for alcoholics, you dont need to drink to shut yourself off from the world and sit by a computer all day long for company, i think it can create this world for some alcohilcs and make them even more fearful of meeting people face to face

one amazing thing i have noticed on here is dee,
never been to aa and yet has stayed sober just by online help but more importantly has a good sober life of helping others
i can tell from how dee posts that there is wisdom and knowledge there that i would never of thought possible anywhere other than inside the rooms of aa

so when i tried this site i was sure no one could get sober without aa and i mean sober in terms of living not sober as in terms of not drinking for a while

so i have been impressed by what i see and read

however for me aa gave me much more than just a face to face meeting, the members there came and kept me company and took me around to meetings in my early days, they also gave me money and helped me with food etc
the condion i was in when i first tried to get sober was nothing short of a nightmare, i had no internet nor a computer as i had no money
so for my type of drunk there is only aa out there that can help but i do think this online site is a good one for people who are lucky enough to be able to have the internet etc

my other point is i have to be around new comers, i need them more than they will ever need me thats for sure and in the aa meetings there will always be new comers somewhere for me to see there condition there in, to see someone shaking or have that blank look in there eyes as there lost and confused brings it all back to me
something i never want to forget
so for me i need those meetings face to face you just can not recreate them online but there sure is a lot of wisdom and discussion online and i know it helps people so its a good thing

happybeingme

I have over three years and never stepped foot in a meeting. I am not that kind of person. I started posting here because the other forum I had belonged to just wasnt enough for me anymore. I needed more of the friends and family, and adult children now in my recovery.

Honestly, sometimes I just get tired of hearing all of the alcoholism stories. I dont miss it ,crave it, cant even stand the smell of it anymore. But, I am well aware I still have deepseated issues stemming from my dysfunctional childhood. So, thats what I am working on.

So, yes online only can work. I will say this though. I made sure I was brutally honest about my past when I share online. Still do that

murrill

In the beginning I went to an inpatient treatment program tht was very 12-step based, and I immersed myself in the AA community for a few years. I am like many people who say, "I'm not a group person," but groups were what I needed. I was painfully, disasterously isolated, and frankly, honesty was not my strong point. Exposing myself to people in the recovery community I was held accountable. The internet was not so available at the time (1988), so on-line support was not an option for me. Who knows if it would have been enough? What I do know is that I got what I needed. After about five years of serious committment to AA I began to wean myself from the community. I have other things in my life that are rewarding and that give me pleasure. I still connect with some other recovery-inclined folks, and I pop in here from timte-to-time. I've used other forums, too--some for alcoholism, some for spirituality, etc. I've known a number of people who managed to get and stay sober through on-line forums, though. When the student is ready, the teacher appears, I guess.

Anna

SR has been my lifeline for many years.

I also lean heavily on some good spiritual books.