AggressiveDrunk

I am a binge drinker, and by that I mean I can go for months without drinking and it is not a problem. The problem is if I have more than 2 or 3 drinks nothing can stop me and I will just drink to oblivion. I lose myself and wake up the next day with 12 hours of my life missing, with absolutely no clue what happened or what I have done. People that know me and have seen what happens when I drink can't believe the difference. I become a totally different person when I drink, I'm aggressive and violent, abusive, I just can't really describe it.

Anyway the point of this post is that I am looking for some kind of support or help but definitely not AA. I am an Atheist and all the spiritual stuff really sets my teeth on edge, so I was wondering if there was something without all the religious nonsense involved in AA.

Please don't post anything religious in a reply directed towards me as I will not respond well.

Wifi

Look into S.M.A.R.T or Rational Recovery (AVRT). I am sure there are other non-spiritual programs as well but those are the first two that came to mind...

AggressiveDrunk

Thanks, I will.

Garen

I went to a couple AA meetings and decided it wasn't for me. I am pretty much agnostic (not sure about atheist but very skeptical to say the least) and the religious references and the prayer made me really uncomfortable. Most of the people in the meeting were agnostic like me, however.

Rational Recovery which teaches AVRT resonated with me well. I haven't looked in to SMART, but I know that's another one.

Stay sober and be well.

Xune

I'm an Atheist as well. Although I'm not in AA I know that belief in a supernatural God is not a requirement of joining.

There are secular 12 step groups and lots of ways to quit.

I found reading 'sober for good' to be very helpful.

Anna

I hope you find something that works for you.

LexieCat

You are absolutely free to pursue any kind of recovery program you want--I know some people who have had success with them.

I do, however, want to correct a common misconception about AA. It is not religious. I know many atheist and agnostic AA members (lol, I like to hang with the dangerous crowd ). The references to "God" in the 12 Steps make it clear that "God" is shorthand for whatever higher power you can believe it. Some people think of the power of the universe or the power of the AA group itself. Some people say the main point about God is that "we ain't Him (or it)." The idea is to let go of the idea that we are masters of our own destinies. Sure, we can take actions that have effects, but we often can't control what those effects will be. We can't control the weather, the economy, or other people.

And when they talk about a "spiritual awakening" it is specifically defined in the Big Book as "a change of personality sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism." So there's nothing spooky about it.

Maybe more than you wanted to know, but other people read the threads and I like to correct misunderstandings.

soberlicious

Hey Aggressive, glad you're here. I would also recommend looking into AVRT. There are 5 threads here at SR with about 500 posts per thread over in the secular form. It's based on methods that the self-recovered population has been using forever.

There's lots of good reading over there. Not everyone in the secular forum is atheist. Many religious people chose a secular view for ending their addictions. There are folks who embrace many different philosophies who don't believe a higher power is necessary to recover. Hopefully you will find something helpful.

Best to you. It sucks being controlled by addiction, doesn't it? You can walk free if you want to.