LaFemme,
I started trying to do the AA thing last June. I live in a very small town and the only meetings were nearly 50 miles away. That proved to be a drawback after a time, so I dropped the meetings and tried to stay in contact through the SR site I had a 2 day relapse after 30 days. This went back and forth til around the first of the year.
I love the people on the SR website and enjoyed most of the AA meetings that I went to, however, there was something about the basic philosophy that my rational mind could not wrap itself around.(I've always been an independent thinker and believe highly in personal responsibility.) After several stumbles, I decided I was going to quit even if I had to do it all on my own. Then I found, the SMART website and began to use the tools they recommend in the "tool box" section of that site. (The basis of their program) This really began to work for me. However, I felt somewhat alienated from the friends I had met on SR. One study I found particularly helpful by Terrance Grosky is found at this link:
Post Acute Withdrawl - Relapse Prevention Specialists - TLC The Living Center and an updated version is found at:
Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) — Why we don’t get better immediately) Digital Dharma These have helped me a great deal to understand some of the physical and psychological changes my body was going through after I quit. This helps because instead of being surprised by the symptoms, I was ready to face them when they come.
I hope these will be helpful to you in your journey to recovery, I know they are to me. Wish you the best.
lucke-