View Poll Results: What method(s) did you use?
AA
28
32.18%
SMART Recovery
7
8.05%
Rational Recovery/AVRT
10
11.49%
Antabuse/medications
8
9.20%
HAMS/Moderation Management
2
2.30%
Just SR
35
40.23%
Other (please share!)
21
24.14%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 87. You may not vote on this poll
What method did you use?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: The Midwest
Posts: 649
What method did you use?
I’ve been reading about different ways people have gotten sober. What was your path to sobriety? What would you do differently? What ways did you tried — but didn’t work? Do you have any insights?
I ask because I’ve mostly used my own, modified/hybrid version of AVRT with a lot of SR — but I mostly credit AV/externalization with the “ah ha” moment that finally helped me kicked the cycle of addiction. I’ve also sought to better understand the nature of alcoholism and addiction academically. Curious about others journeys into health and sobriety. Which method helped you the most? Share here!
I ask because I’ve mostly used my own, modified/hybrid version of AVRT with a lot of SR — but I mostly credit AV/externalization with the “ah ha” moment that finally helped me kicked the cycle of addiction. I’ve also sought to better understand the nature of alcoholism and addiction academically. Curious about others journeys into health and sobriety. Which method helped you the most? Share here!
Member
Join Date: May 2021
Location: England
Posts: 1,848
Very interesting thread Evoo.Thanks.
I also had an Ah ha moment when I first understood what AVRT was and how it worked. All of which happened here on SR. Until that moment I really didn't understand my addiction to alcohol or how to stop drinking, I believed that I had to grit my teeth and white knuckle it - which of course is unsustainable, which is why I failed over and over again.
For decades I believed that alcohol and drugs were part of a lifestyle that were just part of being creative, most of my favourite writers, artists and musicians had all been drinkers and /or drug takers. Vodka, wine, beer , so much of it, I can hardly believe it now, how much I have drunk over the decades and for what I wonder. Hiding from myself.
The AVRT was a revelation in understanding how and why I had drunk for so long. I read pages and pages of posts about it and eventually I 'got ' it with the help of a few key people on here for which I am very grateful. By separating the Addictive Voice from me - seeing it as a 'Beast 'that would drag me down by tempting me, tricking me, cajoling me, lying to me, it became easer to deal with. In five months the Beast has stopped being a huge, snarling salivating monster and is now a skinny hyena that snivels in a corner now and again , one day I hope it is a breeze that rustles a tree, barely there.
I have taken AVRT and used it as my main tool for sobriety together with SR and keeping close by posting regularly to keep my focus sharp.
I know it may not work for everyone, but it has for me. I hope others will share what had worked for them.
I also had an Ah ha moment when I first understood what AVRT was and how it worked. All of which happened here on SR. Until that moment I really didn't understand my addiction to alcohol or how to stop drinking, I believed that I had to grit my teeth and white knuckle it - which of course is unsustainable, which is why I failed over and over again.
For decades I believed that alcohol and drugs were part of a lifestyle that were just part of being creative, most of my favourite writers, artists and musicians had all been drinkers and /or drug takers. Vodka, wine, beer , so much of it, I can hardly believe it now, how much I have drunk over the decades and for what I wonder. Hiding from myself.
The AVRT was a revelation in understanding how and why I had drunk for so long. I read pages and pages of posts about it and eventually I 'got ' it with the help of a few key people on here for which I am very grateful. By separating the Addictive Voice from me - seeing it as a 'Beast 'that would drag me down by tempting me, tricking me, cajoling me, lying to me, it became easer to deal with. In five months the Beast has stopped being a huge, snarling salivating monster and is now a skinny hyena that snivels in a corner now and again , one day I hope it is a breeze that rustles a tree, barely there.
I have taken AVRT and used it as my main tool for sobriety together with SR and keeping close by posting regularly to keep my focus sharp.
I know it may not work for everyone, but it has for me. I hope others will share what had worked for them.
Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,906
My method was fear of leaving my daughter in this world without her dad. I have 2 other girls that are family that I take care of, but my daughter is my driving force. I was dying. I was drinking a good 2 liters of brown liquor with about 12 beers a day. Everyday.
As soon as I got out of the hospital, I went about trying to put s#it back together. It's been 5 and 1/2 years now. I'm still doing it for her. Sometimes for me, but mostly for her. I'm still learning to forgive myself for doing this to my family.
What else? TONS of therapy and a little SR. I need to do more SR. (a very supportive wife doesn't hurt either)
As soon as I got out of the hospital, I went about trying to put s#it back together. It's been 5 and 1/2 years now. I'm still doing it for her. Sometimes for me, but mostly for her. I'm still learning to forgive myself for doing this to my family.
What else? TONS of therapy and a little SR. I need to do more SR. (a very supportive wife doesn't hurt either)
Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 307
Cold Turkey, with a lot of talking to God. Sharing a house with two certifiable alcoholics and experiencing their repulsive ways each day helped. And visiting and posting often on SR in the first year. First day of sobriety(this time) 12-12-2019.
