Something besides AA?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 96
Something besides AA?
Has anyone had success not drinking from help other than AA? I finally told my husband I think I’m an alcoholic. I don’t have control of my drinking. It controls me as soon as I have one. He agrees with me and wants to help. But something other has AA?
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
Maybe spend as much time working on it as you did drinking?
This forum is great. I went to AA meetings in the beginning of my sobriety, for the first three-four months; in time I realized it wasn't for me but I'm still glad I went to those couple hundred meetings. What is it about AA you don't think you would like? Have you tried it? It has a lot of benefits, not the least of which was just getting out of my own head for a couple hours. I also spent a LOT of time on this forum reading and posting. I think it was important for me to, "plug-in" somewhere and also to understand the problem I was facing.
There are other things like therapy, other types of meetings for addiction, books, church, volunteering, hobbies. Distract and improve. Whatever it takes.
This forum is great. I went to AA meetings in the beginning of my sobriety, for the first three-four months; in time I realized it wasn't for me but I'm still glad I went to those couple hundred meetings. What is it about AA you don't think you would like? Have you tried it? It has a lot of benefits, not the least of which was just getting out of my own head for a couple hours. I also spent a LOT of time on this forum reading and posting. I think it was important for me to, "plug-in" somewhere and also to understand the problem I was facing.
There are other things like therapy, other types of meetings for addiction, books, church, volunteering, hobbies. Distract and improve. Whatever it takes.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,981
There are really endless options for recovery treatment. AA is the gold standard, but there are also SMART meetings, addiction therapists, addiction centers, internet based programs like rational recovery, countless self-help books,..
It all comes down to getting a solid recovery plan together and putting the rubber to the road.
It all comes down to getting a solid recovery plan together and putting the rubber to the road.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
Originally Posted by fini 
scroll up from this thread to the second sticky, which has a list of several options.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...at-we-did.html (Recovery Programs & What to Expect (What We Did))
Ocean Lover!
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: You know nothing Jon Snow - UK
Posts: 2,604
I think least has hit the nail on the head really. AA is not for me but I am trying a non-religious version of the steps. There are many different methods out there but the main thing to do is to start writing a plan, understand your triggers, what you are planning on doing when each one of them comes along. A basic plan for the first few weeks is really helpful to keep you focused on your goal. It stops you keeping it all in your head and focused on the solution and not the problem.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,510
The main thing is your motivation and that you should find what works for you. You will find lots of ideas here at SR and this is a link with Recovery Programs:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html
formerly luvSOBERlife
Join Date: May 2018
Location: East Tennessee USA
Posts: 116
This is my AA for the time being. I've yet to go to an AA meeting in my area but I might this week. This is better though. It's very convenient for one. The people are great and non-judgemental as well. There's tons of information in the different areas of the forum. It's been a lifesaver for me to be part of this online community.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 65
slipnslide writes>>> Has anyone had success not drinking from help other than AA? I finally told my husband I think I’m an alcoholic. I don’t have control of my drinking. It controls me as soon as I have one. He agrees with me and wants to help. But something other has AA?<<<
I’m assuming when you say AA you mean the AA fellowship / meetings. If this is the case, the AA fellowship / meetings IS NOT the suggested recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous the 12 Steps is and is explained in the text book Alcoholics Anonymous. It says on page 59 in Chapter 5, HOW IT WORKS, "Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a program of recovery". It does read here are the AA fellowship / meetings we attended which are suggested as a program of recovery .
AA fellowship / meetings won’t engender sobriety, abstinence maybe, but not sobriety which goes far beyond abstinence.
I know many that achieve sobriety on forum like this one Sober Recovery. One such person I met on another forum years ago, he lives in England, his name is Mark and after he got sober on line, he began to attend AA fellowship / meetings, which led him to Al-Anon that uses the same AA 12 Step model with only a one word difference “others” in Step 12 in carrying / passing on the recovery message in AA the word is "alcoholics". Then this man discovered though Al-Anon, ACoA which is Adult Children of Alcoholics. However, he wrote me and told me that there are very few ACoA meetings in his part of England and they are quite a drive from where he lives. So, I suggested that he start a ACoA meeting and he was reluctant due to he saying he lacked experience. My response to this was, “Mark, you are very intelligent and at this phase of your sobriety you are light years ahead of where I was, so I’ll help you structure a meeting format and just go a head and do it”. He did and today 10 years later, he’s a liaison and helps other open meetings all over England.
Mark and are pen pals ever since the first day I met him on another addiction recovery site.
For me the Alcoholics Anonymous text and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings worked by leading me to Al-Anon, then Al-Anon lead me to ACoA / CODA and these other programs enhance my recovery far beyond what Alcoholics Anonymous had. There isn’t just one addiction modality that works for everyone. Here’s a short list of other programs that work for some people Rational Recovery, SMART recovery, Aversion Therapy, Lifering, the list goes on.
