4 years in and I can’t get past Step 2. I cant get the Higher Power/God concept to take hold being agnostic. I don’t drink but i know im just one bad day away. Can you guys point me in the direction of a program less God based.
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AA has secular meetings. Check out www.aasecular.org
There are not many in person meetings in my area and I live in a pretty big and diverse market. Perhaps you can jump on zoom meetings and get what you’re looking for. Check out the website and you will find a different version of the 12 steps that should be very helpful.
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Think of God as anything bigger than yourself and not as a religious entity. Being an atheist I struggled with that too but if you replace God with support group/sponsor/meetings ect I found it to click a little better. Good luck!
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Yesss
I don't struggle with it myself, but I've heard in meetings that people prayed even if they didn't believe in God because they saw it worked for so many others
The higher power concept has always been there. You may not be ready, but it stays ready for you so whenever you do feel the need to finally get it together and accept that then and only then with a higher power concept work for you, but we have to be ready for it. It’s not something that is pushed on us. It’s something that we have to be able to be willing to accept.
I struggle with the whole higher power concept, as well. I know I can't stay sober on my own, but I also can't believe that some greater entity has any ability whatsoever to "restore" me to "sanity." Although I need support to stay sober, in the end I am on my own - only I can decide whether or not to pick up another drink.
Anyway, I've just started attending online LifeRing meetings. It's a different model than AA, based on sobriety, secularity, and self-empowerment. I'm hoping it will help me, maybe it can help you, too.
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Sometimes your god can be the (g)ift (o)f (d)esperation...
Do you believe that other people believe in god?
Someone asked me that once, to which I said “of course, I believe that other people 100% do” they said that was all it takes!
I also has someone say “go to the beach and try and stop the waves”
I don’t believe in the western concept of god, but I certainly believe in Mother Nature. Go to the Grand Canyon.
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I know people that use their Home Group as their higher power. Doesn’t have to be God or Buddha or anything organized. I’m one lady her higher power is her parrot and it’s gonna outlive her.
This naked mind dot com
Hey Mark, I have the same problem as you.
Im not at all knocking AA. It is a great program but it has not been updated since it's founding decades ago.
Science has discovered a lot in the last 100 years where addiction and the human brain are concerned.
As far as higher power, I can't compete with mother nature. You can hide under ground or above the ground but you can't stop what she sends.
Another is the moon and gravity and how massive bodies of water are moved daily.
The list is long of things that are much more powerful than us.
Dude try not to over think it. I have had a ton of cruddy days and a ton of holy smokes that was awesome and a ton of yep was a eh neutral day. I am almost 8 years sober and I don't believe in a higher power. I just take things as they come and have a good support system and do my best to problem solve if need be to the next dumpster fire if there is one.
Congrats on 4 years, Mark.
SMART Recovery is a solid one to look into, it’s skills-based. Recovery Dharma is another option if mindfulness feels more natural to you. There are also secular AA groups that keep the meeting structure. You can also check out the audio stories and SAM mentorship here in the app, there are people who’ve navigated this exact thing. You built the last 4 years on something solid keep finding your way and exploring who you are.