GravyTrain

Hi. Sober now for ten days.
Does anyone know many people who have stayed off the booze without AA?
Something about AA just doesn't sit right with me.
Wondered my chances of staying sober without it...
Any views/comments very welcome. 👍

Gyroscope

Lots of people do it without AA. Check out the Secular recovery forum on this site and the Rational recovery book and Website by Jack Trimpey.

Thepatman

People have done it, using just SR, AVRT, Urge Surfing.

Or others like me, use a mix of everything.

Coldfusion

I thought AA wasn't for me either, so I joined SoberRecovery to find answers to my questions about AA. Two years later, I am still a member of SR, still going to meetings, and still looking for answers.

Anna

This is our list. Many of us here use a variety of recovery programs successfully.

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

Fly N Buy

Regardless of method/program if you have accepted the fact you cannot drink normally, and are willing to make the necessary changes there is hope.

It takes action in whatever plan YOU choose. There are no hard and fast numbers.........drunks don't take a lot of polls

If you don't like AA do something else!
Glad you're here friend, keep posting.

anattaboy

I use SR, treadmill and meditation. Years back I did an 8 yr. stint in AA. I don't dislike it but no longer believe it's the only game in town. This time around RR and AVRT (which I learned of here on the Secular Forum) helped get my head in a better place. I feel better armed to dismiss the irrational AV before it gains momentum. I think you can do all-of-the-above. I'm also here every day and that has helped. Lots of good tips and support here on creating a plan for YOU.

HenryKrinkle

I use Rational Recovery/AVRT to help me stay sober.

I think the most important thing is to find a recovery program that you believe will work for you. It shouldn't be about which program works better than another program. You can't compare recovery programs like that. It should be about finding a program where you believe in the approach and believe you can succeed with it, and that's something only you can do.

JT0626

This is what has worked for me thus far. After reading threads on SR, a little light bulb went off in my head that alcohol is not an option for me.

ScottFromWI

I would say that your chances of staying sober have a lot more to do with your commitment to sobriety than to what plan you choose to follow.

LBrain

great answers

desypete

for me i had to lose everything with my drinking and when you end up in that kind of mess well there is very little help out there for anyone other than aa or salvation army etc

in today's world there is so much help around that people are spoiled for choice, you can stop drinking now at much easier levels than if you end up going all the way down to having nothing left, and in my book its a good thing to i only wish there was online help around when i was first having problems, etc as i am sure it would of helped me in many ways

but i am there now in aa not because i have to be because i want to and i love the fact it helps people who have nothing left etc i think its so important for those who end up down and out like that to have at least 1 place to go for help.

so while you have family and jobs and money etc there sure is a lot of ways people can save themselves from losing it all but just in case nothing works for them then at least aa will be there so try anything and everything would be my advise and hopefully something will work for everyone

Aellyce

I second Scott on commitment. And motivation.

In terms of methods in recovery, we are different as individuals in what sorts of things reinforce our motivation and help us in self work and progressing with life. I view this a bit similarly to interpersonal compatibility, what combination of people is effective in professional and personal relationships. And the most compatible thing not always what we may think at first. The thing is to get familiar with what's available, experiment with them, and see the result. I tried a bit of everything and for me SR and my own information search (I read a lot about recovery, spirituality, etc) seems most helpful. Also, we can use support in different ways. For me by far the most fulfilling and helpful (and natural) way is to interact with a diverse bunch of people and share our issues mutually, often in great depth. I think this is available both in online recovery groups like SR and in AA. I did not do much AA simply because at the time I felt it would have been too much fixed practical commitment; SR is very easy and convenient to use. I also love psychotherapy with, again, a therapist with a compatible tool kit, approach, and personality.

Learn from experience!

FreeOwl

if you find yourself struggling to stay sober....

if you find that you've suffered negative consequences in your life because of alcohol use...

if you find that you are searching for a path to a deeper, richer, more joyful life...

and you know that there is a program which offers - free of charge - a method you can use to help you address these things that has worked for millions and millions of people with NO obligation to anyone but yourself....

and if you know there is nothing to lose and your life to gain....

why would you not at least give it a legitimate chance?

Hawks

There's a wrench for every nut.

Figuring out what kind of nut you are.... That's the time consuming process.

If it's the God stuff in AA that has you concerned, the guy who started it all had the same concerns.

Booze beat those concerns out of him.

Drastic times need drastic measures.

FreeOwl

Me too.

I avoided AA for ten years, two divorces, two (almost three) DUIs and coming too close for comfort to losing my children..... Then I finally realized that my own stubborn avoidance of the word God and all it conjured for me was just taking me deeper and deeper into hell. Ironic.

When I let down my defenses and became willing to allow the program to be a tool for me.... Pretty amazing things began to happen.

Not the least of which is I'm almost a year sober and my life is pretty darn good. And ever deepening.

least

I've been sober nearly five years now and am doing it with daily visits to this site, and sessions with a counselor.

I agree that success has more to do with your commitment to living sober than what kind of method you are using.

freshstart57

Hi Clansfan, congratulations to you on taking some real action towards getting sober. Understand that your chances of getting and staying sober for good are great, and your success will depend on how you choose to achieve your goal. Some use AA, and others don't. I suggest you look into it to see if it makes sense to you. If it doesn't, look into the options you have, and they are many.

Your question is a popular one. May I suggest you review previous threads on the topic? Here is a quick way to find them. Use google! Put the following in the search box: site:soberrecovery.com sobriety without aa. There is a lot of material there and I suggest you take a look.

Dee74

Hi Clansfan

Many people don't use AA - but it has the advantage of being very widely available.
Why not go and check them out - I'm reliably informed they don't lock the doors

There are other options for face to face support - but nowhere near as widely avaialble as AA.

UK SMART Recovery

LifeRing UK - LifeRing

Addaction | Drugs & Alcohol Addiction and Recovery: Support - Help - Advice - Treatment

PurpleKnight

Personally I don't attend AA, for me a plan of recovery as long as it has the right elements within it the method can be different to achieve the same outcome, and at the end of the day that's Sobriety.

Acceptance that I couldn't change or control my drinking and that I needed to not drink, a support structure which I found here on SR, and a a real desire to turn things around and being prepared to do what it took to make it happen.