wishful

Same reasons that I'm a Catholic and don't go to confession (though they call it reconciliation nowadays). The process isn't too dissimilar - realization of sin, public (even to your priest) acknowledgement of sin, sincere repentance, "go out there and do good works" (I think AAs call it 12 stepping ...). I'm a private person - my sins (and that certainly included alcoholism) are between me and God. Like Crocodile Dundee said "Me and God, yep, we're mates"

colinf

that has just scared me from going to a meeting im exactly the same.i thought they didnt make you speak.i supposed to go to open meeting thursday now im nervous as hell.

doorknob

Don't sweat it. Lot's of meetings don't do that, and if they do, all you have to say is "pass." It's worth checking out, even if you later decide it's not for you.

colinf

ok ill give it a try but im also scared of the religous side.ill see how it goes

C@tgrl

I went for a while it was fantastic, did the steps did the service etc etc etc, but found that I had moved on. It held no interest for me anymore and to be perfectly honest i do not have a 'drink' problem anymore! I KNOW that I am an alcoholic I dont drink thats it.Simple really

I have a problem with life some days and its challenges, but these can be overcome by asking for help from the people who can help and support you


I am an advocate of AA it did a lot for me howver I do not attend meetings anymore...saying that its good to know its there should I ever get the urge to return!

good luck to you my freind whatever path you choose to follow

Love Cat..XX

C@tgrl

thats all you can do.

it comes across as religious but I think youll soon find that its up to you to choose your higher power or what ever you want as a guide...Try it and see! you might be surprised!

doorknob

There's nothing to be scared of. If you're like me, you might quite often, or want to go , but you might hear something, or meet someone, that may help.

Islandchild

Ninety meetings in ninety days...Were you a daily drinker? An hour a day doesn't seem too bad in comparison. Just a thought.

Islandchild

I heard this once... "Religion is for those who do not want to go to hell, spirituality is for those who have already been there." AA is a spiritual program, not a religious one...

2dayzmuse

I'm very familiar with h*ll. I walked through my fear to find peace and sobriety and now h*ll is far behind me. I was shown how to continue to walk through my fears in life. Don't let the fear of the unknown stop you. Once you walk through those doors and sit down, you will start to become familiar with the program. That is the only way to face the fear of the unknown. Tackle it...

shockozulu

Can we please keep this on subject so it doesn't get locked?

First remember I am an addict first. I don't dare touch alcohol because I know I will abuse it as well.

For me it was a combination.

First, the program kept my mind on using, because that is what it was so often about. I wanted to get past thinking about using all the time. 90/90? I wanted to work to get away from those thoughts, not force them down my throat every day.

Powerlessness led me to think I had no power to stop using, so I kept using.

Feeling that I had to do it their way, while they were relapsing, did not inspire confidence.

The fact they were more concerned about planning a BBQ than being a sponsor, I finally outright asked for a workbook so I could start my steps, and they sent me to the AA bookstore since they were "out".

The fact I'm in chronic pain, and may need medication, there was no help for that in the rooms. I was told to get a white chip every time I was in pain.

If I slipped for one dose, I was told to get a white chip, there was no room for improvement at all. Even though I would use the tools I had (and had picked up from another program!) to stop using where in the past I would have totally relapsed, I was simply told to start back at day 1. No recognition that I had made major lifestyle changes. I saw this thinking lead many to excuse their continued using instead of getting sober again.

If I wanted to use I was told to pray and read. Hello, I need something to do to get my mind off the drugs, not put my mind on the subject of drugs.

Knowing someone that died because she was told not to use her medication since it was addictive, even though it would have saved her life (seizure disorder).

Being told I need to confront those I wronged, even though I had moved on, and I was sure that those I had wronged had moved on as well. Why open old wounds, would a simple "I forgive you" be anything besides empty words? Why do THEY need to forgive ME for my program to work, what if they had a legitimate reason not to forgive me? What if they were not ready and I treaded in anyway asking for forgiveness. In addition, I put too much emphasis on what others think of me, its one of my faults.

I was surrounded by a bunch of meeting addicts. NA was their life years after getting sober. Others were addicted to the meetings and relapsing right and left. Either way, they were still in addictive behavior, something I was trying to get away from.

Finally, Not AA for me because I did find a program that helped me and is helping me. AA may help others, but I am analytical and SMART was just more up my alley.

CarolD

Off Topic Post Were Re,oved
Please stay on the topic...Thanks!

Don S

When I realized I had a problem, I did what I usually do first to get basic information: I went online. Among other sites, I went to the AA site and read, very carefully, the 12 steps. I realized that I would have a major problem with #'s 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 11, and I didn't really see the point in 8.

So I just looked to see what else was out there. I happened on a great web site by a psychologist named Dr. Sarmiento (cyberpsych.com), and I immediately found the approach he described to be much more compatible with my world view. He linked to SMART Recovery, where a message board had been set up by the volunteers.

Walking into a face-to-face meeting just wasn't going to happen for me. I had a lot of social anxiety, and in our small community I knew that true anonymity was unlikely. But online forums proved very, very helpful to me. They gave me a chance to respond at my own pace, to think carefully about what others had said, and to reveal as much or as little as I chose.

CarolD

As this thread is continueomg to be drifting
OFF Topic...
it is closed.

Thanks for your shares.