AliceCat

Today was my first 24 hours without a drink in a week. And every niggle I got, thinking yeah I could have one, I realise it was ME that said no. And that's cool.

Thanks Soberlicious! For the first time in an age I DON'T feel powerless. It's something I hope others can grab onto too! x

Received

bump

lessgravity

Thanks Recieved.

I have perused these threads ad naseum. I can't believe the strength I find in this technique.

Pain is the classroom of recovery...

whipster

This thread should be a sticky, what a great post.

FreeNow74

I'm new here and struggling with A.A. I'm trying to find alternatives. I never heard of avrt, not sure what it is but I'm definitely going to fined out, it sound like what I'm looking for.Thanx

sunset01

This has me written all over it, nobody and nothing has more control over my life than me. I can do this thankyou. thankyou.

13unluckyforsom

This for me makes sense. The simplicity works for me. It's black and white. Only read this post so far but will be reading more in depth to it. Thanks for this it sings my song

Maribell

Freaking amazing post. I completely agree .. In the end it's all you ,, nobody else.

Received

Annnnnnnnnnd, it's time for a BUMP!

KateL

Great post!

Summer5

Thank you for sharing.

squilly

Hi Fresh Start and everyone else who posted on this thread. A fantastic op. I am so grateful to RR and the skills taught. I'm from the UK and stopped using/drinking by using the tools that are provided by RR nearly 4 years ago. The fact that my addiction was a choice and not a disease let me take full responsibility, together with AVRT and of course the final contract clinched it!

I do wonder why you use the word sober and sobriety and why not simply 'I don't drink'? If I go for a meal with colleagues and am asked whether I want a glass of wine with my meal I will say: 'no thanks, I don't drink.' If I were to say: 'no thanks, I'm sober' this acknowledges that I am/were an 'alcoholic' (awful label) and as I put this addiction to bed years ago I don't acknowledge it anymore, it's over, in the past! I hope I'm making sense? I think that the word 'sober' means 'in between drinking', as does 'clean time' means 'in between drinking'. I either drink or I don't, I either use or I don't. Just my opinion.

I love reading all the RR/AVRT posts on the secular group. Thanks to all of you.

freshstart57

Love the finality of your Big Plan, squilly, and it is great to hear of your triumph over your beast. I totally agree with your point about the use of the word 'sobriety'. It does fall short in a sense in conveying the concept of finality and permanence that you and I share with others who just don't drink, now or ever.

There was a recent post about a member's response when offered some wine or beer with a meal shared with colleagues. His statement was, 'I don't use alcohol'. That might be a little confrontational, but it gets the point across.

I hope you continue to post with us and support those who are still looking for their own way forward to never again drink and to never change their minds.

shi

u saying the exact thing that bothers me. i refuse to accept that in am powerless. how is that so wen i have God with me? i want to just be plain old erica who dont drink, not a recovering alcoholic. wot works for me is the fact that i am no longer happy with a non-productive, distractive, shame-filled life. all i want is a relationship with GOD, A family, an income, n PEACE WITHOUT ALCOHOL. so then i will be an ex-drinker n not an alcoholic.

shi

squilly u sooo right. i want to not be sober but a woman who used to drink. awesome

Doglunatique

"Is an ex-smoker, someone who will never smoke again, 'in recovery' from nicotine addiction? They just don't smoke, that's it. I think that my alcohol addiction is the same."


This is exactly the attitude I take towards my addiction, PERFECT way to say it.

Thanks for putting it into words for me.

MachineGun

Thanks for sharing Freshstart. I've never heard of AVRT until reading your post, but I think it might be much more up my alley as far as the available programs/guidelines that are out there.

connop1

I can't tell you how empowering this post is to me. I have been sober but a few days, still not fully decided if I was going or able to stop. It reminds me of how I quite smoking from 30+ a day with very little problem and how I know I'll never smoke again. I just one day stubbed out a cigarette and became a non-smoker. Now to apply it to booze.

miyako

This is an awesome post! I have The Small Book, but I've never read it through. I did adopt nearly ALL of its ideas, which I picked up mostly through internet research. It resonated as TRUE for me. I utterly LOATHED the premise, "I am powerless before alcohol." Everything would go downhill for me from there, for sure. I needed to find my power and assert it. Once I made that decision, I was free. I do not drink. Thanks to exactly the kind of empowered statements in this post. Great writing!

Altoids

So thankful to have found AVRT. I was a chronic relapser and couldn't figure out why. Now I know. I felt like a victim of my disease before. I read on an earlier forum and I forget who said it (sorry), but I copied and pasted it to save bc it was exactly how I felt:

"[I]I do know, however, that telling some people that they have a progressive, incurable, relapsing brain disease with no known medical solution, and which is caused by character defects that only G-d can remove effectively cripples them. Many will internalize this and subsequently resign themselves to their fate, embarking on a free-fall to bottom with no way out."

Anyway, I want to be part of this discussion and this group.