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Trying a New Direction

Old 04-22-2019, 06:27 PM
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Trying a New Direction

So, after over 3 weeks sobriety I lost my footing, but I talked with a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction and hopefully am gonna be hitting this sobriety thing harder and from a new angle.

I think that these forums are an incredible platform for recovery, but this go around I'm gonna commit to attending regular actual in person meeting and make some local connections too. I've never been a religious guy but I'm willing to give AA a serious shot. The more tools the better right?

I was also put on a medication called Gabapentin that I guess is supposed to help even out the emotional recovery a little bit too. Anyone have any experience with this? Just curious.
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:35 PM
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I saw an addiction md. He sent me to a councillor who wanted me to go to AA. I didn’t go. I should have as I kept drinking. I thought it was interesting at the time that a physician had nothing much to offer but the tried and true of the 12 steps. No experience with the drug you mention. Good luck.
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:37 PM
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I am taking Gabapentin for nerve pain in my leg, works great for that but I also noticed that it did improve my mood.
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:45 PM
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Best Wishes with the AA thing SoberDad

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Old 04-22-2019, 06:47 PM
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Give it a good try. Can't hurt and might help.
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Old 04-22-2019, 07:08 PM
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My therapist pushed me towards AA. Best advice I ever got. Good luck. You got this. ❤️❤️
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Old 04-22-2019, 07:50 PM
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Good for you for getting back on the sober train
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Old 04-22-2019, 08:41 PM
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Went to a meeting tonight, I enjoyed it. I truly am powerless over alcohol and my life is nowhere near manageable.
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Old 04-22-2019, 09:05 PM
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AA is a spiritual program, not religious. I'm glad your first meeting went well!
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Old 04-23-2019, 03:55 AM
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Good stuff, whatever works I say. Keep us updated.
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Old 04-23-2019, 04:22 AM
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Originally Posted by SoberDad86 View Post
Went to a meeting tonight, I enjoyed it. I truly am powerless over alcohol and my life is nowhere near manageable.
good on ya!
something to think about on that whole AA being religious:
if it was religious, what religion would it be? personally when im at a meeting with a buddhist, christian, jew, athiest, catholic, and a hindu, its hard for me to pick.
religion is for people afraid of going to hell.
spirituality is for people that have been there.
AA is a spiritual set of principles.
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Old 04-23-2019, 05:39 AM
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When I started trying to get sober, I talked to two counselors. The first was of little help because alcoholism simply wasn't her area of expertise, so I went to a community outpatient rehab facility, where the alcohol counselor told me she wouldn't talk to me unless I quit drinking. She told me to go to AA, and come and see her after I quit. Imagine! An alcohol counselor who refused to talk to alcoholics who can't stop drinking? She said AA "seemed" to work better than counseling, which I imagine is true if she is the counselor. I couldn't help but wonder why I would ever want to talk to this woman if I weren't drinking. When you go see a doctor for that growth coming out of your throat, he doesn't tell you he won't see you until you get over your cancer.

Whatever. It was a good call, at least in my case, because it worked, and there was never any need to talk to this woman again, nor did I bother. If all she was going to do was tell people to go to AA, she could just hang a sign on her door, and stay home. Of course it must be depressing for an alcohol counselor because the prognosis for alcoholism is dismal, and this is true for what ever program we adopt. Professional counseling, rehab, AA, or SR all see similar rates of recidivism. The odds are just against alcoholics, and to date the Medical profession hasn't done any better either. Although when a breakthrough does come, I expect it to come from medical research.

I think the problem lies not in the programs we try, but in ourselves, and it's likewise in ourselves where the solution is found. Programs may help to facilitate that inner motivation, but it is the alcoholics themselves who finally find it, and through trial and error, learn how to capitalize on it. It's also possible that some alcoholics are beyond help. I don't know if this is true. I also don't know that it's not true. But if alcoholism is truly a disease, we know that not all diseases can be cured or even arrested.

Personally, if I were to place a small bet, I would wager that most alcoholics have that strength or thing or insight in them all the time. It's just a matter of finding it, which is not always easy but does offer us hope. Raw statistics about recovery are just descriptions of the situation. They paint a less than favorable picture, but they tell us little about how those who beat the odds finally find their way, which is really the most important part of what we all seek. I believe there is a way for most of us. We must keep searching until we find the thing that helps us.

