I compartmentalize between 'not drinking' and 'living a happy sober life'.
All that is required to defeat my addiction is to not feed it. Period.
Living a happy sober life may require sharing in a supportive environment. Many people do that, and I count myself among them. I learned things by participating here at SR that I was not exposed to through out patient rehab, AA, or family. It gives me pleasure to share those things and from time to time help someone else. But if SR shut down tomorrow I wouldn't start drinking again. It isn't
required for my sobriety.
Telling people there is only one way to defeat an addiction isn't true, and I believe it is counter-productive when the way that was presented as 'the only way' isn't the right one for the addict it is presented to. The Secular Connections forum is loaded with people who have a story about that happening to them - but forum rules generally prohibit them from sharing those stories as they inevitably involve bringing up forbidden topics.