Hello to all of my SR friends.
Hello to all of my SR friends.
sober style
Join Date: May 2016
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2,382
The survey shouldn't say "Just SR", that's giving SR short shift. SR is mighty and powerful in and of itself!
And yes, I got sober thru SR. All SR, nothing but SR baby, that's how it happened in my particular case. SR every morning when I'd log on at 5am when I first woke up, SR at the turn of midnight when I'd be thrilled about being able to add another sober day to my day count.
Oh and I now believe that God was right there helping me all along, but that's a story for another thread.
And yes, I got sober thru SR. All SR, nothing but SR baby, that's how it happened in my particular case. SR every morning when I'd log on at 5am when I first woke up, SR at the turn of midnight when I'd be thrilled about being able to add another sober day to my day count.
Oh and I now believe that God was right there helping me all along, but that's a story for another thread.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Michigan
Posts: 5,377
First it was mainly relapse prevention planning from the book “Staying Sober by Terrence Gorski” and AA meetings!
I then transitioned that to mainly just AA meetings and learning to work the steps! Then I discovered SR and added that to AA and working the steps!
I’ve found things change the longer I stay sober and get older! You can have a full life just like everyone else only you don’t drink!
Right now I’ve got a job where I’m on the road most of the time working 14 hr days! Very hard to make any meetings with this lifestyle! I’m lucky if I get to one zoom meeting a week! That’s where SR comes in handy!
So now it’s SR and making sure I’m spiritually fit! I do not recommend this! I only do this lifestyle cause it’s what I do for a living to support a family!
I could’ve never done this in early sobriety! The only reason I can do this kind of work/lifestyle is because I have decades of AA meetings and sobriety under my belt!
I then transitioned that to mainly just AA meetings and learning to work the steps! Then I discovered SR and added that to AA and working the steps!
I’ve found things change the longer I stay sober and get older! You can have a full life just like everyone else only you don’t drink!
Right now I’ve got a job where I’m on the road most of the time working 14 hr days! Very hard to make any meetings with this lifestyle! I’m lucky if I get to one zoom meeting a week! That’s where SR comes in handy!
So now it’s SR and making sure I’m spiritually fit! I do not recommend this! I only do this lifestyle cause it’s what I do for a living to support a family!
I could’ve never done this in early sobriety! The only reason I can do this kind of work/lifestyle is because I have decades of AA meetings and sobriety under my belt!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: The Midwest
Posts: 649
Originally Posted by SnazzyDresser 
The survey shouldn't say "Just SR", that's giving SR short shift. SR is mighty and powerful in and of itself!
And yes, I got sober thru SR. All SR, nothing but SR baby, that's how it happened in my particular case. SR every morning when I'd log on at 5am when I first woke up, SR at the turn of midnight when I'd be thrilled about being able to add another sober day to my day count.
Oh and I now believe that God was right there helping me all along, but that's a story for another thread.
And yes, I got sober thru SR. All SR, nothing but SR baby, that's how it happened in my particular case. SR every morning when I'd log on at 5am when I first woke up, SR at the turn of midnight when I'd be thrilled about being able to add another sober day to my day count.
Oh and I now believe that God was right there helping me all along, but that's a story for another thread.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,760
I put 'just SR' tho my first five years or so I saw an addiction counselor once a week and she was a great help. But now it's all SR and boy am I glad I found this site all those years ago. 
Made some good friends here too, and even got a nice little cat from another member.
Made some good friends here too, and even got a nice little cat from another member.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,499
For me it was SR. Joined a class. Posted every day in the class. Read heaps here. SR was critical for me.
It was important for me to have a plan. For some reason, maybe it's a personality quirk that I just like organising and executing a plan, once I had a plan in place, I felt confident I would succeed.
I also admitted to people in my life that I was an alcoholic. I told my doctor first by asking for her help to stop and by being truthful about how much I drank. That was a seminal moment when my denial finally ended. Then I told my immediate family and a couple of close friends.
When I boil it down, those were the 3 basic ingredients: SR + a sobriety plan + surrendering to the truth of my alcoholism.
It was important for me to have a plan. For some reason, maybe it's a personality quirk that I just like organising and executing a plan, once I had a plan in place, I felt confident I would succeed.
I also admitted to people in my life that I was an alcoholic. I told my doctor first by asking for her help to stop and by being truthful about how much I drank. That was a seminal moment when my denial finally ended. Then I told my immediate family and a couple of close friends.
When I boil it down, those were the 3 basic ingredients: SR + a sobriety plan + surrendering to the truth of my alcoholism.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 32
Im still rather early in my sobriety, but I have just been kind of weaning myself off it, going longer and longer between drinks and on November 6th I put it down for good, and so far so good. 24 days today. No intentions of ever going back.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 742
I got sober in AA. That's what worked for me. I got a sponsor that grew up a lot like I did, had kind of a similar education/career path like me, and drank and drugged in a similar manner. I was instructed to call him everyday early on and he took me through the steps. I see it as the simplest way to recovery.