I’m assuming when you say AA you mean the AA fellowship / meetings. If this is the case, the AA fellowship / meetings IS NOT the suggested recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous the 12 Steps is and is explained in the text book Alcoholics Anonymous. It says on page 59 in Chapter 5, HOW IT WORKS, "Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a program of recovery". It does read here are the AA fellowship / meetings we attended which are suggested as a program of recovery .
AA fellowship / meetings won’t engender sobriety, abstinence maybe, but not sobriety which goes far beyond abstinence.
I know many that achieve sobriety on forum like this one Sober Recovery. One such person I met on another forum years ago, he lives in England, his name is Mark and after he got sober on line, he began to attend AA fellowship / meetings, which led him to Al-Anon that uses the same AA 12 Step model with only a one word difference “others” in Step 12 in carrying / passing on the recovery message in AA the word is "alcoholics". Then this man discovered though Al-Anon, ACoA which is Adult Children of Alcoholics. However, he wrote me and told me that there are very few ACoA meetings in his part of England and they are quite a drive from where he lives. So, I suggested that he start a ACoA meeting and he was reluctant due to he saying he lacked experience. My response to this was, “Mark, you are very intelligent and at this phase of your sobriety you are light years ahead of where I was, so I’ll help you structure a meeting format and just go a head and do it”. He did and today 10 years later, he’s a liaison and helps other open meetings all over England.
Mark and are pen pals ever since the first day I met him on another addiction recovery site.
For me the Alcoholics Anonymous text and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings worked by leading me to Al-Anon, then Al-Anon lead me to ACoA / CODA and these other programs enhance my recovery far beyond what Alcoholics Anonymous had. There isn’t just one addiction modality that works for everyone. Here’s a short list of other programs that work for some people Rational Recovery, SMART recovery, Aversion Therapy, Lifering, the list goes on.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: California
Posts: 13,044
Lots of good links above for different recovery options. I used a combination of this forum, mindfulness, exercise, reading, and journaling to get sober. I approached recovery as getting physically and mentally healthy, and a series of making the next right choice.
Posting and reading here daily helps, and in the beginning I was here quite a bit on and off throughout the day. I also found the monthly class very helpful, the January of 2016 class was crucial to my sobriety that first year. I still check in daily in the 24 hour recovery thread, it's a great place if you'd like to join us.
You can do this!!
Posting and reading here daily helps, and in the beginning I was here quite a bit on and off throughout the day. I also found the monthly class very helpful, the January of 2016 class was crucial to my sobriety that first year. I still check in daily in the 24 hour recovery thread, it's a great place if you'd like to join us.
You can do this!!
MrBrad
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Minneapolis Area
Posts: 213
Hello There Slip,
I'm glad to hear that you've started to think about getting better. Please know that there are many different options out there to help with any kind of alcohol related ailment. I've had some success with SOS, but the meeting times and locations have some limitations. Maybe check your local area for meetings.
Of course, you could always go to aa meetings to gather the incremental coins that denote certain lengths of sobriety: 24hrs, 1mo, 3mo, 6mo, 9mo, 1yr etc...
I'm glad to hear that you've started to think about getting better. Please know that there are many different options out there to help with any kind of alcohol related ailment. I've had some success with SOS, but the meeting times and locations have some limitations. Maybe check your local area for meetings.
Of course, you could always go to aa meetings to gather the incremental coins that denote certain lengths of sobriety: 24hrs, 1mo, 3mo, 6mo, 9mo, 1yr etc...
Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Midwest U.S.
Posts: 142
I'm exploring that too, slipnslide. I'll be interested to see what you find and what might work for you outside of AA, because I'm looking for multiple options myself (and might stick with AA too, as part of it).
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual program of action set out in the book Alcoholics Anonymous after which the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous was named.
The book contains useful information on who might benefit from the program including a detailed description of the alcoholic. It contains a sentence starting “we realise we know only a little” written in the context of a new idea which had no track record and which the authors had no idea whether it would take off or not. 80 years later and millions have recovered by putting into practice those suggestions. One medical expert described AA as “the most successful self help program ever, in the history of the world.” So it has some track record. I don’t know if anything that has been more successful in this field.
But there is another proviso in the text, clearly suggesting that AA is intended for the more serious cases and acknowledging that alternative recovery may be possible for many. It goes “Whether or not you can recover on a non-spiritual basis will depend upon the extent to which you have already lost the power to choose whether you will drink or not.”
There are plenty of people on this site claiming they still have the power of choice. There is only one way to find out if you still have it. Make the choice.
