Can You Get Sober Without AA? Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Recovery.org needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. Alcohol.org needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. What’s most important is making the decision to get help and finding a path to recovery and a support network that works for you. Recovery is possible, with or without the 12 steps. Americanaddictioncenters.org needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. I met people who have had many, many years of sobriety and they credit AA. I am not one of the people who can sign up for the long haul of this program. At this time I am realizing that negativity, powelessness, small-mindedness, and stagnation do not serve me. My health thrives with positivity, empowerment, and true open-mindedness. My mind is becoming calmer once again, through the process of letting go.

  • AA gave us a way to regain that control through complete abstinence.
  • Many have also found success with the 12-step method developed by Alcoholics Anonymous .
  • From my very first meeting, I learned a lot about addiction and how my addictive nature manifests.

Has estimated, as Glaser puts it, that “AA’s actual success rate somewhere between 5 and 8 percent,” but this is a very controversial figure among addiction researchers. Smashed – a 2012 drama film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead. An elementary school teacher’s drinking begins to interfere with her job, so she attempts to get sober in AA. Days of Wine and Roses – a 1962 film about a married couple struggling with alcoholism. Jack Lemmon’s character attends an AA meeting in the film. Alcoholics Anonymous appears to be about as effective as other abstinence-based support groups. United States courts have ruled that inmates, parolees, and probationers cannot be ordered to attend AA. Court of Appeals stated that a parolee who was ordered to attend AA had standing to sue his parole office.

What Does It Take To Stay Sober Long Term?

Eventually, he gained formal adoption and inclusion of the Twelve Traditions in all future editions of the Big Book. At the 1955 conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Wilson relinquished stewardship of AA to the General Service Conference, as AA grew to millions of members internationally. AA maintains neutrality towards the disease model of alcoholism though its program is sympathetic to it, still, its wider acceptance is due in part to many AA members independently promulgating it. Understanding why we used alcohol and confronting the extent of the problem are necessary steps for lasting change to occur. Seeing a mental health professional can be a great asset, especially if you are diagnosed with a mental illness . They can help to identify how mental illness played into excessive consumption of alcohol and provide specific methods for overcoming those challenges.

When I pat your dog, I am not chasing “dog patter’s high,” I am just patting the dog. I have been interested in this topic since I got sober—often doing my own online research—and I have never heard anyone talk about this conundrum. But I think it’s an important factor to understanding long-term recovery. Even though AA hasn’t been the route I’ve taken, I agree that it works if you work it. If you are committed to finding the addiction treatment, therapies, or plans that work best for you, you will have a better chance at success.

Sober Mommies Support Group

The Instagram account, run by Erin Shaw Street who is a seasoned media professional, criticizes other websites and media who are promoting alcohol in an unhealthy way. But beyond that, Tell Better Stories is forming a community of women who understand that lifestyle media and female-centric marketing promoting alcohol is highly problematic. It reinforces the community aspect of recovery, helping you surround yourself with others who have the same goal, so you’ll be more likely to stick to it yourself. The community reinforces that it’s okay to fail so long as you get back up again, which makes it feel non-judgmental and supportive. The forums of Sober Recovery are a great place for people with substance use disorder to find assistance and helpful information. The community has more than 168,000 people who are recovering from substance use disorder and/or codependence, as well as their friends and family. Plus, their website offers resources including a suggested reading list, blog posts, and other articles and essays.
sober without aa
They are best for people who have a high motivation to recover and cannot leave their responsibilities at home, work, or school. Because alcoholism is often linked to depression, sober without aa consider getting your body moving to help boost your mood. SMART Recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. It aims to support those that give up alcohol use.

And for sure, I agree that some of the strangest and angriest people like to be sponsors. My first sponsor was a kind and gentle woman, a friend. That’s how I am in the rooms, and some people don’t approve of my methods. If you have started your alcohol and drug recovery journey, you will know how hard it was to get there. Maintaining lasting sobriety is sober without aa more than saying no to drugs or alcohol. It’s about creating lasting changes in your life to live a happy and healthy life. I don’t believe in God or a Higher Power or spirituality of any kind. All of these things taken in sum cannot make me a dry drunk. Because when I stopped drinking, I filled that gaping chasm in my life with the opposite of drinking.

Why is abstinence important for recovery?

Abstinence, on the other hand, allows the brain to reset itself, which gives individuals a fair chance at making a full recovery. Abstinence benefits the addiction recovery process because avoiding drugs and alcohol: Removes all forms of temptation.

Kept me from my full potential as a person by telling me I am an addict. I read the Big Book many times and all it did was remind me of negative triggers. I do not identify myself as an addict anymore but a man who is a new creation. I don’t talk like an addict, think like an addict, use like and addict so why call myself an addict and limit myself to that mold. I work in mental heath recovery and do some addiction recovery. The spiritual was important to me but it was not enough to make me well. Says you can make a God of your own understanding. Well what if your God says porn and smoking and a bad diet and toxic relationships are O.K. As long as you stay sober.Well for me I found a more clear definition of who God was and A.A.s version never worked for me. Oh it worked to stay sober but I wanted more than sobriety.

