Sobriety: God and Alcohol
Alcohol Free Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 482
Sobriety: God and Alcohol
I respect and defend your right to believe in a God.
However I do not love God or believe he exists at all.
I believe that like our AV its a part of our brain that from an early age and is brainwashed into us that God like Alcohol is a good thing. In a church aged just 13 years old, I drank my first sip of alcohol in the form of communion wine. I can assure you I felt communicated and wanted to communicate ever since.
When my friends have died from alcoholic liver disease, the vicar said, that God has a plan for all of us.
Some plan and how can it be a plan, if we are meant to have free will and be judged on actions that we take, if those action have already been planned. Smells a bit fishy !
My point here is not to have a pop at your God, it is to demonstrate that from an early age, every special occasion, christenings, communions, weddings, wakes and funerals alcohol has played a focal part.
Clean and sober nearly since October (give or take 2 weeks at xmas), I look at my journey, AA was the obvious choice, but the spiritual aspect didnt sit well with me. A man at AA said I had to believe in a higher power. Which at the time, I thought and took to meaning, that I had to pretend to believe in a entity that I am pretty sure does not exist in order to recover. I stopped drinking to be more truthful not start a new pack of lies.
So as non-believer, how do I stay sober :
1) Tea, I drink more Green Tea and Herbal Teas than anyone I know. In fact I drink on average 10 cups of tea in the day followed by around 15 cups of tea at night.
Nettle Tea, I have found to be the best, it doesn't taste so good to start, but once you acquire the taste and I have, it is more addictive than alcohol. I have swapped one addictive tendency for less harmful one.
I cannot change my nature that easily, nor should I try to. IMHO
2) I use a lot of meditative hypnosis, around 3 hours every day. Its my time in the day to reset the motor in my brain and relax and concentrate on the things that are important to me, prioritise my goals and sort our problems. Far better than picking up a bottle and trying to deal with life's issues that way.
I have found sobriety works for me, I do not blame a higher power or seek assistance from one. I do not worship or seek love from one.
I am the happiest I have been in 20 years.
In writing this post, I do recognise other are deeply spiritual and love God and that is why I write this post with respect, I hope no offence has been taken in doing so.
However I do not love God or believe he exists at all.
I believe that like our AV its a part of our brain that from an early age and is brainwashed into us that God like Alcohol is a good thing. In a church aged just 13 years old, I drank my first sip of alcohol in the form of communion wine. I can assure you I felt communicated and wanted to communicate ever since.
When my friends have died from alcoholic liver disease, the vicar said, that God has a plan for all of us.
Some plan and how can it be a plan, if we are meant to have free will and be judged on actions that we take, if those action have already been planned. Smells a bit fishy !
My point here is not to have a pop at your God, it is to demonstrate that from an early age, every special occasion, christenings, communions, weddings, wakes and funerals alcohol has played a focal part.
Clean and sober nearly since October (give or take 2 weeks at xmas), I look at my journey, AA was the obvious choice, but the spiritual aspect didnt sit well with me. A man at AA said I had to believe in a higher power. Which at the time, I thought and took to meaning, that I had to pretend to believe in a entity that I am pretty sure does not exist in order to recover. I stopped drinking to be more truthful not start a new pack of lies.
So as non-believer, how do I stay sober :
1) Tea, I drink more Green Tea and Herbal Teas than anyone I know. In fact I drink on average 10 cups of tea in the day followed by around 15 cups of tea at night.
Nettle Tea, I have found to be the best, it doesn't taste so good to start, but once you acquire the taste and I have, it is more addictive than alcohol. I have swapped one addictive tendency for less harmful one.
I cannot change my nature that easily, nor should I try to. IMHO
2) I use a lot of meditative hypnosis, around 3 hours every day. Its my time in the day to reset the motor in my brain and relax and concentrate on the things that are important to me, prioritise my goals and sort our problems. Far better than picking up a bottle and trying to deal with life's issues that way.
I have found sobriety works for me, I do not blame a higher power or seek assistance from one. I do not worship or seek love from one.
I am the happiest I have been in 20 years.
In writing this post, I do recognise other are deeply spiritual and love God and that is why I write this post with respect, I hope no offence has been taken in doing so.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Western NY
Posts: 1,209
Autan - thanks for posting. I am a Christian, but take no offense at others beliefs or non-beliefs. As far as God and alcohol goes, I grew up in a protestant Church that would serve grape juice for communion (we only took communion once a year). No alcohol was allowed at any church function, period. So, I think you statement regarding God and alcohol may be true for certain denominations, but it isn't universally true for all denominations.
As far as your AV being the same voice telling you there is a God, I could just as well say that my AV is the voice telling me to doubt God. In fact, I find that my AV is much closer to the voice casting doubt. Believing for me is simple. It is based on faith. Doubt is based on complicated logic exercises in my head that are very similar to what my AV would serve up. The answer with using / non-using is very simple. Don't use, period.
That's just my 2 cents. I am sincerely happy for you that you found happiness in non-belief. We all have to be true to ourselves, and if non-belief let's you sleep well at night more power to you.
As far as your AV being the same voice telling you there is a God, I could just as well say that my AV is the voice telling me to doubt God. In fact, I find that my AV is much closer to the voice casting doubt. Believing for me is simple. It is based on faith. Doubt is based on complicated logic exercises in my head that are very similar to what my AV would serve up. The answer with using / non-using is very simple. Don't use, period.
That's just my 2 cents. I am sincerely happy for you that you found happiness in non-belief. We all have to be true to ourselves, and if non-belief let's you sleep well at night more power to you.
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Whatever works best for you is best for you. Religion and god comes in all forms, and it's worth pointing out that there are several religions (even cultures) that strictly prohibit alcohol consumption and abstain totally. So to each their own, right?
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