The book contains useful information on who might benefit from the program including a detailed description of the alcoholic. It contains a sentence starting “we realise we know only a little” written in the context of a new idea which had no track record and which the authors had no idea whether it would take off or not. 80 years later and millions have recovered by putting into practice those suggestions. One medical expert described AA as “the most successful self help program ever, in the history of the world.” So it has some track record. I don’t know if anything that has been more successful in this field.
But there is another proviso in the text, clearly suggesting that AA is intended for the more serious cases and acknowledging that alternative recovery may be possible for many. It goes “Whether or not you can recover on a non-spiritual basis will depend upon the extent to which you have already lost the power to choose whether you will drink or not.”
There are plenty of people on this site claiming they still have the power of choice. There is only one way to find out if you still have it. Make the choice.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 65
Gottalife Mike writes>>>There are plenty of people on this site claiming they still have the power of choice. There is only one way to find out if you still have it. Make the choice. <<<
If this was written in the context of choosing not to drink, then I’ll share my experience. If it’s not, I’ll share anyway.
AA, as well as other 12 step modalities made the power of choice (will power) possible for me, then eventually choice became unnecessary. In other words, I’m not any more concerned with drinking than I am with not drinking today, for drinking is not an issue for me and hasn’t been for over 38 years.
When I was still making a choice not to drink, I was not recovered due to being psychologically addicted.
If this was written in the context of choosing not to drink, then I’ll share my experience. If it’s not, I’ll share anyway.
AA, as well as other 12 step modalities made the power of choice (will power) possible for me, then eventually choice became unnecessary. In other words, I’m not any more concerned with drinking than I am with not drinking today, for drinking is not an issue for me and hasn’t been for over 38 years.
When I was still making a choice not to drink, I was not recovered due to being psychologically addicted.
Blue Belt
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Soberville, USA
Posts: 4,174
Slip,
I started out on my own because I began to have hellish anxiety and other mental and physical issues.
After 80 days, I did not understand why I wasn't feelg better. I found SR and found out that it can take years to normalize.
I went to a few AA meetings and learned about the BB. I pretty much read the BB and learned more. For me, AA was mysterious. Work the steps etc. It was a bit over the top.
Some folks need that sort of discipline to help them. I get that. I might even need that some day.
I have had 2 drinks in over 3 years. Based on that, I may not be a traditional alky, but I am not letting down my guard.
I treat myself like an alky. I would rather treat myself like an alky, and be wrong, than treat myself like a normie and be wrong.
If you can't stay clean on your own, using SR or other website, you need direct help like AA.
Not advice, just me thinking out loud.
Thanks.
I started out on my own because I began to have hellish anxiety and other mental and physical issues.
After 80 days, I did not understand why I wasn't feelg better. I found SR and found out that it can take years to normalize.
I went to a few AA meetings and learned about the BB. I pretty much read the BB and learned more. For me, AA was mysterious. Work the steps etc. It was a bit over the top.
Some folks need that sort of discipline to help them. I get that. I might even need that some day.
I have had 2 drinks in over 3 years. Based on that, I may not be a traditional alky, but I am not letting down my guard.
I treat myself like an alky. I would rather treat myself like an alky, and be wrong, than treat myself like a normie and be wrong.
If you can't stay clean on your own, using SR or other website, you need direct help like AA.
Not advice, just me thinking out loud.
Thanks.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Originally Posted by Bullwinkle1944
Gottalife Mike writes>>>There are plenty of people on this site claiming they still have the power of choice. There is only one way to find out if you still have it. Make the choice. <<<
If this was written in the context of choosing not to drink, then I’ll share my experience. If it’s not, I’ll share anyway.
AA, as well as other 12 step modalities made the power of choice (will power) possible for me, then eventually choice became unnecessary. In other words, I’m not any more concerned with drinking than I am with not drinking today, for drinking is not an issue for me and hasn’t been for over 38 years.
When I was still making a choice not to drink, I was not recovered due to being psychologically addicted.
If this was written in the context of choosing not to drink, then I’ll share my experience. If it’s not, I’ll share anyway.
AA, as well as other 12 step modalities made the power of choice (will power) possible for me, then eventually choice became unnecessary. In other words, I’m not any more concerned with drinking than I am with not drinking today, for drinking is not an issue for me and hasn’t been for over 38 years.
When I was still making a choice not to drink, I was not recovered due to being psychologically addicted.
I don't remember a significant time that I relied on will power once I got sincerely on the quest for the Power. My first ninety days were memorable for the point that during that time drinking almost never came to mind. Mind on other things I guess.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,109
There is a fantastic Secular Connections forum here on SR where alternatives to AA are discussed. Self empowerment was/is critical to me in ending my addiction to alcohol. If you are looking for options that's the best place to find them on here. IMO the secular section is the gem of SR.
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