joedris

Pinky - To answer your question about 90/90. No, you don't have to and there's no requirement within AA that you do so. A lot of people within AA have done the 90/90 route and there's some merit to it. If you do a meeting a day you're less apt to drink and after 90 days of behavior modification your brain sort of resets itself. But the issue here is that you get sober, both physically and emotionally. AA is certainly a good way to accomplish this, and by picking up a white chip you're off to a good start. Just go to as many meetings as you can and eventually you'll find yourself going to as many meetings as you need. And as for the white chip, I still carry mine. It reminds me of life that I never want to return to.

Boleo

90 in 90 did not work for me. However it has worked for many others.
What did end up working for me was 24x7x135 on a Rescue Mission Farm.


"Seen it, done it, been there" (got the deadman's underware & T-shirt).

Pinkcuda

"Here are the steps that we took as a suggested program of recovery"
None of them suggest anything about meetings. In fact Alcoholics Anonymous is not about meetings in the first place. It is a spiritual program of action and meetings in and of themselves are not "Action" they are an "Activity" and turns AA into a place to go and not a way to live life.

hendershot

My thought on the 90/90 (and other recovery stuff that may seem difficult to a reluctant newcomer): Ultimately, the decision to do it or not is indicitive of the level of commitment to sobriety. And so there is a definite correlation between those who go to 90 meetings in 90 days and staying sober, because they are willing to do whatever it takes (and take direction). There is also the added benifit of what you get out of the meeting, but I think that the willingness is the bigger deal. Even if you are ambivalent about it and are not sure about AA, doing the 90/90 is a good way to show yourself that you serious about recovery.

yeahgr8

'So God put me in my car yesterday and drove me to my first meeting.'

Maybe you should be asking God for guidance on this, or a member of AA with decent sobriety her opinion on the matter?

OZboy

sfgirl

I am not in AA so can't really comment on the 90/90 besides it seems like you have already got a lot of good responses on that. My "program" consists basically of one-on-one therapy, reading about recovery and some buddhist meditation things— I fully believe different things work for different people.

The only thing I wanted to say is that when I read this section I wondered if the implication was that because your bottom and your alcoholism was not as bad, that that was part of the reason why you didn't have to fully commit to the program of AA. I definitely think that alcoholism comes in many shapes and sizes. However, I think that one's commitment to recovery needs to be the same no matter if your bottom brought you to living in your car or if it simply brought you to a place where your life was still together but alcohol had wreaked inner havoc. What I mean by commitment has nothing to do with 90/90 but more to do with attitude. No matter who you are, your commitment to sobriety has to be 100%.

All of that being said, I fully believe in making your recovery your own. If aspects of AA don't work for you I don't think you should feel guilty for not participating, as long as your overall commitment to recovery remains strong. And especially in the beginning of recovery I think you should do what your body tells you and don't do anything that is too overwhelming. If 90/90 seems too daunting to commit to today, take it one day at a time.

vegibean

Hey Pinky, I just read through the thread quickly here and I hope that when you read all the posts you don't hear the "you don't have to............" and forget about it.

I spent 10 months @ a treatment center so I pretty much blow the 90/90 out of the water. Going to what Carol posted about being behavioral and assisting in breaking a "bad habit" I think it's great.

I think doing the work no matter what is important. I know for me I didn't just wake up one day and say "ok, that's it, no more!!!" Heh, well I did but that didn't work, I actually had to do some work to keep it that way.

More than anything I hope that you can have some real honest talks with yourself about what you really need to do for you whether it's 90/90, getting a sponsor and working the steps. Big fan of the steps here!!!

Keep reading and posting, you'll get there Pinky. Good luck!!

Boleo

...there is a definite correlation between flossing ones teeth and Longetivity.
IMO it is "because they are willing to do whatever it takes" to stay healthy.

stephnc

Pinky, you seem to have a lot of insight and commitment to your recovery...things that I think the 90 in 90 suggestion might help someone who doesn't already have that insight and commitment to achieve. I'm wary of any advice that says you HAVE to do something. Trust your own instincts on this.

Just my humble opinion.

tigers13

Hi Pinky. Find what's best for you. I found that going to AA made me want to drink...then I found NA. Even tho I wasn't a drug addict, I somehow felt more comfortable there. I did the 90/90 and it did help...I was accountable. I didn't go to another meeting until my 5yr anniversary. I'm coming up on 6 years now, maybe I'll go again...it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I've been thru hell the past few years, but I haven't drank. Do whatever it takes to build a strong foundation for your sobriety...a foundation you can fall back on whenever things feel overwhelming or just plain hopeless. Good luck hun...you can do this!!