I try to be open minded. I know this isn't going to work for everyone. I am not the textbook AA. I do go to meetings, i like the in person fellowship. I usually feel pretty good after a meeting. I see SR as kind of an extension of AA. Many here do not do AA but I'm not a rigid its AA way or the highway type. I understand people have gotten sober without AA. We can still get sober together. I try and use what I have learned in AA and their old school teachings and apply it to today's world. I also am open to anything any non AA has to offer. SR is like AA in a lot of ways. Alcoholics helping other alcoholics get sober.
I try to be open minded. I know this isn't going to work for everyone. I am not the textbook AA. I do go to meetings, i like the in person fellowship. I usually feel pretty good after a meeting. I see SR as kind of an extension of AA. Many here do not do AA but I'm not a rigid its AA way or the highway type. I understand people have gotten sober without AA. We can still get sober together. I try and use what I have learned in AA and their old school teachings and apply it to today's world. I also am open to anything any non AA has to offer. SR is like AA in a lot of ways. Alcoholics helping other alcoholics get sober.
sober style
Join Date: May 2016
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2,382
Originally Posted by RecklessDrunk
I try to be open minded. I know this isn't going to work for everyone. I am not the textbook AA. I do go to meetings, i like the in person fellowship. I usually feel pretty good after a meeting. I see SR as kind of an extension of AA. Many here do not do AA but I'm not a rigid its AA way or the highway type. I understand people have gotten sober without AA. We can still get sober together. I try and use what I have learned in AA and their old school teachings and apply it to today's world. I also am open to anything any non AA has to offer. SR is like AA in a lot of ways. Alcoholics helping other alcoholics get sober.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 259
I went to outpatient recovery for a couple of months and simultaneously started attending AA meetings for the first 100 days. Towards the end of my Outpatient I went to check out Smart Recovery and have mostly stayed in Smart but I go to AA every now and then because its a reminder of where I started out.
Prior to all of this I had never tried to stop drinking but what I did try was to "reset" and "control" my drinking by doing almost anything you can think of - moderation, diet change, abstaining for a few months, different sleep patterns. Of course none of that worked and my drinking only got more intense and prolonged. It was while I was in outpatient and learning about the biological impacts and stuff that I realized I could never go back to controlling the drinking. That was a big light bulb moment for me. No matter what I did, drinking was only going to get worse for me and that made me resolve to start building a sober life that I enjoyed.
Prior to all of this I had never tried to stop drinking but what I did try was to "reset" and "control" my drinking by doing almost anything you can think of - moderation, diet change, abstaining for a few months, different sleep patterns. Of course none of that worked and my drinking only got more intense and prolonged. It was while I was in outpatient and learning about the biological impacts and stuff that I realized I could never go back to controlling the drinking. That was a big light bulb moment for me. No matter what I did, drinking was only going to get worse for me and that made me resolve to start building a sober life that I enjoyed.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 1,599
I found SR, folks here suggested AA, tried AA and got clean and sober for a few years, relapsed on alchol, found secular Buddhist recovery and mindfulness meditation, got sober again came back to SR, found secular AA, still sober.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Posts: 15,236
31 yrs ago while staying in a 28 day rehab facility, the
AA program of recovery was taught to me. This was
back in 1990. It was the only program I became familiar
with to help me achieve continuous sobriety.
Over the yrs with many changes in life and getting
connected to the internet and new technology, I have
come to know about other methods of recovery folks
are using today to achieve sucess in remaining sober
for long periods of time.
Even I have learned a thing or 2 from them because
I've remained teachable knowing that it can't hurt to
add new refreshing tools to keep recovery exciting
and effective.
As of lately, SR has become my recovery lifeline
to stay connected to others in recovery sharing our
own experiences, strengths and hopes of what life
was and is before, during and after addiction to
achieve health, happiness and honesty.
Whichever method you choose, it can be successful,
because you continue to work and incorporate recovery
tools and knowledge in all areas of your life every single day.
Half measure won't work.
AA program of recovery was taught to me. This was
back in 1990. It was the only program I became familiar
with to help me achieve continuous sobriety.
Over the yrs with many changes in life and getting
connected to the internet and new technology, I have
come to know about other methods of recovery folks
are using today to achieve sucess in remaining sober
for long periods of time.
Even I have learned a thing or 2 from them because
I've remained teachable knowing that it can't hurt to
add new refreshing tools to keep recovery exciting
and effective.
As of lately, SR has become my recovery lifeline
to stay connected to others in recovery sharing our
own experiences, strengths and hopes of what life
was and is before, during and after addiction to
achieve health, happiness and honesty.
Whichever method you choose, it can be successful,
because you continue to work and incorporate recovery
tools and knowledge in all areas of your life every single day.
Half measure won't work.
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