lovingseren

Thank You for the warm welcome Carol

paulmh

Tell us more!

lovingseren

I was drinking vodka, daily after work, until I passed out, I did this for some years.
I was throwing up blood, I continued to drink, until one morning, I could hardly move, I was shaking so hard, I couldn't hold a cup of water, I knew there and then that I must get sober or die.
I detoxed at home, on the computer, shaking, sweating, throwing up, loose BM's.
When I was three days sober I found an online support group....Women For Sobriety, it was an msn group.
I joined, I participated in the message boards, I went to twice daily online meetings, I put all my effort into the program. I changed my entire routine, I ate differently, I took a different routine home from work, I believe that nothing change if nothing changes.
That was in 2003.......since then I have gone back to school, moved towns, bought a new house, got my dream job, and stayed mindful of my recovery, my attitude and my thinking, in short I learned how to be in charge of me.....I learned I had total choice, if I drank it was a choice, if I didn't it was a choice......I chose life/sobriety/recovery.

Seren

lovingseren

Recovery is "all that and a bag of chips"

paulmh

Isn't it just!

I sometimes think that what recovery has in common is that complete change of heart, which can only be sustained by a complete change of behaviour too!

Women for Sobriety sounds great. Glad you're here, glad you're sober and so obviously thriving!

sugErspun

Thank you for your reply and experience.

How does your recovery work? Is it an AA program, or some other method I may not be aware of.

In order for me to stay sober, I have to help others- and can do that to a degree online, but meetings have so many newcomers and nothing beats f2f for me!

redstuff

I will say joining this forum has been the most therapeutic thing that I've done for my recovery so far. Of course other than stoping drinking and studying the books, it is the only thing I've done. I don't know if it will be enough for me to maintain sobriety, but right now it is seems to be working. Would it be entirely impossible for this and everything else that I'm doing to be all I need?

lovingseren

I belong to Women For Sobriety, it is a positve selp help program for women, it was founded over 30 years ago, by Dr Jean Kirkpatrick PhD.

We learn to be responsible for self, for our thinking, our attitude and our actions.

I am accountable to me, it was up to me to do the work, no one else could do it for me.

I choose to volunteer my time with 'newbies', over the years there have been many. I love "giving back", but , it is not essential to my ability to stay sober.

I have supported many of them in live chat, IM etc, emailed with, and given phone support.

Many women, I am happy to say, have gone on to long term sobriety.

Seren

CarolD

Redstuff...

I have no personal experience to share on your question
as I was AA sober 3 years
before I found on line recovery sites.

My feeling is that everyone should use all available resources
until they find some method that works for them.

Why limit yourself?

I can tell you that face to face AA meetings are
vital to my joy in recovery.

I went at noon today with a friend who picked up
her 22 year medallion. A newcomer wanted a 24 hour chip.
Where else can I see walking talking miracles?

Forward we go...side by side

lovingseren

Redstuff,

I think when we are facing a life threatening problem we must do whatever it takes.

Take all that is out there, embrace it and listen to those who have been there, find out what works for you, and work it with all your heart and soul.

I agree with Carol, "everyone should use all available resources until they find some method that works for them".

Seren

Tazman53

It very well could be, if you stay sober then it is all you need.

The most important thing in recovery is willingness! You must be willing to do what ever it takes to get and stay sober, as lovingseren has shared Women For Sobriety is working for her as I am sure it works for others.

I would be willing to bet that if lovingseren started to struggle she would be willing to do other things to maintain her sobriety.

I have a friend that tried Women For Sobriety and really struggled using it, she was willing to try something else, she tried AA and that was her ticket to sobriety.

DOes that mean that AA is better then Women For Sobriety? Heck no!!!! What it means is that for her AA worked, for others Women For Sobriety works!

What ever works, AA worked for me, but that does not mean that there are not other programs that work, there are.

There is one thing all of the programs have in common. None of them work unless they are worked. Working a program is like drinking, we put all we have into our drinking, we need to put all we have into the program we work. We must follow the program and not pick and choose what parts we are willing to work and what parts we are not willing to work.

In AA we say "Half measures availed us nothing!" That holds true for all programs!

lovingseren

Tazman you are right, if I felt "wobbly" in my recovery, I would do whatever it took to help myself maintain my sobriety.
Drinking/relapsing is not an option for me, I will surely die.

Sobriety and recovery have brought such joy and emotional and spiritual growth to my life, these last four years have been some of the best years of my life.

There are many support groups out there, find one that fits you best, and be flexible, there is nothing to say you cannot learn from other programs too.

Seren

Tazman53

LOL I noticed some of what you said in your post is very AAish!!! Hey what ever works is good!

lovingseren

LOL, that AAish comes from the summer before I "got" sobriety, I did attend AA meetings, but found they weren't for me.

I also aquired "take what you need and leave the rest"

Seren

Sobriety date Oct 2003, sober today thanks to Me and WFS.

Tazman53

lovingseren what is the male counterpart to Women For Sobriety? I seem to be a bit weak in the memory these days!

lovingseren

It's called Men For Sobriety.

redstuff

Have they got a website. I google searched it, but got women for sobriety. That's not gonna work for me. If anyone has a direct link, please post-up here. thanks

crabby

Listen what work for one person may work for another each to their own. If some one got that link also i would like online recovery program or chat room or something like that. Their is lots of people on this site asking for the same thing as other , so if anyone got a good link to something like this please post it. It doesn,t hurt to try anything, but using. Anything better than that. I have also heard of it also but just have not found a link yet, so please if anyone got a link to a recovery program on line share it please, i could use it myself just like everyone who is asking for this. I know some people use difrrent things like one person might used church, one might use aa and other might just quit, some might us na, some might go to a program. What ever work , each to their own. All i know is what i been doing hasn,t been working and looking for some online program or chat or something i can do online. Peace out

CarolD

Hi Crabby....

See if this helps.....

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-programs.html

You can use ***** for chat rooms too.
I noticed the icon on your Profile.

Enjoy!

crabby

YES, ok i will start their , thanks for the good links i will try some now