Stang

no

julez

AA works great if you can go into it with an open mind, and do the work required. It has really helped me to live life in a different, better, more peaceful way.

ReadyAndAble

I am so glad to see you willing to give it a try—and so sorry to see some people seize upon this terrific moment, when you're seriously considering taking a step like this, to reply with snarky comments.

I'm not in AA. I rely on SR and everything from AVRT tools to the writings of Marcus Aurelius. But I sure as heck respect the amazing difference it's made for so many people. Honestly, the most judgmental remarks I see on SR lately are not coming from AA people. Oh, well. Gotta love the haters.

I wish you really well. Sobriety rocks.

defyinggravity

I'm not an AA person, but I've seen it work for many...it helped me a lot when I was working on quitting drinking. I think if one really commits oneself and works the program seriously and takes advantage of the support and sponsorship, it can do wonders. I think in some (not all but maybe many, I'm not trying to generalize here) of the cases in which people are unsuccessful result from not seriously working the program.

If you're considering taking that step, go for it! I don't see how you have anything to lose

yeahgr8

Yeah it works and no i didn't think it did the many times it was suggested to me over the years...

It does have a solution and there are people in AA who have done the work and live happy, sober lives...i found one of them, asked how they did it and then asked them to show me how to do it too, pretty simple solution really but i always liked to make things as complicated for myself as i possibly could before...

CarolD

It was my psychiatrist who told me to abstain and connect to my local AA......by then I was situationally depressed from drinking.

I was not thrilled at either idea...however the deep dark depression was so crushing...I wanted to die...I detested the woman I had become.

Off I went...and there I have stayed for 22+ years. I am really glad I took that doctors advice....it's fantastic to live with joy and purpose..

come to see what AA is about....just go to listen...and Yes you will hear that AA does work and can for you too.

Welcome to our recovery community....thanks for joining us ..

wpainterw

I've seen it work for a lot of folks, including myself, although i must admit that I was lucky to find a good meeting. There were lots of choices since I lived in a large, metropolitan area. Some say that AA doesn't work as much as they say but I'm impressed with the folks I see at meetings, how many of them appear to have considerable sobriety and how happy they seem to be, how they seem to have a good sense of humor and are very upbeat. Of course I never see the folks who never got sober with AA. Maybe some of them tried other approaches and had a better result.
Anyway, do give it a try. See if you can find a congenial meeting. Give it some time and don't go AWOL too soon. Eventually, though, if it doesn't seem to be working then, as has been said, there are many other alternatives. Good luck.

W.

Threshold

Checking out a few 12 step meetings will do you less harm than an hour's worth of drinking. And it might do you a lot of good.

I was a hater, and a skeptic and an angry avoider of anything 12 step until I realized how messed up and hopeless I was. I tried stopping with various other methods, etc, and it wasn't working for me. I find the way things are laid out in the 12 steps IS helping me address first my addictions, and secondly my life. Things are better when I am sober, and things are a LOT better when I am trying new ways of addressing life.

At any rate, you came to the right place by coming to SR. No matter what program or method you use, or whether you decide to go on your own, or whether you need to hang around before you make your decision, this is the best place I know to learn about recovery.

Terminally Unique

You can always just Google it. :-)

Let me Google "Does AA Really Work?" for you

nandm

AA works for me and has for years.

That said, it is not the only recovery program out there. I encourage you to look at all the recovery program options out there and find the one that will work best for you. Here is a list of many of them. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...formation.html

LosingmyMisery

I think it is important to work what is readily available to you and your area. AA may not be the only program that works, but for me, it was the only program available. I took advantage of it and got sober. It didn't work in the beginning because I did not work the program as it was fully intended. You reap what you sow. If you want to get sober you will go to any lengths to achieve it. Good luck!

wpainterw

[QUOTE=AVRT;3107111]You can always just Google it. :-)

With all respect, I suggest that a better way to start would be to accentuate the positive rather than the negative. The question is not whether AA has "worked" for all sorts of folks who want to comment on that. The question is whether it might work for you. Why not try it and see? If it doesn't work then try some other approach. But keep trying, keep an open mind and try not to pay too much attention to all the critics and "experts" who might want to persuade you one way or another. Good luck. All the best to you.

W.

WritingFromLife

I agree with WPW. As far as AA or ANY recovery method goes, I believe it is best to just try it for yourself with an open mind.