AA meeting, acupuncture, SMART meeting
Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 850
Haha, weirdly enough I feel the same when I go to any other meetings other than my usual Wednesday and Friday ones. I see some familiar faces at them but it still feels weird.
How are you liking SMART? I've never tried it.
Glad you're doing well, Tetrax. Good to hear from you.
How are you liking SMART? I've never tried it.
Glad you're doing well, Tetrax. Good to hear from you.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 1,327
Originally Posted by dpac414 
Haha, weirdly enough I feel the same when I go to any other meetings other than my usual Wednesday and Friday ones. I see some familiar faces at them but it still feels weird.
How are you liking SMART? I've never tried it.
Glad you're doing well, Tetrax. Good to hear from you.
How are you liking SMART? I've never tried it.
Glad you're doing well, Tetrax. Good to hear from you.
12-Step Recovered Alkie
Join Date: May 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 5,797
Cool Tetrax. I tried a bunch of different things but ended up sticking with AA... even though it wasn't the one I necessarily liked the best at first. AVRT was probably the one I like the most, AA was probably second with SMART, Celebrate Recovery and a couple others further down the list.
To me, the biggest difference was that most every AA-alternative I found was designed around ppl who have the power to stop, stay stopped, AND then enjoy their life from that position. I didn't have that ability so ultimately, those programs would have led to yet another failure for me.
I spent too many years "doing my best" and I couldn't take another month of it..... I had to have some other source of power come into my life or I was pretty much ready to punch out of this world.
To me, the biggest difference was that most every AA-alternative I found was designed around ppl who have the power to stop, stay stopped, AND then enjoy their life from that position. I didn't have that ability so ultimately, those programs would have led to yet another failure for me.
I spent too many years "doing my best" and I couldn't take another month of it..... I had to have some other source of power come into my life or I was pretty much ready to punch out of this world.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 850
The spirituality part is certainly nice. I don’t really believe in religion although I am a little spiritual. It’s nice to say the serenity prayer, even if I’m just saying it to myself or for the people around me.
However, one day I was thinking about the whole higher power thing and I kinda just decided like, AA is my higher power. If I give myself over to it, it can do all of those things for me and relieve me of my alcoholism. Without going to AA I’d probably still be drinking, so in a way it acts as my guiding force and what I talk to when I need help (in meetings). After that, everything sorta just clicked. Who knows, maybe that will change, but it’s working for now.
so not sure if that woukd work if you don’t believe in god, but I feel like we’re probably similar in the beliefs category. Whatever keeps you sober! I don’t think it hurts to try different things.
However, one day I was thinking about the whole higher power thing and I kinda just decided like, AA is my higher power. If I give myself over to it, it can do all of those things for me and relieve me of my alcoholism. Without going to AA I’d probably still be drinking, so in a way it acts as my guiding force and what I talk to when I need help (in meetings). After that, everything sorta just clicked. Who knows, maybe that will change, but it’s working for now.
so not sure if that woukd work if you don’t believe in god, but I feel like we’re probably similar in the beliefs category. Whatever keeps you sober! I don’t think it hurts to try different things.
12-Step Recovered Alkie
Join Date: May 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 5,797
Originally Posted by dpac414
AA is my higher power. If I give myself over to it, it can do all of those things for me and relieve me of my alcoholism.
Heh.. almost the same deal for me. I had NO faith that God was going to do anything for me...... but I did have at least a little that if I worked the steps, they would work for me. And the only reason I thought that was I knew a whooooooole lot of ppl that did em and were transformed by the process.
God came a little later for me..... but I was (and still am) always looking to grow. I suppose I just kept upgrading my higher power over the years.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: West Tn
Posts: 3,043
Originally Posted by Tetrax
Cheers, glad you're sounding good too. The SMART thing was fine, it's CBT-based (which has helped me before on mental health issues), so I got where it comes from. The meeting was much more informal, with open discussion, which has both pluses and minuses. For some reason I'm thinking I prefer AA, and I've got to work out why. Certainly I respect Step 1: I know I am powerless over alcohol and that my life had become unmanageable, as well as the '... I'm an alcoholic' format: if I don't say it how can I accept it? (SMART doesn't put labels on anything). And maybe I do need the spirituality aspect. I mean, booze was effectively my 'higher power' for so long, I feel like like I need a serious counterbalance moving forwards.
It is fine to simply say at meetings: I am SoberCAH and I have a desire to stop drinking.
Nothing more.
No oaths, no pledges, no commitment beyond trying to stay sober today.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,154
I googled SMART, and ended up watching their video about the program "Who We Are." While, it plays like an infomercial, I liked the way it was described as designed for a diverse audience with a variety of core beliefs and perceptions, and I noticed it was affiliated with the Albert Ellis Institute.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ellis
Albert Ellis was a heavy hitter in the field of psychology, and I always admired his rational and humanist approach to problem solving. I see from Wiki he is considered the 2nd most influential psychologist after Carl Rogers, with Sigmund Freud coming in 3rd. Not sure how Freud made it to 3rd, probably because he got the emotional therapy ball rolling. I know, I know. He didn't get it perfect. But he did come up with the basis for something that started a whole new way of helping.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ellis
Albert Ellis was a heavy hitter in the field of psychology, and I always admired his rational and humanist approach to problem solving. I see from Wiki he is considered the 2nd most influential psychologist after Carl Rogers, with Sigmund Freud coming in 3rd. Not sure how Freud made it to 3rd, probably because he got the emotional therapy ball rolling. I know, I know. He didn't get it perfect. But he did come up with the basis for something that started a whole new way of helping.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 1,327
Originally Posted by DriGuy
By the way, where does the part about acupuncture fit into this thread?
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,154
I've never had acupuncture for anything. And while I don't foresee the need, I've always wondered what it's like. I've heard it's not painful, but I got to tell you, it's hard to believe, and sticking pins in myself doesn't sound relaxing at all.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Gainesville, Fl
Posts: 435
Originally Posted by DayTrader
Heh.. almost the same deal for me. I had NO faith that God was going to do anything for me...... but I did have at least a little that if I worked the steps, they would work for me. And the only reason I thought that was I knew a whooooooole lot of ppl that did em and were transformed by the process.
God came a little later for me..... but I was (and still am) always looking to grow. I suppose I just kept upgrading my higher power over the years.
God came a little later for me..... but I was (and still am) always looking to grow. I suppose I just kept upgrading my higher power over the years.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Gainesville, Fl
Posts: 435
Originally Posted by DriGuy
I've never had acupuncture for anything. And while I don't foresee the need, I've always wondered what it's like. I've heard it's not painful, but I got to tell you, it's hard to believe, and sticking pins in myself doesn't sound relaxing at all.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Gainesville, Fl
Posts: 435
Originally Posted by LiveLikeGold6
I just got this book.
It gets muddled half way through. I find it ironic that around steps 6 thru 8, it became less about the steps and more about his own narcissism as he writes about his narcissism.
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