Has SR made a difference in how you see things?
 

I like polls. Maybe you do too...

Have you found that you have changed your mind, or outlook, or perspective on issues relating to recovery?

i voted #2 Mark..

#2 for me as well. :)

I quit drinking....struggled for 2 weeks...and then started searching for help and found SR. My opinion changes frequently because I had absolutely no idea how powerful addiction is! :wild I'm learning something new each day. SR has truly changed my life.

I didn't vote. Little of what I've read here has swayed my position on recovery as I regard it in my own life. What I mean by that is that what worked for me when I came here is still working today, and I haven't read anything that's persuaded me to change what I'm doing.

In the last five and a half years, I have enlarged my experience, both spiritually (discussing and reading about the way others conceive of a HP) and practically (finding others with whom I can practice the 12th step). I've also found my tolerance and open-mindedness has increased. Had I not interacted with others who are using other methods than mine (the 12 steps) to recover, I probably would have built up quite a bias by now. I had it when I came here, and now, not so much.

Peace & Love,
Sugah

I was going to vote 2 but ended up voting 3...reason being is that whatever i read or hear needs some sort of real life validation before i would go as far as to change my opinion about recovery issues...

E.g. i am in AA and although i have heard and seen on SR that AA isn't the only way it was only when i found out that my CBT counselor is 24 years recovered without AA and how he did it in real life that my opinion changed...i think that's a pretty healthy behaviour actually:-)

When I came on line in '92 it was to enhance my already
sucessful AA recovery. of 3 years.

I made SR my cyber home group in '02
and my recovery is still AA
but I've certainly become less ridgid....:laughing:

Thanks to our SR members
:You_Rock_

Seeing the diversity in experience has been very helpful to me! The best thing I did was read here even when (in retrospect) I didn't want to quit. It gave me hope that I could recover without committing to a lifetime of smoky church basements and Jesus talk.

I have a degree in Chemistry and Psychology and I have found a lot of information (even though a lot of it is speculation) linked on here that explains some of the things that a lot of courses fail to go into because the knowledge is so new and the field is in its infancy (not addiction but alcohol addiction). Such a messy drug. So I have gleaned loads of information that make sense from my perspective in that I can understand chemically and neurally what is going on.

I can't vote, but I have been here a short time and like what I see thus far

I can't vote yet either, but I would put my response somewhere between 1 and 2. I've been suprised by how much I've learned on SR, and it has certainly broadened my viewpoint. In the very beginning in particular I found the info on withdrawal, PAWS etc to be very helpful.

Question: has SR made a difference in how you see things?

Answer: I d@MN well hope so considering the time I spend here!

Seriously...if I was just coming here to see myself talk or try to convince others that I am RIGHT and they are WRONG!!! then I would have more to worry about then the addiction stuff.

In the immortal words of stugotz....Just sayin'.....

:)

Danae....:wave:
welcome to our recovery community

How about.......... yes!!! Now I can't really say that when I first found this place six months ago that I even had a clue as to what recovery was. I did not know the first thing about alcoholism or why I drank the way I did. I did know that I did not like AA because I was forced to do 6 months worth of weekly meetings 10 years previous and I knew I would not go to AA if that was my only option. I found this place at a perfect time, and I also now know more than most people about addiction and alcoholism because of this site, and I would even be open to attending AA now because of what I have learned here. It is a wealth of information that helps me update and sometimes change the way I see things on a regular basis. It has also helped me learn acceptance and humility.

I couldn't pick one. When I came here I had no idea what I was doing and had no opinions on recovery. I kept my mind open purposely to see what others were doing. Some of the things I read on here I incorporated into my recovery whilst other things I read I took with a grain of salt. That's the beauty of a forum like this - you get the exposure to the wealth of experiences out there so that you can tailor your recovery to fit you. It didn't matter to me how I recovered, per se, it just mattered that I did recover.

MY way is not nessessarily (?) the only way. Because I disagree with the way the methods of recovery are conducted doesn't mean it's not without merit. These are the lessons I learned from this site................

Before coming to SR my experience with others in recovery was pretty much limited to people I meet in AA. I had no idea that there were so many people that have recovered from addiction by using methods other than faith-based recovery modalities. SR inspires me to develop further in my secular approach to recovery.

I have also learned from other SR members how to work a 12-step program from a secular perspective. Making my recovery base even broader than ever before.

#2 though I might add I am #1@#2 (LOL!)

I now see the steps a little differently than I did using AA alone. I also see other ways to get the spiritual experience described in the 12th step.

We often say you can't get it all online... however, the reverse is also true. There are things you can't get from books or face-to-face meetings. Some people tend to reveal more openly online. SR has given me a larger perspective on the different faces of addiction as well as the many different methods of recovery.

My AA philosophy was formed by what I've read on SR, just too bad my home group doesnt' always see it that way, lol.