Why is AA so successful in reaching sobriety?

Recovery
#1

Why is AA so successful in reaching sobriety?

Alcoholics Anonymous has been around since the 1930's and has a 12 step program that is designed to give people a daily reprieve, one day at a time. A lot of people who go to addiction treatment centers try to just read the Big Book and figure it out but going to AA meetings near you is pivotal as you will meet sober people who will walk you through the 12 steps and give you help to stay sober. The same goes for Narcotics Anonymous as all 12 step programs are based off of the same. steps of AA. If you want to get or become alcohol free or drug free I think Alcoholics Anonymous is the best place as they have the most meetings. If you donā€™t know how to find a meeting there are sober apps that can show you where the AA meetings are. They are mostly now all on zoom so there never an excuse not to go. Good luck!

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#2

Hi Julia. Thanks for posting this. A very large part of our community come in not knowing enough about Aa/CA/NA or are ashamed they relapsed and donā€™t want to attend their home groups.

It is people in the community at Loosid who gently give them the courage to go back.

Thanks again for the message. :pray:t3::heart:

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#3

Awww, you're welcome anytime
Thanks for the compliments :blush:

#4

Itā€™s about community.

I think people who go to Anonymous groups and find other support: therapy, meditation, qi gong, martial artsā€¦ artā€¦. -anything that fills the ā€˜empty negativeā€™ dopamine response- do a lot better in recovery.

Iā€™ve spent many hours in OA and AA meetings and always have difficulties with the powerless and god ideas.

SMART recovery has given me the cognitive tools to help me change my thoughts, ā€œstinking thinking ā€œ, so I can deal with urges.

Being healthy and happy and a productive person is the goal. Lots of ways to approach that now. 30 years ago AA was the ā€œonly gig in townā€.

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#5

In small communities AA is still the only game in town. I encourage anyone hesitant to give it a try. Donā€™t be scared off by over zealous well meaning people. Go for the fellowship and see what else works for you. I see so many post of people troubled by some parts of AA, I 100% get it. You donā€™t have to work the steps, you donā€™t have to have a sponsor. If you choose to, great, but itā€™s not mandatory. The fellowship aspect is the most important, if in doubt, read the preamble

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#6

wow, that's a huge success :blush:
Nice

#7

Yeah, that's trueā€‹:slightly_smiling_face: :+1:

#8

I can't love this post enough! :heart: AA, the 12 steps, the fellowship and mostly importantly, my relationship with my higher power, whom I call God, has truly saved my life! Thank you for sharing Julia!

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#9

The 1st 100 cracked the code to sobriety.

I love the clear cut direction in the big book

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#10

Thanks for this post!

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#11

One addict helping another is without parallel!

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#12

Big fan of aa.saved my life!!!!!.met lots of people around country. 1986 :dromedary_camel:

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#13

you're welcome anytime, the Lord is your strength :slightly_smiling_face:

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#14

Awww, thanks

#15

You're welcomeanytime :blush:

#16

yeah

#17

I'm happy for you :relaxed:

#18

What a great post!! Thanks so much for sharing. :pray:t3:

For me, the 12 steps of AA have fundamentally changed my life and has given me a new way of living and dealing with life. The 12 steps, sponsorship, the fellowship of AA has provided me a path to my higher power and a spiritual awareness which provides me the ability to give and receive love - even when the days are tough, and they can be very tough, I now have the tools to work through the hard days and I donā€™t have to drink as a coping or numbing mechanism.

The thing with AA - itā€™s for people that want and are willing to put the work in for their sobriety. The doors to AA meetings are always openā€¦ and there are no requirements in AA. But the thing about doors, they swing both ways. Thereā€™s no guarantee that the reason a person came into the rooms of AA will keep them in those rooms. The reason I came into my first AA meeting isnā€™t what has kept me in recovery - surrender, admit powerlessness and live the steps; help and love one another, and I experienced the freedom from compulsion and the removal of my obsession to drink into a blackout. I felt my hope to stop drinking turn into a faith that The Spirit will never put anything in my path that I cannot handle with a sober mind, body, and heart.

#19

A thing I love about 12 step programs is that they donā€™t really concern themselves with why they work. The success is measured in the members who found a solution in the program.

#20

Why does "the Lord" always get the credit? I haven't prayed once in AA and I am getting by because of the PEOPLE I have met, the ones who check on me, who remember my name. THAT is what is keeping me going. That's just my experience though. It's tangible enough.