Originally Posted by doorknob
Just curious Alera... being that you're religious, what was it that steered you towards a secular program? I had a friend who did the same. Shoot, I guess that's off topic too...
One, I am more of a science based type. I do better with the written word (worksheets and so on) than ideas.
Second, I have always tried to keep my religion (Im Catholic BTW) separate from other activities. By this I simply mean that I prefer to not tie one into the other. I don't want to have to feel guilty to my god if I fail in recovery, I want to feel I can go to him for help and understanding so I won't do it again.
Third, my recovery needs to change my life perspectives. I grew up in a family where I was taught a lot of negative beliefs. For me, working CBT has enabled me not only to change how I think about my abuse and how to stop it, it also helps me reconize other negative behaviors that are not directly related to drug abuse. However, both the abuse and the other behaviors come from the same source. Why not fix all of me?
Fourth, I have felt that in NA meetings, the constant talk of drugs actually makes me want to use more. At my meetings, we talk about life changes, some include situations where drugs will be involved, some do not.
And finally, I lost two friends in NA. The first one was told that she would not be clean if she took her barb for her grand mal seizures. She had one at the NA meeting and died the next day.