Originally Posted by
ElleDee 
I apologize to everyone for contradicting myself. I don't really know at this point and I'm really questioning what I can do to make this work. I appear to be irritating some people here. I've been sober for only several weeks and feel kinda lost. Again I'm sorry I wasted everyone's time.
I really wanted to stay out of this.... sure
First of all, you are not wasting anyone's time here. Obviously people care enough to respond. A lot of people.
Recovery is a broad term. Some use it as a 'method' to go from drinking to not drinking - a process to get you off alcohol and keep you off.
For me, recovery starts after the alcohol is already gone. AVRT I believe is what to do to get you "off" alcohol and keep you off. But that's it. It removes alcohol from your life - I may be corrected. But is that recovery?
Recovery for me is adjusting myself to learn to live life without the aid of alcohol. It is a learning and growing process. How to cope with stress or to be able to face the daily challenges of life without having to retreat into a bottle. To let go of the past and my perceived excuses for drinking. To be a better person and to be able to be truthful to people without worrying about the consequences of being honest. Being able to face the truth about myself - flush my ego down the toilet. These things are what 'recovery' means to me.
Every day people quit drinking without any type of program or aid. They just had enough and stop. Good for them. I stopped too. But I also knew I had to revamp my thinking and adjust my responses to stimuli from the outside world.
And to learn how to not let people "hurt" my feelings.
ElleDee, I honestly believe that the steps might be a good fit for you. You are seeking answers and guidance on this new way of life. Just quitting drinking is not enough. Some have the ability to change within themselves. Some of us need guidance to carry on. Whether it be in the form of group therapy or a structured program of self improvement. Or just seeing a counselor or cognitive therapy. There really is no one size fits all answer to your dilemma. I suggest you explore all of these to find something that fits your mind set.
I suggest looking at the secular 12 steps. There are many variations of it. And you don't have to attend meetings and group hug and all that. Look at it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself. You have two weeks sober - great! You indicate you don't want group help (I think), but isn't spending time here a form of group help? It is impersonal in that we all aren't sitting in a room together. But in the end, it's the same thing.
The internet is a gateway to loads of information related to these concepts. The 12 steps Du jour - I made that up thank you. I spent weeks looking at the 12 steps Du jour after my first few AA meetings. I myself understood the concepts of it but no way was I going to crush my soul for it - traditional AA.
Give it a shot. Best wishes to you. LB