Substance abuse can have its toll on your physical and mental health. Now you are in recovery, priorities change, and you can now focus on self-care. Staying physically active and maintaining a nutritious diet are essential for making you feel good throughout sober living. When you first choose to live a new sober life, you will want to do everything to prevent a relapse. But a relapse for people who are new to recovery is very prevalent and by no means indicates a failure. About 80% of people who Sober Home have found long-term sobriety have experienced at least one relapse throughout their recovery process. One study found that mutual support groups can be as effective as 12-step programs and may help improve the odds of success for people who are committed to maintaining a lifetime of total abstinence. Being happy with a sober life means replacing your unhealthy drug or alcohol addiction with meaningful, fulfilling activities. Recovery is about much more than living a drug or alcohol-free life.
sober without aa
2) For an individual with a psychiatric disorder, the AA program is counterproductive to clean living and exacerbates the symptoms, particularly encouraging dependency on others. This is the absolute worst direction for an individual with a personality disorder. I recall the moment I finally began to realize AA is a religious cult, forever stuck in the past. It was the time a young fellow walked into our Friday night meeting … that meeting, a small gathering at the same location for over 30 years, consisted of assorted non-religious types looking to stay clean. By AA’s own data, the one-year recidivism rate for the “program” is 95%. That is, after one year, 95% of folks who came into AA’s front door are back drinking. The success rate for non-attendees is better than AA’s. Many of the activities that make for a healthy routine are also effective for relapse prevention.

When it came time for the meeting he sat down next to me. I felt my hackles rise and knew that if I didn’t leave the meeting I was going to thump him. Many times there is shouting, anger and self defeating brainwashing that often makes me feel leaving worse than when I arrived. I am no saint btw, but I never try and demean people for the sake of my own soulsickness. I try and live a good , honest life and so far the wheels haven’t fallen off.

With the support of family members, other loved ones, and healthcare professionals, you can get and stay sober. SMART Recovery is a sober community that focuses on helping individuals through group meetings. Their philosophy is largely focused on using cognitive behavioral therapy to change bad habits surrounding alcohol use disorder, eating disorders, sex addictions, and more. Traditional Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings have helped millions of people over the past eight decades. With a network that spans the world, AA is almost always the first alcohol recovery program people think of. And, for many, AA is a wonderful resource that offers a strong community of peer support as well as a step-by-step program that can help you get and stay sober. Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you took this brave step toward sobriety in the first place.

I wanted to move forward and face bigger challenges, and I have. I haven’t died or ended up in an institution like members threatened. I’d say my life is healthier now than it ever was in AA. I have had continous sobriety and have been an active participant all this time. My life is good and I am a stable, strong and successful woman… a far cry from the shy young woman who could not cope with her life so many years ago. I have been cutting down on meetings in the past year, going to one a week and I am seriously considering quitting AA for good. I am simply tired of rehashing the same old sad story …. It ‘s been so many years… I fully accept that drinking is not an option for me, but I am tired of carrying the label of being a sick and broken person for life!

Before coming to AA, 63% of members received some type of treatment or counseling, such as medical, psychological, or spiritual. After coming to AA, 59% received outside treatment or counseling. Of those members, 84% said that outside help played an important part in their recovery. More informally than not, AA’s membership has helped popularize the disease concept of alcoholism which had appeared in the eighteenth century. All 12th Step calls that come to the Central Office are handed to sober AA members who have volunteered to handle these calls. It also maintains service centers, which coordinate activities such as printing literature, responding to public inquiries, and organizing conferences. Other International General Service Offices (Australia, Costa Rica, Russia, etc.) are independent of AA World Services in New York. 5) The peer group in AA is not a healthy or positive environment for an individual who wants to make changes. There are many people with decades of “recovery’ whose lives are anything but manageable. They have nothing to offer and often are parasitic.
So, for this milestone, I’d like to share some insight about the program of Alcoholics Anonymous based entirely on my own experience. In communicating with people considering sobriety, preconceived notions about AA are the most common point of disinterest in making the change for themselves, and I understand why. If you or a loved one is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, please contact us today. At Cirque Lodge, we understand that addiction differs for everyone and that treatment needs to reflect this. Our medical experts will work with you to design an individualized substance abuse treatment plan. It can be overwhelming to think of long-term sobriety, but taking it day by day and looking at the shorter goals makes sobriety much more manageable. Focus on today; make it your day, not a day focused on drug or alcohol abuse. Living a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can be detrimental to staying sober. It’s essential to create a daily and weekly schedule; maybe this is waking up and going to sleep at the same time every day. Once you decide to stay sober, there are likely things in your past that cause you to feel guilt and shame.

Klonopin is the brand name for a drug called clonazepam. A central nervous system depressant, Klonopin is an effective anti-anxiety medication used in the short-term treatment of anxiety and panic disorders, and in preventing some types of seizure disorders. We know that recovery is a lifelong process, and our treatment does not end when you leave our center. It is vital to learn from these past mistakes, don’t harbor the feelings, and speak to your loved ones and anyone else you believe you have hurt. This will help you move past these toxic thinking patterns. All content created by Alcohol Rehab Help is sourced from current scientific research and fact-checked by an addiction counseling expert. However, the information provided by Alcohol Rehab Help is not a substitute for professional treatment advice. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery are open to anyone with a substance abuse problem. Partial hospitalization programs are sometimes referred to as intensive outpatient programs . Alcohol and drug addiction is not easy to overcome.
Eco Sober House
Some of them offer AA but don’t force participation in it because they also offer other programs. Others will compel you to participate in their AA program whether you want to or not. If you don’t like the principles of AA, look for rehabs that won’t make you attend their meetings if you don’t want to or better yet, don’t offer AA at all. CBT is one of the best ways to treat drug or alcohol abuse. This scientifically proven treatment teaches you how to regulate your emotions and end self-destructive cycles. You take control of your mind back from addiction. For those struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, AA and its sister groups are some of the most popular programs for getting sober. In fact, as of 2019, over 2 million people worldwide went to AA. In sobriety, you are growing, which is often uncomfortable. It is common for people to feel like they need to replace one habit with another, like swapping out drinking for some other random thing to fill the space and time.

No Comments

Post A Comment

Learn How to Become a Partner