LadyBlue0527

I peacefully disagree with this. If I have diarrhea either I go to the bathroom or something is going to end up in my pants.

If I sit with a drink in front of me I can either choose to pick it up and drink it or I can choose to get up and walk away from it. Regardless of what the AV tells me, how my mind works, or any excuse I can come up with in the world to justify it, at the end of the day my having that drink or leaving it sitting there is a choice. I'm not being forced to act. A bodily function is far different.

I don't see any similarities between the two.

jdooner

Alcohol can manifest into physical dependance described as the disease model in the DSM.

Add the "ism" and I believe it takes on such a greater meaning that the alcohol becomes a symptom of bigger issues, often a spiritual breakdown that just removing the toxins does not fix.

It is important MSU to realize you are not your thoughts. Succumbing to your thoughts can subject you to abject slavery of your mind. To survive this can often result in the need to use substances including alcohol to ease the building anxiety and pressure. Most addicts like myself relate to this as the "warm blanket" feeling or a "warm hug" that we will chase to our death without outside help.

Given you are not your thoughts, you of course do not have to act on these thoughts. This is practiced in Rational Recovery and CET and is actually taught in the steps, although many can confuse the powerlessness with this concept even though I believe they are getting at the same concept.

Being powerless over the drink does not mean you are helpless and don't have a choice in the matter. In terms of having diarrhea and drinking the only parallel I see if I often had diarrhea when I was drinking but that is the unison I see.

FeenixxRising

Do you feel that the only way to be sober and happy is by working the AA program?

IOAA2

I feel that if that were more emphasized that many would not be in the pits of relapsing so often.
Thank you.

BE WELL

AndyZ

Being more or less depressed for last 15 years.

I don't agree. It's not just anger. It's pretty much every emotion you have gets shut off making you a complete emotional impotent. It is scary because nothing really bothers you.

Feeling angry when sober IMHO is a normal process for many people. Have you addressed your personal issues? That's what AA does among other things through steps but it is not the only solution. Please understand that this is one way to get through the day among many.

IOAA2

Instead of getting into an argument that in the end is a no win on either side I'll pose a question. In the US many health insurance policies cover to an extent alcoholism treatment tho not as much time wise as 10-15 years ago.
Are they missing the boat somewhere?

BE WELL

caboblanco

When I was a little kid I heard the term dry drunk..and I thought it meant a dried up drunk...old person with really wrinkly dry skin and a dry hacking cough..just my young imagination i guess

karate

Anger Mgt . was what I needed

resolute50

Some people are angry at the world no matter if they are drinking or not.
IMO,if it did originate from AA,then it's most likely is a derogatory term for somebody that doesn't follow the AA mantra.
And yet another reason I will stay away from the rooms.

Arpeggioh

Oh, how I love SR! Just home from rehab, where I learned that without a sponsor and intensive 12 step work, I was doomed to living a miserable life as a dry drunk. What a breath of fresh air I find on these forums, where alternative views are calmly expressed by sober folks without the word denial ever being thrown back at them. Thank God this is a friendly place where ANYthing that keeps us sober is celebrated! It is so good to be back here...

Binge1989

Sober for almoust 6 months. Angry, tired, depressed. I work from 07.00 - 18.00 6/7 week so i don,t have time for AA. But i know i don,t want to drink anymore. I stick with SR.

matt4x4

AA has a lot of slogans and sayings. Some dont really make sense at all, like Fake it until you make it, but the program teaches us to be rigorously honest. I have been guilty of regurtitating that statement. Another one is Take your time there is no rush, where it actually states that There is Action and more action. Take an hour and move onto the next step. Another, Do a step a year. A cancer patient doesnt wait 12 years to get chemo-theroapy. Plus a ton of other misinformation that is just regurgitated from people who dont follow or read the basic text. Thats the watered down, deadly way of doing it. I go to AA to follow the steps as its laid out in the big book, not to hear someone moan and complain about their day, thats what a therapists, head shrinks, firends and sponsors are for. There are many ways to stay sober, I have tried most of them, not all because I dont know what all of them are. Church, Smart Recovery, Working Out, Staying Active, Geographic, Yoga, Rehab 19 times, Chiropratic, Shrinks, Pills, Yen, Buddha and more. Having decades of sobriety is wonderful. But I realized that I can be just as sick 100% sober as I am drinking and that is because alcohol has nothing to do with my alcoholism. Its the way I think that is messed up. So putting the plug in the jug is never enough. Dry drunk just means one is sober, not having achieved sobriety, which are two completely different subjects. I achieve sobriety and have recovered by working a program of action with a 75% recovery rate, and above that 75% some showed improvement. WOW!!!! Those are great odds, the best odds I ever saw for recovery. A sick mind cant heal a sick mind. I try it my way, I change things around then I am drunk in no time at all, it has been proven to me time and time again, but my mind still says I can do it on my own, things willbe different this time. See me in Prison or the Hospital. You see I have a thick skull, it takes a lot for information to get through and settle and get imprinted unto my brain. So misinformation is deadly, thats why today there is no where near the 75% success rate, which is sad but I guess that is just human nature. If I am trying my best, helping the freshie at his first meeting ever, giving him the straight facts with no sugar coating, it feels good. I was the only guy last night at the hospital meeting to walk up to the newcomer to his first meeting ever, shake his hand, answer his many questions, and giving him the straight unsugar coated facts. Sure it was an odd-ball meeting the way the chair person was running it, but so be it. I just hope that newcomer comes back and most importantly phones someone on that list when he is in trouble and gets a sponsor and works the steps. Otherwise it will be a revolving door until the ultimate bottom.

karate

You are not doomed to any of that .

I highly recommend anger Mgt. in fact it would be good for everyone ,weather they are a screaming lunatic or not .

Im a wall punching ,screaming lunatic . But its getting better .

Im a recovering rageholic ,yes there are people like that I am one .

I sober from anger for a good while now ,Feel great most of the time .

The secret is to rewire your brain ,so anger is not the first response .

jdooner

Good for you Karate - are you meditating? Perhaps starting a thread on this important topic would be useful to others?

karate

I would be glad to add in anything to help others .

The best book I read was -anger busting 101 ,the important rule is to not raise your voice or cuss .

Its hard to throw a fit ,not cussing or yelling .

jdooner

I meant start a separate thread on the topic. Anger and control issues seem to be very relevant to recovery. Its something you are interested in and working on I was encouraging you to build a thread not embedded it in this. Highlight it man.

karate

I will give it some thought ,Its not that I don't want to share how I got here .

Its that I cant explain how I did ,If that makes sense .