optimistic2

Hello all, this is my first time posting. A little background- started drinking in my early 20's, soon got out of control so i made a choice to stop just thinking I was an alcohlic. Then the pills came and I was addicted pretty hardcore for the last year and got up to using around 100 mg oxy or 30 mg methadone a day. So i now realize that i am in fact an addict.
I am 5 days clean now and am feeling physically better and this is when the doubt starts creeping in. I try not to think in terms of wow i've got to remain my entire life sober as that obvously makes me panic. I started all of this mess as a way of self medicating myseld due to anxiety. Suffered horrible panic attacks when younger.
I guess i'm just really afraid of developing another habit as i did when i quit drinking. I also have a hard time getting my head around the whole NA and AA meetings of the higher power.. i'm not spiritual or religious and that makes it difficult. but I'm also worried that I wont be able to make it on my own. I do have some supportive friends and a mother who i can always count on but is that enough? I'm making plans to see an addiction therapist in the near future to give me a fighting chance at this thing..OK my main question in this rant is how many people have obtained and continued in long term sobriety without attending AA or NA?

bookmaven

Here's how I do it. I don't look at "forever". I just commit to not drinking or doing drugs for today. For me, AA is a place to go where there are other people who know what I'm going through. It also helps remind me that addiction is a disease that I have to work on overcoming every day and that I never ever want to go back to active using. If I become so arrogant that I forget the addictions will take over and I'll end up in a box, one with bars, one with padded walls, or the one 6 feet under. I will do anything to stay out of the boxes. The "god thing" tripped me up at first. But I look at steps 1-3 as 1) I can't, 2) god can, 3) I think I'll let him. Her. Zeus. Jesus. Ganesh. The universe. Whatever, that part doesn't matter to me. It also helps to learn about other recovery methods. Addictive Voice recognition has helped me stay sober by helping me understand that my addicted brain wants me to drink/drug, not me, and when I think of it that way I have the power to tell the addicted part of my brain, "thank you for sharing, now shut the f*¢{ up."

deeker

Me, Clean and sober, through NA and AA. mainly go to NA these days. 1 yr 5 months.

Here is a great link for you to check out.


NA pamphlets and their basic text and their Book called How and Why.


Scroll down once on page

Blue book and green book. Click on um, and read

Na Literature

Linked with Permission of NA World Services, inc

mecanix

I don't need to describe you to send you a message .

I don't need to know your thoughts , i don't need to know what you look like , I don't need to understand you , i don't need to know what race you are or if you are a man or a woman ..

I can send you a message of hope , i can also do the same with a "hp" i don't understand or comprehend .

I have no huge belief , i have no saviour .. two and a half years sober and no plans to ever go back to the misery that was drinking .

Welcome and bestwishes, m

Gottalife

34 years sober in AA. I guess that's long term.

I have never met anyone who had alcoholism as bad as I did, that achieved long term sobriety without AA. I suppose they are out there, but because they don't make themselves known, I've never met one.

I suppose I have actually had more experience with the God if my understanding, than I have with those folks. But I believe it's possible they exist. Maybe you could take the same view of the God thing in AA and NA. A willingness to believe opens many doors.

I can tell you that, for me, the actual merits of the god idea did not become apparent until I was well on with the program. A lot of us start with no ideas or conceptions in this area. The effect of a higher power seems to become real once we are some way down the spiritual path.

Dee74

Hi Optimistic

I had trouble wrapping my head around forever too - not drinking for today seemed more achievable, so I did for a while..eventually forever ceased to be an issue cos I was doing it anyway.

I'm going on 7 years sober with just the support of this site. There's others like me too.

There's also many different approaches and methods of recovery around - here's some links to some of the main players, including but not limited to AA:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...formation.html

I recommend you visit the Secular Connections forum if you think you may benefit from a non 12 step approach.

D

optimistic2

Thank you all for feedback. You know I am so early in my recovery that I just might give it a try. If it's not for me then at least I'll have given it a good go. You know it's crazy how good I feel off the drugs that I almost expect it to end soon. I mean dont get me wrong the withdrawals were hell but now that I'm mellowing out I can feel hope and happiness throughout the day. I know it's a tough road and wont always be sunshines and rainbows but I'm willing to take this journey