Cortney

Hi, I am new today. I'm an opiate addict and upon attempting to detox this week, then relapsing, I decided to check into some sort of support group. You see I have kept my addiction a secret and thought it would be helpful to hear some stories and maybe look into this 12 step system we have all heard about.. I've been feeling alone and rather scared, this past week was terrible and now I have to start all over, I hate myself for that.. But when looking into the steps, I have to admit I felt even more alone. I hope no one will be hostile towards me for saying this, but I am an atheist and am kind of at a loss for what options there are for secular help. I don't "understand god" in any way and now realize I can't get past step 2 as an atheist. I've had a few people suggest that I use some sort of "higher power" instead but I don't really understand what that means.. I don't think there is any force or presence in the universe that could help with my life choices.. Does anyone know of some secular groups or some sort of modified version of the 12 step I could try on my own? Is there really no way to find the support and help 12 step provides without any religious or spiritual undertones? I hope no one is offended, I don't mean to be confronting, I think it's great if your religion/God can help you, I'm just looking for an alternative method or even some encouraging words.

Thanks for listening, Cortney

Dee74

You might find our Secular 12 step forum interesting reading Cortney

Secular 12 Step Recovery - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

welcome to SR
D

Cortney

Wonderful, thanks so much!

Threshold

Google "Proactive 12 steps" and see what you think.

I have, for my own personal development, accumulated a number of versions of 12 steps from various groups. Some don't include an outside HP at all, so there are options out there. I have worked 12 step outside of a formal group as well, basically cobbling things together and including them in my program if they are helping me in my recovery.

I'd also suggest taking a look at this site Another alternative, secular version of the 12 Steps | Realistic Recovery

There is a LOT of what you seek available.

cerene

Here's what I found for an atheist in the rooms of AA. I don't see why you can't use them for NA as well.
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An Atheist's Interpretation of the Twelve Steps (x-posted in Atheists and Agnostics) - Democratic Underground

An Atheist's Interpretation of the Twelve Steps (x-posted in Atheists and Agnostics)

I put these together for an atheist friend who has to attend traditional AA meetings. Any comments, amendments, additions?

An Atheist's Interpretation of the Twelve Steps

Step 1: Admitted that I need help to stop drinking.

Step 2: Came to believe I can stop drinking with the help of others.(1)

Step 3: Made a decision to trust my own inner wisdom.(2)

Step 4: Took a good look at the unhealthy thoughts and behaviors that got me into this mess.

Step 5: Talked to someone about these thoughts and behaviors.

Step 6: Was ready to accept help to correct my unhealthy thoughts and behaviors.

Step 7: Asked someone for help.

Step 8: Made a list of the people who have been adversely affected by my drinking and became willing to make amends to them.

Step 9: Made amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.(3)

Step 10: Continued to monitor my thoughts and behaviors and found someone to talk to when harmful patterns returned.

Step 11: Sought through meditation and calm contemplation to stay in touch with my own inner wisdom.

Step 12: Tried to help others struggling with addiction and practice these principles in other areas of my life.


(1) The Power greater than myself is actually the group that supports me: family, friends, and others in recovery.

(2) I thought I would never get past my intolerance of the word "God" in the program, but "Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction" by Thomas Bien and Beverly Bien gave me a solution that takes the sting out of it: While it makes reference to "God", it offers several interpretations of the concept. I was surprised to find an interpretation that I, an atheist, was comfortable with. While acknowledging believers in Western religions, the authors went on to describe the Eastern concept of God as everything and all of us as God, and took it a step further to God as the voice in my head, or my own inner wisdom, a part of my own mind. This interpretation coincides with the late Julian Jaynes' hypothesis about the evolution of god beliefs in "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind". This inner wisdom may be masked by the chaos of my daily life, but I can access it through mediation and calm contemplation. I can also see the value in finding the solution to a problem by "sleeping on it", because falling asleep, dreaming, and waking up are all times when my inner wisdom is active.

(3) In some cases, merely stopping the harmful behavior is enough.

cerene

There's also books about being atheist in a 12-step fellowship. Two I recommend are Marya Hornbacher's book Waiting: A Nonbeliever's Higher Power and Get Up: A 12-step Guide to Recovery for Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos by Bucky Sinister. In the beginning of my recovery, I was so hurt and broken and these books helped me tremendously, then I gravitated to the "spirit of nature that was keeping the trees alive" and now I'm somewhat mainstream.