The beauty of AA is that it is non-binding. No one makes you do or believe anything. They simply say this is what works for them. I used AA until I got all I needed from them. Three months. But those all-important three months were the first three months of my fist, and last, attempt to get and stay sober. I went hospital detox first, then a few days of a 28 day rehab but I just wasn't in need of babysitting. I'd made up my mind and that was that. All that was left to do was to get over my PAWS and keep seeing my docs and for a few weeks my counselors. I was a military retiree and 58 when I quit finally.
I used AA to cash my reality checks in person. They told me they had the same post-acute symptoms and here many folks helped too. Knowing others survived the same things helped immensely. My sage friend here was a big help too. I needed the face to face for that first three months, and then I was on to the last few "I"s to dot, and "T"s to cross to full recovery. I hang here because of threads like this one.
I shot gunned using every path and plan to sobriety that I could find available, online or off. I was already trained as a counselor in RET, I went to the marvelous online study links on the SMART website and actually read them all. I did AA despite my extreme aversion to religions. On a good day I am a theist. No Eastern religions ever attracted me despite reading much about them. I am no Christian or Muslim, no Buddhist/Hindu/Bahai But I really like some of their teachings. I don't reject religion. I learned from them, took what I could use, and left the rest. And the fundamental views take that as terrible. Yes I can take the golden rule and leave the Nicene creed. I can take the inner peace and leave the Nirvana. I can take the mysterious energy of the universe and stare in wonder at it in the night sky. I don't need rituals to take that, nor people to tell me what they mean, who don't know themselves, and that willful catch all of ignorance called faith is anathema to me. But there just might be something that started the chain reaction we call reality to go boom.
So when one asks to hold my hand and say the lord's prayer, it took a lot of restraint on my part to just do it and call it being accepting and tolerant of their beliefs. Regardless of how rude they might be towards mine.
So yes I grew mightily tired of being preached at sometime around 1964.
But I sure did appreciate the small wisdoms my AA friends shared. And I hope they could be tolerant enough to leave me be if I decided to share with them.
I think that one who needs no help to recover fully from this addiction we all share/d might be exaggerating just a tad. Back when I smoked there were few times I needed to bum a smoke. But when I did need the cigarette of another to tide me over I would certainly not complain about his choice in brand.
I think each will gravitate to a schema for recovery with which they will feel comfortable or not. And that if finding a perfect recovery method is what their recovery depended on, I submit they will never recover. It's just another condition of I will recover only if . . . . needs of mine are met, one of which just happens to be alcohol.
No matter which method floats your boat, do it fully and do it with other methods if you want.
If asked for the best method I will say all of them. But the best method to find the best method is this:
Stop getting ready and start getting to it.
Not the tomorrow that never comes. Not when everything is right and there is no stress, and not with conditions like as long as I don't have to whatever, and not waiting for it to fall from the sky or be instantly available through a drink or pill.
Stop getting ready and start getting to it.
Try them all until you come up sober! And don't judge the ones others use and succeed with every day.
Nothing works for everyone. Remember, all overgeneralizations are false, including this one.
