for another day sober and a Higher Power to guide me through it.
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Are you in a program?
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Yes. Well a live in no but I do practice the 12 Steps. I have done NA and AA as well as tried a few meetings in other programs and have found AA works best for me ,
and you ?
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That's awesome!
Yes I am. And I have no higher power, except the best version of myself. But the people in AA and my sponsor are what "guides me through it". Do they not do the same for you?
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Absolutely! I don’t know what I would do without sponsorship and my recovery network. My first sponsor this time around had issues with having a higher power but she chose to believe in the unity of AA and that worked for her. I myself was brought up Catholic but see myself as a Christian today. I think most of the answers you will find in regards to higher power are in step two in the Big Book. Have you ever done a step study meeting or going through the steps with a sponsor?
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Narcotics Anonymous for me, as I am an addict. I practice the 12 Steps. I have a sponsor and a couple of sponsees. Oh, and a working relationship with the God of my understanding. Great to be here! Thanks.
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I liked NA and am grateful for the 2 yrs clean I got in that program. I relapsed after 2 yrs when I lost my mom and for me it was I think a lot to do with my spirituality and changing the person I brought in by working the 12 Steps but I have also found a different areas seem to have different meeting such as the North Shore in Boston is mostly any South Shore of Boston AA but that’s just my experience
Yep I have a sponsor and we have gone through the 12 steps!
I am an atheist and my higher power is the best version of myself. Those days where you wake up, ge the day started and you do all the right things to the best of your ability, don't pïss anyone off, kind as much as reasonable etc ? That's the best version of myself. The world "perfection" is so subjective, I rarely use it when talking to others. The Big Book does outline some "higher power" stuff and I respect it, for what it's worth and those who it has helped but it is def not a one size fits all approach, despite desperately wanting to be such.
I just found it strange that all of your posts kinda seemed like proselytizing, but not much about your group experience.
Have you caught any of the AA meetings out on the Cape? I surf there often and have been to several meetings that were really good. Even a couple agnostic AA meetings. Just good people all around.
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Wow seriously you think my posts are “ proselytizing “ I’m not sure why you would think that but I guess I’ll just agree to disagree. As a matter fact, I even stated I had a sponsor for the first three years of sobriety they didn’t believe and was basically an agnostic. She believed in the unity of AA so if that was the case I don’t know how we would’ve worked together for those 3 yrs but anyway I believe everyone has the right to your own opinion, and certainly has the right to their own beliefs. Yes, I have been to meetings down the Cape and I love them - great people.
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I will say, though, I guess to some extent I do often talk about my faith in recovery due to the fact that after losing a child, I struggled with it, and now wholeheartedly believe it is only with faith, that I will get through such a loss especially clean and sober.
Well, when you're a "believer" it doesn't seem like proselytizing to you. When you're not, then that's all that comes through. So to me, sobriety is sobriety. It really has nothing to do with what flavor of ice cream you like, I less you make it about that. Which a lot of people do, and they also strongly imply that without accepting their flavor of ice cream as being the best then it's impossible or nearly impossible to stay sober. I believe in giving people power to stay sober, not taking it away and giving it to some unkown unproven force. If I am accountable for the wreckage in my life, than I better get some credit for putting in the work to fix it as well. And I am offended when I go to a lead meeting and the person giving the lead blathers on about how god helped them through everything, but they neglect to even mention all the phone numbers they got at meetings, of people that were there, immediately for them when they needed it. That's as ridiculous as people in the hospital who think god saved them but don't even consider the skill of the surgeon. It's madness to me. I think that if there did happen to be an omnipresent being, it would agree with me.
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Well, I appreciate you sharing with me. I don’t completely agree with all that you shared as I have said before I do agree with you having the right to share it.
It’s easy to compare but what about identifying and leaving the rest to them ?
Another words just like you have the right, not to believe in something don’t other people have the right to believe ?
I don’t think it diminishes them giving credit to themselves or others but that’s just for me. I certainly don’t speak for everyone nor would I want to
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Yes you have the right to believe. You shouldnt be able to force your beliefs on other people though, and generally speaking, "believers" do that very thing.
Look, I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm simply saying to not neglect yourself and the hard work it takes to get through this that YOU are doing.
It's like a diet. You can sit in the couch and watch people exercise (we will call this the "prayer method). You can work out daily and eat well. Or you can pray and work out daily and eat well. Method 2 and 3 will work because they both involve putting in work.
Give yourself credit. I find it inspirational that someone who has been what you've been though is working it and staying sober. That was all I'm trying to say.