Trying the secular route
 

I'm in the process of finding a secular based recovery program. I am a Christian, but any organization such as your 12 step meetings that have religious ties and talk about God make me very uncomfortable due to my past of being involved in fringe religious based organizations. It's a huge trigger for my anxiety and sometimes even thinking about going to church sends me into a tail spin and will turn me into a wreck. Is anyone else like this where you have your personal religious beliefs but don't want to be treated in a religious environment?

I had a negitive orginzed religious experence as I was growing up into adulthood. .
Faith based recovery programs were a hard and difficult fit for me. Eventually I was able to fit into a faith based program with ease, even as a non-believer.

Secular recovery principles will not conflict with your personal beliefs about G*d. AVRT and other secular programs can often complement your world view.

http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra...es/welcome.gif to Secular.

I am non-theist, but there's nothing in AVRT that precludes believing in a deity. You can even be very religious. I guess the secular view would be "God helps those who help themselves." So long as you don't defer to some supernatural power or expect a deity to intervene and keep you from drinking, AVRT will work for you just fine.

Check out Women For Sobriety. They also have a very good forum. I really like WFS, I have not been able to attend lately though due to a schedule change.

I have personal beliefs that don't work well with organised whatever, no worries however, since other ways forward are workable for ME both in secular and non-secular recovery experiences. I make good use of what works for me, and of what doesn't I just let all that go, no problemo. :)

PinkTee, I have a religious faith, and a deeply spiritual aspect to my character, but these beliefs have little to do with my sobriety. I guess I believe that I was given the choice to get drunk each time, and then to get progressively more addicted to alcohol. I also believe that I am given the choice to stay sober and to never drink again.

I have a strong internal control locus, I guess that's the best way to put it. I decided I was going to quit drinking, and then set out learning how to do it. I think AVRT comes in at the top of my list of tools or techniques, and I have learned about CBT and mindfulness too, both very helpful as well.

Please keep posting here and asking questions, pinktee18, maybe even share a little about you. There is a lot of support here for you!

Practice
 

Like any other way of living you want to establish, what may be most important is that you have a practice that you do, in some way, every day. What you practice, is what you get. Your willingness to do whatever it takes to not drink when you desperately want to, and some method(s) that bring you into the present moment of your mind and body experience. Saying "I don't drink", is much more powerful than "I won't drink". i laugh at myself when at times. I was eating pizza and the thought arose, "Who eats pizza without wine and beer? This is just not right, iced tea, what the...?" Oh, that's right, I don't drink. At least have some reminders that become automatic, that will help you find peace in sobriety. Another one I have when I want to drink, "This is time limited, stay on course". Do something that will bring you back to my body, like a hot shower, walk, splashing water on your face. I suppose the bottom line is that I need to have things in mind that are immediately accessible to me, and to persist in using them to circumvent my addictive patterns. Every day. All day long.

You might take a look at LifeRing. They offer a secular approach and spiritual and religious approaches are kept private.