Who has stayed sober just using SR as a support system?
 

AA is not my bag. I'm not spiritual, and I'm fairly anti-social.

I hear rumors of people who have stayed on the wagon using only SR. Can we hear from you?

Come to think of it, I would be interested in hearing from people who have tried using only SR but who have not been able to manage it.

thnx

Hello, bottleslave. Welcome to SR.

I've been struggling a lot lately...finally made it through a night sober after a two week or so binge.

I don't do any kind of groups.

For almost a year the only form of support I was using was SR. I'm seeing a therapist now. I really need to. I'll see how it goes.

There are people here who use SR as their main deal and are not struggling and are enjoying good sobriety. You'll come across them here and there.

I find that I need face to face interaction. For me SR is fantastic, but it is not enough. I need to go to meetings, see my therapist, talk to people in real life about my program.

I see SR as a part of my recovery, but when I made a realistic assessments of my needs in recovery, I decided I needed more.

That said, I can thank SR and great advice I've found here for finally finding the motivation to quit drinking back in the summer of 2007. No, I didn't stay sober. But it was the start of the whole process that finds me sober today.

hey again Bottleslave

I've managed to keep sober a couple of years just using SR...Keep in mind tho I was an end game drinker - I drank until I nearly died. Drinking is no longer an option for me - ever. Secondly, I'm disabled - and I find it hard to get out much anyway.

I know of a few others with longterm sobriety here too - but a lot of folks just don't make it.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but this is a long hard road to travel, no matter what you do - it's even more so when you're on your own.

The buck stops with you no matter what programme you do, but it really stops with you this way.

You have to be super hard, really stringent with yourself - no excuse can be good enough anymore.

I dunno about you but discipline's not really my strong point LOL

There's a reason why most people pick a face to face support group. Support is vital. The support you'll get here is great - but you have to go to the PC, switch it on, use it....and decide to follow it or not.

You also have to change your life. Just not drinking is not enough IMO. Dealing with drinking is like dealing only with the symptom. It's hard to know where to start with that sometimes, but there's lots of good advice here.

Lots of good advice elsewhere too tho. AA's not the only game in town - here's a link with info on a variety of other options.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-programs.html

Don't cut out all your options without doing some research first - this is your life at stake here, Bottleslave.

Good luck :)
D

Still Uncertain
 

Well< I have done out-pt treatment voluntarily when I felt out of control several years ago. Then I went to AA where I really like it at first then men started hitting on me (one was even in a relationship!), I started dating one and it was a disaster..but I wasn't supposed to date anyhow so it was my responsibility. I dropped out, stayed sober and started up again months later. Now I am trying a different route..and doing well. Another problem that I have where I live, AA is not really anonymous. Word gets around; and in my job, I can't have that. So I have started "Women in Recovery"...but use what works for you..Sober is sober.

Hi,

I've been here at SR for 5 1/2 years and sober for 8 1/2. SR is my lifeline. I am passionate about this place. I have learned so much and come so far in my recovery by reading and listening here.

Books on spirituality has been my other source of support.

I have only been sober for around 90 days and I only use my daily visits to SR for support.
There is enough support here for me to have not had the urge to drink.
I use the class support thread here as my main inspiration and sounding board.
Some of us have slipped but most everyone has come back after a relapse and got back on the wagon.
I think anyone can do it with just SR if they really put the effort into it.

I have been clean for 2 years, a member of SR for 1-1/2 of those (but lurked for almost a year). I did go to AA, and I still use a lot of what I learned there.

I do have a couple of family members who are very supportive, but they're not addicts. I also have made some friends here, that I e-mail on a daily basis, and can call at any time. We talk about anything and everything, so if any of us are struggling, it's very easy to reach out to each other.

I'm glad that I went to meetings, because they gave me a good foundation to start with, but I understand they're not for everyone.

I make my recovery a priority and I've found people who support me...a few are f2f, but most are at the other end of my computer:)

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

I'm only at.. 18 days.. Don't keep track anymore.. Figure since sobriety is gonna be for a lifetime I see no need to count days..

But all I use is this site, and it's been great..

I don't know if this would be enough for me, I also see a counselor.. we don't even talk about drinking anymore really, there's apparently a lot of other stuff worth talking about :P I wouldn't want to "wing it" here, personally.. I like F2F support too..and I don't attend AA.

