I am struggling with finding a sense of community. My

Struggling Help
#1

I am struggling with finding a sense of community.

My sober journey has not been like anyone I have ever met. I have distant family members that have abused alcohol on both sides of my family. Which has made me self aware enough that I never got to the point where alcohol became a problem. Knew that craving alcohol when stressed was not a good thing and quit drinking any alcoholic beverages all together and have been sober for at least 3-4 years. I guess I am looking for reassurance that I am welcome here.

7 Likes
#2

You are welcome here. For me, I needed a couple things to start to feel part of the community. 1) I joined AA and got a service position, and 2) listened & looked for similarities in other people's story versus how the are different from mine. It took me inserting myself into a community to feel like I have one today. Almost 3 years of work with results I'd like to think I'll never give up.

I was the "first" alcoholic in my family history. That made me feel like you are right now. I know the feeling and it will pass with a pivot in thinking but takes practice. Hang in there!

#3

You absolutely belong here. This app is for support. Some use this app in addition to belonging to a recovery program, and some donā€™t. Sounds like you wish to abstain from alcohol, and find others you can relate to. Welcome to Loosid. Truth be told, you belong most everywhere. Even in AA we say the only requirement is to stop drinking. Thus you technically are welcome there as well. Of course AA is more than a support groupā€¦itā€™s a complete recovery program and has many ā€œsuggestionsā€. That is not the case here. Loosid is not a recovery program.

#4

I personally wouldn't choose AA due to it often being related to Christianity. But locally there is another similar program called SMART Recovery that hosts both in person and virtual meetings.

#5

I have heard good things about SMART Recovery, and there are definitely others on here that are on that path. I attend AA and I understand how you feel. It hasnā€™t always been easy for me either. However, I have found my path in AA and Iā€™ve learned to feel comfortable in what I believe and how I choose to reframe some of the language. Either way, please feel welcome. If we all keep and open mind and can be tolerant of others, we can all benefit and learn

#6

I lean more pagan and am a part of the LGBTQ community. In my opinion it would be an oxymoron if I wasn't tolerant of others. All I want to do in this life is spread kindness.

1 Like
#7

Iā€™m part of the LGBTQ community as well thanks to my beautiful child (young adult). Iā€™m such a better human being today because of them. Iā€™ve attended LGBTQ in support of friends, and Iā€™ve tried a few secular AA meetings while searching my path of recovery. I wish it wasnā€™t necessary to have separate meetings, but it does provide a safe place to recover and meet like minded people. There are a bunch of zoom meetings you can filter to your liking as well. I donā€™t mean to sound like the AA salesman. I just wanted to let you know other options that are available.

#8

Yeah you belong here. Just ā€˜cause your story ainā€™t textbook doesnā€™t mean it ainā€™t real. Most of us just wanted peace too, not the bottle. Grateful youā€™re here with us. Stick around. Get to know others here.

#9

You are absolutely welcome here and Welcome Dakota,feel free to ask any questions you need too,we're a great community.

#10

You are forever welcome, my friend.
You might check out Al-anon, too. Thereā€™s great support there.
I come from the same family tree as you and have taken advantage of al-anon in the past. It opened my eyes to some things I hadnā€™t thought of.