Some Limitations Of Alcoholics Anonymous
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Fortunately, if AA doesn’t work for you, there are other options. Before going any further, we should also stress that if you expect significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms, you should talk to a doctor before quitting. This is especially true if you think you have a serious drinking problem. Even if you achieve a period of long-term sobriety, keep in mind that relapses are a normal part of addiction recovery. When over a thousand people were surveyed about their recovery from alcohol,71%admitted relapsing at some point. When you reach 90 days of sobriety, you’ll likely feel a bit more relaxed.
- When you walk through the doors of an AA meeting, the warm welcome everyone receives is because of this common bond.
- You might need to decline invitations to events if you don’t feel comfortable.
- ” Maybe your family drinks to celebrate the holidays, or your high school friends want to meet at a bar over winter break.
- As my parents pointed out to me when I was a little kid, you don’t get extra points just because, for once, you did what you were supposed to do.
You will increase your chances of success if you find others who are like-minded and share your goals. Staying sober for the long term is easier when you think of everything day by day.
Heres How I Found Recovery Without God And The 12 Steps
Many of us turn toalcohol to numb our feelings, and I went for years without really feeling what was going on around me. I was 27 years old with nothing to show for it, and I barely recognized the person I had become.
- This is the premise of AA; one alcoholic helping another.
- Jellinek and Mann jettisoned 45 that had been improperly completed and another 15 filled out by women, whose responses were so unlike the men’s that they risked complicating the results.
- His wife found a Contral Clinic online, and P. agreed to go.
- Seeking a support group committed to helping others can be a beneficial and cost-effective way for you to stay sober.
- Another way to stay sober without AA is to exercise regularly.
- Addiction treatment professionals peg its average long-term effectiveness at somewhere between 8 and 12 percent.
Before, I always told myself this could be temporary. But one day, like a light switch, I realized sobriety gave me my entire life back. Let me start there, because I do not condemn ANY path to recovery. We are all https://ecosoberhouse.com/ very different and need different ways to recover from addiction. But when I first contemplated quitting drinking, I believed that AA was the only choice I had. I also believed it was not the right path for me.
Addiction
My health thrives with positivity, empowerment, and true open-mindedness. My mind is becoming calmer once again, through the process of letting go. Letting go of the undesirable, self-defeating aspects of AA. There are other options out there, but my experience is AA membership monopolized my time, and when I needed support, you could hear the tumbleweeds dropping seeds. I asked for companionship from friends, a sponsor of many years. The passive/aggressive responses were so shocking, I think I may have been in denial they were happening at the time.
There are other ways, but AA have made it clear… we give you 1 week and you will be drinking. Also, how do I stop thinking about alcohol when its in my make up and its all they talk about?
What Is Alcoholism?
Sometimes I would sit in meetings and look at all of the happy people. I would wonder how they had such good happy lives with no problems. Stanton Peele argued that some AA groups apply the disease model to all problem drinkers, whether or not they are “full-blown” alcoholics. Along with Nancy Shute, Peele has advocated that besides AA, other options should be readily available to those problem drinkers who can manage their drinking with the right treatment. The Big Book says “moderate drinkers” and “a certain type of hard drinker” can stop or moderate their drinking. The Big Book suggests no program for these drinkers, but instead seeks to help drinkers without “power of choice in drink.”
When it comes to human psychology, successful changes in behavior rely strongly on practicing the new desired behavior and avoiding the undesired behavior. By remaining in supportive social groups where temptations are not present, one can practice sober habits and coping techniques in a safe place before being reintroduced to more difficult situations.
It allows you to connect with men and women all over the world, of all ages. There are various websites, chat rooms, Facebook groups, and more which are all about sobriety and recovery. There are hundreds of bloggers who cover sobriety and recovery from numerous standpoints. The internet has been a lifesaver for my sobriety. Not only has it allowed me to begin a blog and write about recovery, but it has connected me with many men and women who are going through or have gone through the same feelings and circumstances that I have. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter if we haven’t met in real life, that connection still exists because we have been through the same struggles and we’ve all decided to change our lives for the better. The women I have met through technology have become constants in my life and are always there to offer advice and love.
Many people need more time to get the skills they need to continue sober life outside of a sober living program. Many AA meetings take place in treatment facilities. Carrying the message of AA into hospitals was how the co-founders of AA first remained sober.
What About Professional Treatment?
However, in a PHP program, you return home to sleep. Some services provide food and transportation, but services vary by program. Because alcoholism is often linked to depression, consider getting your body moving to help boost your mood. For example, if you’re struggling in your marriage or dealing with trauma, you may turn to alcohol as an escape mechanism. Therapy can help you tackle the root of your issues in a healthy way. If you can, avoid going to events where you know that drinking is going to be a big part. The more you surround yourself with healthy relationships, the easier it will be to recover and maintain sobriety.
Most addiction support groups are peer-run without the guidance of a professional. You might find that group therapy benefits you more if you need the guidance of a therapist for mental health, social, emotional, or relationship issues. You might have a strong support system of loved ones andfamilymembers stay sober without aa to help you in your sobriety. Or, you might need time to build a support system if your addiction negatively impacted friends and family members. You might have a slip, relapse, or strong urge to drink or use drugs. There is no shame in admitting that you need to go back in your recovery!
My problem wasn’t with the program so much it was with other members who seemed to go out of their way to try and humiliate me. It came to a head a couple of months ago at a meeting.
Let Me Do Sobriety My Way
It helps you find a power greater than yourself, and gets you involved in service with others in your community who need help. Whether or not you are interested in a spiritual program, finding something to live for can motivate your recovery.
The need for further research into the efficacy of AA is also emphasized. If you’re anything like me, asking for help doesn’t come so easy. But what I learned is that if I want to stay sober—and I do—then I need to ask for help. This means that when I’m feeling off or am in a funk, when I’m confused about what to do, when I find myself engaging in unhealthy behaviors, etc. I reach out to trusted sober friends and talk to them. The Finns are famously private, so I had to go early in the morning, before any patients arrived, to meet Jukka Keski-Pukkila, the CEO.
The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are so dominant in addiction recovery culture that it can be easy to forget there are other ways to get sober. AA’s success in life isn’t due to its effectiveness at getting folks sober.
Someone had broken into her apartment while she slept and attacked her boyfriend and her in their sleep. As I raced over to her apartment the fear and anxiety were unreal.
At nearly 40 years old, the proximity in age suddenly felt suffocating. 12-step programs are the path to maintaining long-term, meaningful sobriety. For those with co-occurring medical issues who may require more intense care, our partial hospitalization program provides monitoring and care for medical and mental health issues with multiple weekly visits. Even if you haven’t yet said the words “I have a problem” aloud, you already know whether or not you’re still in control of your life. Wherever you’re at in your journey, there’s no shame in seeking help to get you back where you deserve to be. At BlueCrest Recovery Center, our passionate, experienced rehabilitation experts are dedicated to ending the painful cycle of addiction and lifting our patients up and out of the darkness.