For me, I needed contact with other alcoholics in recovery. These are the unusual alcoholics. You don't find them in bars and liquor stores, but these are the alcoholics that offer the knowledge and demonstrate encouraging proof that joy in life does not require alcohol. AA is a good place to find them. SR also, although it's hard to read body language an other non-verbal ques on the internet, at least for us older generations that grew up without computers and digital technology. But that face to face contact offered in AA probably adds an additional quality that may help to nudge the younger generation over that mysterious hump.
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Old 04-23-2019, 07:04 AM
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DriGuy said:
I think the problem lies not in the programs we try, but in ourselves, and it's likewise in ourselves where the solution is found. Programs may help to facilitate that inner motivation, but it is the alcoholics themselves who finally find it, and through trial and error, learn how to capitalize on it. It's also possible that some alcoholics are beyond help. I don't know if this is true. I also don't know that it's not true. But if alcoholism is truly a disease, we know that not all diseases can be cured or even arrested.


I really believe this. The program itself is not the solution. I know that for me, the motivation HAD to come from within. Otherwise no program in the world would have helped me one bit. When I first stepped into an AA meeting, and started outpatient treatment, I had already fully surrendered to the knowledge that my life was unmanageable. I had done step 1 already without really knowing it. But when I saw those steps on the wall at the AA club (first time I had seen the steps) I knew I was in a place that could offer me the kind of help and support I was going to need to stay sober. The steps and the program didn't get me sober. I did that, by not putting alcohol in my body for over 4 years now. But the program gives me the tools, and a framework, and the human connection to other people who "get it." Could I have gotten and stayed sober without it? Maybe. The day I had my last drink, I truly felt that I was just DONE. It was a shift I felt in my whole being, that I had never felt before. But until I walked into the AA meeting 4 days later, I was still scared that I might not be able to do it. Once I started hearing stories of people who had been where I was, or even lower, I felt relieved, optimistic, and, dare I say it, almost happy. They had what I wanted, and could help me actualize it in my own life.
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Old 04-23-2019, 08:23 AM
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Yes, ultimately, it's up to us to find what works best in our own life. I'm glad that you are doing what you need to do in order to stay sober.
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Old 04-23-2019, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by MLD51 View Post
But until I walked into the AA meeting 4 days later, I was still scared that I might not be able to do it. Once I started hearing stories of people who had been where I was, or even lower, I felt relieved, optimistic, and, dare I say it, almost happy. They had what I wanted, and could help me actualize it in my own life.
I know, I know. It was a dramatic experience for me to meet those people who quickly became role models. And their subsequent affect on my behavior, drinking, and attitude was profound enough to seem almost magical.
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Old 04-23-2019, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by tomsteve View Post
good on ya!
something to think about on that whole AA being religious:
if it was religious, what religion would it be? personally when im at a meeting with a buddhist, christian, jew, athiest, catholic, and a hindu, its hard for me to pick.
religion is for people afraid of going to hell.
spirituality is for people that have been there.
AA is a spiritual set of principles.
tomsteve, as I do about 99.9% of the time, I love you! And I am flat plagiarizing this for the best way to say this whole "God thing issue." Thanks!

Sober Dad- good stuff and glad you enjoyed the meeting. I didn't want to do AA for, oh, ever, and bottom line that was because I wanted to keep drinking; took me a bit of sober time to admit that. My psych is well schooled in addiction and she, too, says that AA is the program she has seen work for the most people, for the longest sober time. True for me and I hope you give it a legit try - there's a great reason to try the 90 mtgs in 90 days suggested, or even 30/30 - the idea being to give it enough time it starts to "sink in."

Or - that whatever fundamental, recovery-specific program of action you choose is one you get sober using. Lots of us around here can talk about what works for us - you've prob read on that since you've been here

I'd also add that if you didn't previously, joining the Class of Apr 2019 is a great idea- my Class of Feb 2016 became an awesome support group of folks quitting the same time as I did.

Oh, and I have not taken Gabapentin but indeed other alcohol(ism) specific meds, and successfully used Antabuse as one PART of my recovery - just emphasizing that because IMO and IME, drugs are great tools for plenty of us, but again that fundamental program of recovery is critical.
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