11 days sober. I am finally asking for help & I am not sure how to go about it. AA never worked for me. Maybe because I didn’t really try but I am now ready for help & need help to find it. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Good stuff. Asking for help is huge. Aa.org or aa-inter group.org are great places to start. I prefer live meetings. Go and listen and then get a phone number or 2. Read some big book or 12 and 12. Don’t drink. Rinse. Repeat.
1 Like
I agree with Craig asking for help is huge because you are admitting you have a problem. I put myself in out patient rehab, it helped alot. All AA meetings are not identical, try different ones and find your fit. It gets better
1 Like
There are other recovery programs out there. AA didn't work for me either. SMART Recovery is one that's science based and leverages cognitive behavioral therapy. Recovery Dharma is based on the teachings of Buddha. They've worked better than AA for me.
3 Likes
Thank you guys for the comments & suggestions. Going to try the smart one. Fully respect the AA program but I just haven’t given it my 100% & It doesn’t pull me in like I would like the help
What ever works for you, go for it and stick to it. It worth every second spent. Good luck
2 Likes
Zoom has been good for me. If you need some suggestions let me know
1 Like
The absolute best program of recovery is the one that works for you. 12 steps saved my life but I was ready. My whole life was crumbling. 12 step meetings surrounded me with people who used to be like me but had recovered. I did what they told me to do, which was what they did. And then all of a sudden I didn’t need to stay drunk. I wasn’t a god guy. It was too abstract. I needed building blocks. My power greater than myself was my group. My books. My sponsor and his wife. As long as I wasn’t in charge I was safe.
I’m not a religious person. I wonder if smart recovery might have been an even better fit. But it wasn’t what I found when I had to find something. And it seems silly to switch teams when what I’m doing is working. You don’t ask for a trade during the pennant race when your team is winning, if you like baseball analogies.
I really appreciate your message. Also saying your not a religious person? So how did AA work for you? I am sticking on that part & it pushes me away I guess
1 Like
I thought so. A lot of people get stuck there. It really comes down to accepting the definition of god that AA uses. God/higher power is a power greater than ourselves.
So for me a person who had overcome the compulsion to drink had more power than me. The big book, that helps millions of people achieve sobriety has more power than me. I have very little power. Most things in my life had power over me. So I just went from a bottle of whiskey having power over me, to the 12 step program becoming that power greater than myself. No bible. No church. No Jesus. Nothing intangible.
So when somebody says god, or when we pray to god, I can replace that word with group or sponsor or literature. The things that I rely upon to keep me sober. And everyone can have their own understanding of this, because everyone has their own journey. And if someone doesn’t accept my version of god, fuck ‘em because what they think of me is none of my concern.
I really like your responding & thoughts. Am I able to message you?
1 Like
Sure. I’ll send a friend request and once you accept we can message.
Hey Eric. Saying I NEED HELP is the best thing you can do. I would get connected with as many people as you can here who have feat you want. Quality sobriety.
One day at a time my man.