AA didn't ring for me, so I tried just quitting. Many here on SR encouraged me to make a plan. I didn't and fell back into the fire. AVRT resounded much better to me and I subscribed to it. Soon, I found things that again did not resonate for me. I sank deeper in to the bottom of the bottle. This time, some enlightenment on the addiction lit me up like a light bulb. The concept of alcoholism I used to have was vanquished and I saw it in a clear light. No longer was I unable to divest myself of addiction, I simply and honestly saw the worthlessness of the drug and the lies it, and society's acceptance of alcohol, had placed on my life. I made the final choice to rid myself of addiction, and come hell or high water, I will not be catering to it again. End of story.

AA + SR = sobriety for me.

I'm only 46 days sober but doing reasonably well and by far my longest period of sobriety since 14 yrs old so incase it helps or interested-

What program or method you used? (If any?)

- I go to AA and have a sponser, thankfully where I am most in AA aren't too 'God big G' based, there's a lot of talk of nature and karma etc which is key for me as I do not believe in a creator in that sense, but can accept something bigger than myself/a universal power
- I like AVRT, I use some of that too
- I post here and read constantly
- I've been very honest (for once) with family and friends so have a different kind of support there
- I've been to pyschs and addiction counsellors, but these didn't work for me

How do you like it?

- I like it all mostly, I love the support I get here and from others, and AA is enjoyable to me, it grounds me and I feel connected to other people who understand. I get that here too, but it's easier to hide behind a computer so I like that I'm forced to confront things and be honest more in AA - which in turn makes me honest and accountable here and with family


Are you happy?

- up and down, early days and still foggy headed/irritable but actually even so overall I'm happier than I have been in many many years (perhaps ever?)

Do you feel better physically & mentally?

- MUCH even though there's a way to go, improvements are amazing.

Serenidad, I said the same thing many years ago. "But I want to be happy!" I told an AA friend. She told me, "There is no guarantee you get to be happy, but at least you are sober."

I was fortunate that the choice of drinking was removed from my control by a health diagnosis.

I could not have stopped one day sooner if that had not happened. I know we all say we reach a breaking point, but it sure is crystal clear when it is written on dr. paper that you are killing yourself and continuing will kill you quickly.

A blessing? I don't know. Some people quit because they want to. Some quit because they have to. I had experience just enough years of hangovers and blackouts that I had truly had my fill.

I both wanted to stop and had to stop.

SR is the recovery program I use.

I am not in AA, but I am reading a lot including a lot about AA and the steps. This site helps too of course. I'm reading blogs. I'm going to church a lot. I'm taking a class on prayer and spending time meditating. Basically, even though I am not attending an AA meeting, I think through other means I still am getting a lot of advice, support, encouragement and information from others. I know I would not be where I am without those who are so willing to write, blog and share their experiences so I could learn from them.

I attended a lot of AA meetings the first year as well as began attending church and joining a bible group...I also began volunteering and looking after aging parents. The goal is to achieve a strong spiritual being and in the meantime, the more I have to be accountable for the less chance of me going back out and drinking. I know that one drunk will wipe out all of my progress. The longer I go the better I feel...I have almost three years but still have a long way to go...

On another note...for me watching programs such as Intervention (Canada and US) really hit the spot sometimes as well as movies about alcohol and drug addiction. The more graphic the better! I need to be reminded how horrifying and sad active addiction is!