Re: without embracing God...

Hi Darkmeat,

I joined AA too! Mainly becasue I didn't want to drink anymore- I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So the God thing through me for aloop too. I had a similiar upbringing.

So I heard it was anything higher than myself - group etc. - its to get yourself out of yourself. so I hung in there...did what was suggested...

Fastforward 10 years - well things have changed I have been sober just a little over 10 years - glad I stayed and hung on to the group as my higher power. My life is just unbelieveable - My views are different on God now... but I wouldt be where I am today if I hadn't stayed to hear what I needed to hear.

Good luck on your journey...

Later

My experience with AA has been through my daughter. At the age of 27, she nearly died because of a heart condition which she had made worse by drug use. Her choices were to live clean and hope for a transplant or die if she kept using drugs, She has been drug free through AA for the last six months.

Whether she believes in God as her higher power or not, I still pray to him for her continued recovery.

Good luck in you continued journey...

N.

Dark, you still hanging in there?

Richard

All -

Thanks for all your support and comments! Yes, day 15 and going strong! BTW, I did try a therapist, but dumped her after one session; she's not the one.

Great job Darkmeat, I hope you can stay strong. I wish you the best of luck! I really hope that you can change your life around.

Best of luck,
Mike

Hi Darkmeat,

Glad you have 15 days...I found those first few months to be the hardest for me. Mainly best I am such a creature of habit. The old way just seems so much easier.

However a friend told me one day:
If you always do what you always done...
You will always get what you always gotten...
If there is no change...
There is no change...

I'm glad to hear you sought out a therapist - sure she was no good - there aren't many good ones out there...but it showed you wanted to try!

My experince has been - and this is one of the things I like about AA.

They tell the newcomer to get a sponsor - well first off most peple new to the program don't know what they are referring to. I didn't when I heard sponsor I thought immediately about a corporate sponsor like Coca Cola? However they mean someone that you can relate to -talk to one on one- no #######4 -how it is... the sponsor will help guide you - mainly becasue it 's one alcoholic sharing with another. they know the path we seek. We are basically all the same - and how do you find such a person - go to a meeting and listen to people talk...if someone strikes you as a person you can rap with -go say will you sponsor me! Genaral rule is the person will say yes...its that easy so you set up a time to chat get down to business and starting living!!! Everyone needs a guide when we are going into unchartered waters.

Recovery is about a journey through the dark part of the forest, about tears and heartbreak and an incredible sense of joy,
about learning how to be a child,
about opening the door that lets Life in,
about freedom from alchol, drugs addictions of all kinds.
It's about doing things, not thinking things.

Take Care My friend...

Island

15 days! I remember hitting 15 days.

My record prior to that was 13 days and change. I had to go back to being a Junior in High School to find a longer time without a drink.

Good deal man. Do tomorrow what you did today and get what you got yesterday. Oh, one other thought on sponsors, just like a therapist, you can let one go and pick up another. It’s all about progress.

Make valid choices in your life based on what produces that needed progress, and what does not.

Richard

My higher power in AA for a few years was just the group. To me the group had more power than me. By myself, I could not stay sober. With the group I was able to stay sober. There seemed to be some power that came to me when I went to meetings.

Sober alcoholics in AA are like any group of people: some are religious to an extreem, some are just a little religious, some are agnositic, some are athest. We are not alwys the best talkers. Some people in AA go to church a lot and like to talk about it, but no one is reguired to be religious.

We need some sort of higher power and that higher power can't be us--so we don't know all the answers, and we are not always right. So in other words if you can't take any advice from anyone or at least allow others to talk, you may have a rough time. Then again, if you know so much, how come you have a drinking problem. Today, I go to church, but that is my business--I do not go because I'm in AA.

Good Luck,
Jim S

There are viable alternative groups to AA.

All of them are smaller than AA. But, they do exist.

All are on line and have websites, face to face meetings, chat room and message board.

SMART Recovery
SOS
LifeRing
Women for Sobriety [ and men for Sobriety]

Those are abstinence based groups.