Originally Posted by
Rugby8 
My sponsor would call me just "a dry drunk" and tell me that I need to go to meetings and call him everyday and he would get all pissy and give me lectures when I didn't... I do have a family and I coach my son's sports and lead a very busy life. I don't think he understood that.
But doing AVRT has opened up (along with this site) a better way for me to stay sober. I'm thankful everyday that I don't drink and relish in how good I feel and the way I am getting healthy. The guilt of not being a "good" AA member was what drove me away and I think I started drinking again because I felt like a hopeless failure in AAs eyes... I just didn't fit in there. And the people there were sometimes nasty, petty and mean believe it or not. I felt like a total hypocrite because I don't believe in God and I never believed in any higher power. I felt like I was living a lie just walking into the church basement.
I have to do this on my own for my family and for me... and I'm doing just that. AVRT has helped immensely.
First off, congratulations! You're doing awesome!
Next, I want to talk about the section in red! I too was saved by AVRT. Like you, I don't believe in religion (in fact, I'm an atheist). While AA might work for some I also don't believe in the "recovery-ism" that they preach. Different approaches for different people! I'm so glad you didn't simply give up when AA didn't work for you. That's the only complaint I have about AA; some view it was the only thing that works. In the end, the only important thing is that you don't drink.
I'm going on seven sober months now. Once I made my Big Plan I quit drinking and never looked back. When I was a drunk I'd get headaches if I didn't get my "fix" within an hour or two of the usual time. But once I went thru AVRT and resolved to quit, I found that I had no withdrawals, no headaches and virtually no cravings! I think my body and mind had had enough of being constantly drunk and were looking for the key to unlock the door to my chemical prison.
To you and anyone else reading this, you can change your life! Booze doesn't have to be a life/death sentence.
Thanks for checking in, Rugby8! It's so cool to hear things are better than when you began this thread!
