AA Alternatives
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
Not all who come here state their sobriety date, which obviously skewed the result, but in all honesty I could only point the OP to two individual regular posters here who have met the AMA criteria by alternative methods.
Guest
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 480
Originally Posted by Gottalife 
lol. Just reminded me of a guy who came up to me after a meeting and said "You know I used to really hate you. You seemed so happy, I was so miserable. Now I see what you were talking about". One of the nicest things anyone ever said to me. 
I suppose honesty would be a big thing in answering the OPs question, and that might mean sticking to my direct experience. The nature of my recovery program brings me into contact with a lot of alcoholics. They either stay with AA or go off and try something of their own.
Some must be successful, I count successful as over five years (one of the AMA criteria for stable recovery), but in that time, we lose contact. A lot are not successful and our paths cross again in the rehabs and detox wards.
In an earlier post I listed some of the things I tried but they were not successful. A wee while back I spent a little time researching/hoping to find some solid track record for other methods on this site. Not all who come here state their sobriety date, which obviously skewed the result, but in all honesty I could only point the OP to two individual regular posters here who have met the AMA criteria by alternative methods. If I went to the Salvation Army recovery church I could probably find a few more.
That's the truth from my experience. Of course I am talking about chronic hopeless alcoholics. It is a progressive disease and I am sure many many get off lift before it descends to the basement and I would never get to meet them.
What I would really like to see is some documented research on some of these other methods, so I could then be reasonably truthful if I was to claim high recovery rates. If I was the OP I would like to know how succesful these methods are, which might help me make an informed choice.
I suppose honesty would be a big thing in answering the OPs question, and that might mean sticking to my direct experience. The nature of my recovery program brings me into contact with a lot of alcoholics. They either stay with AA or go off and try something of their own.
Some must be successful, I count successful as over five years (one of the AMA criteria for stable recovery), but in that time, we lose contact. A lot are not successful and our paths cross again in the rehabs and detox wards.
In an earlier post I listed some of the things I tried but they were not successful. A wee while back I spent a little time researching/hoping to find some solid track record for other methods on this site. Not all who come here state their sobriety date, which obviously skewed the result, but in all honesty I could only point the OP to two individual regular posters here who have met the AMA criteria by alternative methods. If I went to the Salvation Army recovery church I could probably find a few more.
That's the truth from my experience. Of course I am talking about chronic hopeless alcoholics. It is a progressive disease and I am sure many many get off lift before it descends to the basement and I would never get to meet them.
What I would really like to see is some documented research on some of these other methods, so I could then be reasonably truthful if I was to claim high recovery rates. If I was the OP I would like to know how succesful these methods are, which might help me make an informed choice.
Again, the title of this thread was "Alternatives to AA"
Why can we not keep the discussion in line with that the OP is asking? instead of people trying to tell him he is wrong for his decision and convincing him otherwise?
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
Originally Posted by Gottalife
What I would really like to see is some documented research on some of these other methods, so I could then be reasonably truthful if I was to claim high recovery rates. If I was the OP I would like to know how succesful these methods are, which might help me make an informed choice.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: canada
Posts: 7,242
hello OP,
the support i used was through LifeRing. which is not a program but an organization with f2f meetings, lots of online resources, a couple of books. good books. LR is based on secularity, self-empowerment, sobriety as defined by abstinence.
people are encouraged to find and do what works for them.
probably needless to say, there are atheists, agnostics, theists, wiccans, deists, ...you name it, they're there
i am a non-theist.
i got sober in 2006 and have stayed that way. in AA parlance: the obsession with drinking was removed, on the day i quit.
before that day, i had a gazillion tries and couldn't stay quit, sometimes not even one day.
so i fit the AMA criteria for long-term recovery.
at about the five-year mark, i started to check out AA from a different perspective and have since embarked on the step-journey-adventure.
but that's a whole other story, and i'm just sharing it to show the variety of ways we can choose and have success with.
hope you find something that's helpful to you.
the support i used was through LifeRing. which is not a program but an organization with f2f meetings, lots of online resources, a couple of books. good books. LR is based on secularity, self-empowerment, sobriety as defined by abstinence.
people are encouraged to find and do what works for them.
probably needless to say, there are atheists, agnostics, theists, wiccans, deists, ...you name it, they're there
i am a non-theist.
i got sober in 2006 and have stayed that way. in AA parlance: the obsession with drinking was removed, on the day i quit.
before that day, i had a gazillion tries and couldn't stay quit, sometimes not even one day.
so i fit the AMA criteria for long-term recovery.
at about the five-year mark, i started to check out AA from a different perspective and have since embarked on the step-journey-adventure.
but that's a whole other story, and i'm just sharing it to show the variety of ways we can choose and have success with.
hope you find something that's helpful to you.
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
I think we've gotten on and off track enough times here and there are plenty of options for the OP to consider. Let's give the debate a rest and move on to help some newcomers. Thread closed.
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