digdug

I got sober with AA. I consider myself an introvert. My default position is to isolate and I feel comfortable alone. If my brain had it's way, I'd go days, even weeks without human interaction.

Now I'm not saying AA is the answer for you or anyone else. There are tons of programs out there, that have helped many people. This site alone has helped many people stay sober.

But to write off AA or anything else based on the position that you don't like interacting with people automatically gets my antenna up that it could be your disease pulling you away from the possibility of real help. We all need help to conquer this.

So I say this to everyone who has ambivalence about AA. Just give it a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you give it a fair shot (say 5-10 different meetings), and still aren't feeling it, then you try something else.

You use the word "program," but I see it more of a plan. A lot of us go into this blindly without any kind of plan. And when things get difficult, we have nothing to fall back on. It's about getting your ducks in a row and developing a safety net so we're prepared when things happen, be it cravings, unpredictable social situations, or just tough life events.

I personally needed that face to face support. AA has helped me learn to push past my introverted ways. I am a better person because of it. Not 3 hours ago, my living room was filled with sober people eating tons of good food, talking recovery and laughing all the way. I would have never done this without the help of others in AA. I don't have to be that isolated introvert. If I was still drinking, I'd be in the dark in front of the TV with a bottle of vodka in my hand and my phone turned off. But like I said, if you give AA a shot and it doesn't click, try SOMETHING. We can't do this alone. We need to feel comfortable asking for help and relying on others.

I wish you all the best!

flutter

I didn't end up using the program of AA to get and stay sober, but I did feel the same as you. Introverted (at the time), terrified.. but i was willing to do ANYthing to get and stay sober, so I went. It didn't hurt not much anyway. Until I really was willing to do even the most uncomfortable things to get this done, I wasn't quite ready. But yes, it is possible, I invite people to try as many different things as they can to be sure of what might or might not work best. I ultimately found my perfect balance in 1:1 counseling with an addictions psychologist and pretty frequent visits here.

EndGameNYC

If you've been sober for any length of time, say a year or more, and you're still restless, irritable and discontent, then you need to change something. Some people frame this as still complaining about the same things when you're sober for about a year as you were complaining about when you first got sober.

I didn't get sober to be miserable, and having a support network and a guide for living a better life made all the difference in the world for me.

83mama0f2

I feel like I'm doing fine without a recovery program. I haven't been to AA, haven't had any major cravings and have kicked alcohol out of my life. Do I miss it? Sometimes but I remember what it did to my health, my family, my sleep, my brain and how much better I feel now and missing it isn't worth using it again! I wasn't a bad alcoholic though. Had I let it progress, It may have been harder. I'm 2 months sober.

Threshold

I need a program, a recovery plan.

Mine doesn't currently involve any face to face meetings. Structure helped me a great deal when I first got into recovery and having/following a set program was easier on my muddled mind and soul than going it alone.

Now I have a whole bunch of different tools and practices I've gathered that have become my program.

miamifella

I think a lot of it is about figuring out what you need. I spent a lot of time in 12-step meetings. They did not help me much directly, but they showed me what did not work for me and let me figure out what would work.

I realized that I needed to be open and honest about EVERYTHING and needed one-on-one help. I also needed to talk to people when in the midst of cravings. So even though these would be characterized as bad recovery in AA, by trying to work the AA program I learned that these were the things I needed.

A program is not something you have to get right immediately. It can evolve or change in response to your growing understanding. Even if AA does not work for you, going to meetings for a time can help you learn what will work.