SoberD

I just found an AA meeting close to my house and scheduled for Friday - I will give it a shot and let you know. It certainly couldn't hurt anything...

Zencat

I'm also a secular leaning person...well I'm actually an implicit atheist. I have however worked the 12-steps of AA's mystical spirituality program from a secular spiritual perspective. And I'm not alone in doing so. In fact there are agnostic or atheist in the program and have maintained decades of sober time because of the program they worked. These wonderful people blazed a trail for all those that want to recover by using the 12-step program as secular/agnostic/atheist.

The links below are how they did it. Anywho just some more information and options to consider.

Sapling

It won't hurt you....I promise you that. I tried to go in with the idea that my way wasn't working...So I was willing to listen with an open mind...I needed help saving my life...I wasn't trying to find things about it I didn't like. You know what I mean?...I had the gift of desperation....For me seeing people that were happy and sober for many years...I was willing to do what they did...The hardest part for me....Getting honest with myself....I'd never done that. Let us know what you think of it.

SoberD

Great info - thanks Zen. I see that you are from "the Nard" - I am a SoCal native myself...Westlake Village

Zencat

I like what Sapling wrote
After living the lie that active addiction was for decades, entering recovery was the first time I had to take a hard honest look at myself. I had to strip away all the BS that I hid behind as an addict and be absolutely honest about who I am. To be false about what made me as a person would be to risk living in deceit wile trying to recover from addiction.

SoberD I would be interested in what you think about SMART and SOS. Also you can work in SMART, SOS, CBT and other helpful recovery tools wile a member of AA.

For me, as an active AA member, I have too much at risk not to include every possible thing that can save my life. That is my desperation...I want to live...I want to the good life...sober.

Zencat

Westlake Village, cool. your just up the road from me. There are plenty of AA meetings in SoCal. I go to the Alano Club here in the Nard for my AA meeting, great bunch of people. Not too many 'bleeding deacons'/'book thumpers' in the meetings I go to. So its a mellow scene.

sandra756

Hi SoberD,

I am on Day 1 (again) myself and found your list a really good reminder. I made myself a list too (before I chanced upon yours) and I reminded myself to be positive (For me, 'bad for me to drink' is less motivating than 'love me, take care of me), so my list is a little bit bent on that angle. Nevertheless, I am inspired, and I hope to be able to trail in your success. I really like how determined you are, it gives me lots of hope for myself. I too am similar in that I don't want to waste my life away and I want to do good things. And alcohol, like you said, doesn't even make me feel good anymore. I just feel bloated and fat and hate having to keep going to the bathroom. Then I hate that alcohol smell. And of course the self loathing the next day...

Also thanks to everyone who posted and who made me laugh out loud sometimes. Laughter does help lighten things up. huh?