<<<--- Raising hand here. I use SR, don't go to meetings and have been alcohol free for almost 2 1/2 years. The 1st day I posted here I believe I was on day six. I did go to IOP for about 2 months at first and tried AA. I only lasted 5 meetings before deciding it wasn't for me. What was for me was reading recovery based literature and coming here for support. Now... I come here for support but do not focus on my recovery if that makes any sense. I focus on my life. I stay busy. Helping out at my sons school, finishing up my yoga teacher training course,being out teaching already, recently started a cooking class for kids at my home, church on occasion, meditation... fixing up our new home etc.

Making the decision to stop drinking and stay stopped is important.

Following through on that decision is key.

SR helps me do that... so do all the other areas of my life.

I've been sober for around 14 months now, 8 of those with no "support group" but SR. I participated in AA for my first six months of sobriety, but decided that it wasn't for me. I do see a therapist monthly, but I consider SR to be my main sober network/support.

But. It'd be incorrect to say I got sober using just SR, and I haven't been sober for very long. More important than any sort of sober network, for me, is learning to interact healthily in "normie" society. I've considered myself antisocial for a long time; I'm only starting to find contented sobriety now that I've started breaking out of my shell.

I guess that boils down to a very qualified yes. ;)

I've been sober since 9/1/07, I went to AA meetings probably a dozen times in the first couple of months and it was great. I don't like to think of myself as "anti-social" but I prefer being alone, (I did 90% of my drinking alone as well the last few yrs) I really don't leave my house except to go to work, walk my dog, and visit my daughter maybe once a month and I'm happy this way. Drinking is not an option for me either because of medical reasons, I know it would kill me. I did a lot of reading of AA literature and the bible especially in the first year. I just found SR this month and I believe this is all I will need for now on.

J

Hi Bottleslave,

Well judging by my join date(06/2006) and my sober date(3/9/2009) I'd say SR wasn't enough for me. Of course that is all on me. I find that when I talk myself into drinking I stop looking at this site at all. I am finding out that this site is an excellent tool when used as part of an overall sober program.

I'm currently in an IOP program and attending AA meetings. I've never felt like I was going to beat this thing as much as I do right now. SR is a big part of it but for me it can't be the only part.

My sobriety date is 11/14/2002. I went through a dry period, going to very few meetings, and SR was a lifeline for me, like Anna said. Sometime I wonder, but I have been sober this whole time.

So far, SR has been my only official recovery support system.

I came here on Oct 7, 2008; sick and tired of being sick and tired, too proud or whatever to go to AA, or seek help "face to face"...That was my first attempt to get clean & sober and so far so good. It's been a real benefit having a place to speak about about my journey, and get feedback & support. If I were to fail, and fall back into my old life, I would probably consider something a little stronger than SR for help, such as AA, or help from an addiction specialist, though these days I feel like one! lol...

Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Welcome bottleslave - good thread.

I am a SR-only member and so far (~ 80 days) it has worked and worked really well. There are so many ways to get support here - forums, chats, private messages - people are so present for you as you get this sobriety stuff going.

I had tried AA, LifeRing, Smart Recovery, Moderation Management - all these groups and none of them worked like SR for me.. I do however use the literature from all of these groups - have everything from the Big Book to the handbooks from LifeRing and Smart Recovery on my "recovery shelf" and read them a lot. Also have gotten a lot of support from a book entitled "Changing for Good" - I use that program of change as a backbone of getting sober.

Welcome and good luck - look forward to having you here!

That reminds me, I read the Big Book as well, a couple times. Learned a lot.

I only use SR. I don't go to AA or have a therapist, however I am thinking of finding one. I think everyone could benefit from therapy! Mainly I lean on my Husband, Family or Friends when I need support. The majority of the time my issue isn't even wanting a drink but needing to get feelings out. Which is why I'm probably going to get a Therapist =)

S.R. has been a valuable tool for me.

But, a good mechanic has to use all the tools to do his job.

A.A. has me interact in a social setting. A.A. has me be of service to other people neeing help getting sober.


What ever keeps you sober for the day, far be it from me to tell you that, you have to do it my way or, someone else's way.

Just don't close your mind to other sources to help you