Dee74

I'm glad you have some AA mates who've done it too - good luck Candie

D

candie

The course starts Mid May, and I will deffo keep you all updated

Sapling

Read the first 164 pages of the Big Book and hit some meetings before you go candie...Sounds like a trip!

hypochondriac

That sounds ace Candie. Would love to hear how it goes x

heath480

I was taken through the 12 steps in one day.It was on a Came to Believe retreat,they are held several times a year at different venues in the USA and the UK.They actually do the steps the way it was done in the early days of AA,it was invaluable to me,I went with 8 friends and up until today we have all stayed sober.

I pay little attention to anyone who says you cannot do the steps that quickly.


So I say go for it candie,look forward to hearing how you get on.Wish you well.

sugarbear1

This sounds like Wally P.’s Back to Basics or something like it!

Sapling

That's what I thought.

DisplacedGRITS

Sounds like an awesome opportunity candie! Congrats!

Terminally Unique

Thanks for posting this here, sugarbear. I've seen this myself, and presume you mean there would be subsequent 'refinements' by doing them again later on down the line? I'm not a fan of procrastination when it comes to recovery, as this just feeds the addiction. Getting the problem resolved need not, and should not, take forever. I haven't quite gotten things down to 1-3 days, but my view is that you can learn the basic 'tools' and more or less close the door on addiction in about two weeks. The rest is just basic maintenance.

stillsleeping

There's something about crying while you're brushing your teeth that really makes you confront why you've been so angry for the last 12 hours.

A crash course in sobriety? Learn the basics and the rest is just maintenance?? This is in complete contradiction to everything that all of you have been saying to me since I got here.

This has completely shaken my bedrock guys. It's my fault; I can't believe I let myself actually believe in people that I thought might have some answers. What a dick!

Ah screw it. I'm going to stick to kicking asphalt; running away really fast seems to make absolutely as much sense as any of the therapies in this place.

Candie, good luck - I really hope it works out for you, I really do.

Terminally Unique

You'll find two schools of thought in recovery circles, stillsleeping. One side believes you are always recovering, but never recovered. The other side believes you can recover and get on with sober living. I don't know about anyone else, but I recall telling you that you can get well, and need not be struggling for very long. Shouldn't that be a good thing?

Terminally Unique

For the record, I don't believe in putting things off precisely because I did it myself for a very long time, and now consider it a mistake. Do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today. Addiction feeds on passivity and procrastination as if it were high octane rocket fuel.

candie

To be honest, the course spends a whole week, (25 hours) intensive studying each step, with written work, counselling etc.I don't think this is quick at all, and the people I have spoken to who have done the course seem happy with it too

Sapling

What side is that TU?

Sapling

I'm sure it's great....I'm happy you are doing it.

Taking5

I would definitely go for this.

In early AA, you did the steps in days or weeks, not months. I highly reccomend reading Dr Bob and the Good Oldtimers. This will give you a great sense of AA history. Dr Bob actually did some of his 9th step amends on the same day he had his last drink (although the 12 steps were not actually written yet).

Gottalife

9 out of 9 (100%) is a fantastic recovery rate. 9 good reasons for giving it a go Candie.

I have been teaching the steps in a similar format to Back to Basics for the last couple of years with astonishing results. Before that I floated along in the easy does it camp and wondered why people weren't getting sober. Now, when I read the instructions for taking the steps in the book, I see there is an element of urgency, words like must, vigorous, at once, next, action. I don't know where I got the idea that recovery from a life threatening disease wasn't urgent.

BTW this B2B approach isn't an instant cure . You take each step in order with the direct help of a sponsor who has taken them before. Then you go back as a sponsor and take someone else through, doing them again for yourself, and this process is pretty much repeated for life. The first time doesn't necessarily fix everthing but it does remove the mystery and fear from the steps, which in itself is an incredibly good thing.

Gottalife

It may not be quite the same as B2B if this is the case. In Back to Basics you take the steps to recover as per the instructions in the Big book, and then learn how to teach others to take the steps, you don't study the steps as such. As far as I know B2B is like any AA 12 step work, free of charge.

Terminally Unique

I don't know that they have a name, Sapling, but generally those who have adopted the clinical mindset of rehabs and/or psychologists are the ones who believe you are always recovering.

Sapling

I've seen a lot of people come out of rehab that are recovered...What's the other side?...People that don't go to rehab?...I don't get it.