How to Quit Drinking Without Going to AA

You see, I have bipolar disorder and AA attendance & “guidance” prevented me from getting a correct dx and treatment. If there was a god, all the praying I did never removed it. Just woke up and decided to not live that way anymore.

I am grateful for the program for helping ,e to realize my sobriety – now I’m off to live it. Still quite isolated and miserable, I joined AA for the social contact. Most people in AA seem to be spiritually damaged. They don’t like the fact that God made it so easy for me to quite drinking and I get a lot of grief for sharing my experiences, strengths and hopes.

Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t the only way to get sober, and may not be the best.

Additionally, Alcoholics Anonymous offers a community of fellow recovering individuals who can offer support, advice, and fellowship. Alcoholics Anonymous also provides support through its 12 step programs, which can help addicts live sober lives. Even if you choose not to go to AA meetings, you can still live “one day at a time.” When you live one day at a time, sobriety does not appear as impossible. You can focus on short-term sobriety, staying sober for 24 hours at a time. Most addiction support groups are peer-run without the guidance of a professional.

• If you believe, like I do, excessive drinking is really just a bad habit for many, then abstinence only is doomed to fail.
• This kind of soul searching can be scary at times—but it’s also thrilling.
• You might say, “I’m really proud of you,” or “I’m so happy to see you succeed.” Avoid asking questions that are too personal or focusing on the negative aspects of their substance use.
• There are many other ways to get and stay sober.
• You will increase your chances of success if you find others who are like-minded and share your goals.
• I only wish there were better alternatives for people looking to be sober.

I can tell you from my personal experience that AA really works for the people who go on a regular basis, get involved with the program and work the 12 Steps. I have seen the results of many alcoholics who stay sober by following the program.

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When you detox, you deal with ridding your body of dependency on drugs or alcohol. Whether you are starting your sober life, take things one day at a time. I did some research and couldn’t find any reliable statistics about the percentage of people who stay sober from Alcoholics Anonymous. Wikipedia has some information about research but the results were inconsistent. AA publishes a survey every three years but it is more about how many people remain in the program.

Your sobriety is your own, and how you do it is entirely up to you. Many more modern “sobriety programs” exist that are suitable solutions for people seeking sobriety with others without the issues mentioned above, such as SMART Recovery. There are also many online support groups full of friendly strangers ready to cheer you on, answer your questions, and support you without judgment. Shout out toSoberPunks Gang – The Quit Drinking Club. To remain sober, it’s good to develop more healthy relationships, whether with new friends or spending more time with sober friends. Your sponsor must be a member is good standing and who has already completed the steps.

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Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t remain in the program and give it a chance to work for them. Fortunately for get sober without aa me, I have spent quite a bit of time developing relationships and building a bit of a life outside of rooms.

To avoid relapse and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships. You may also need to change your route to work or home in order to avoid any triggers, or people, places, or things that make you want to use drugs or drink again.

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It also promotes confidence and structure, which are important to recovery. For example, a lot of people don’t feel comfortable with the religious aspects of AA. AA isn’t explicitly religious, but it did grow out of a Christian organization called The Oxford Group. To ensure that all of our content is credible and thoroughly legitimate, it is medically reviewed and fact-checked for complete accuracy. Due to our rigorous sourcing guidelines, we only link to government entities, educational institutions and medically peer-reviewed journals and/or studies.

Recover from addiction at home with medication and online therapy––from the leader in virtual addiction care. If none of these options sound good to you, you can build the recovery community you feel is lacking in the world. Start a group in your area or on a social networking site like Facebook, and watch it grow. •Smart Recovery is a self-empowering addiction recovery support group. Staying sober duringtriggering events, like parties, weddings,holidays, vacations, and when out with friends who drink, can be tough. Drugs and alcohol might havelimitedyour options for fun and recreation.

SMART Recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. It aims to support those that give up alcohol use. However, some may be put off by AA due to its emphasis on a higher power or https://ecosoberhouse.com/ abstinence. Long-term sobriety is a relative term—it means different things to different people. But many people consider long-term sobriety to be sobriety that has lasted at least one year.

• Certain people, places and things might remind you of when you used to use substances, and you should work to avoid these things.
• SMART Recovery is a sober community that focuses on helping individuals through group meetings.
• We have placed the sandbags, we have carried the stones.
• An important part of recovery is addressing these issues and setting boundaries.
• Those that knew me back then will attest to my booze holding ability.

You’ll live in safe, substance-free housing and have access to professional medical monitoring. There are plenty of benefits to relapse prevention and treatment programs.

Can You Get Sober Without AA?

All Alcoholrehabhelp content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible. When combined with other evidence-based therapies , MAT can help prevent relapse and increase your chance of recovery. Outpatient programs are often part of aftercare programs once you complete an inpatient or PHP program.

• I always thought it was strange that AA seemed very “God” based, but since it did not directly affect me or my family, I didn’t really care.
• I’ve seen what it does to their bodies, families, and livelihoods.
• Support is available in self-help groups across the U.S. and abroad, as well as in an online forum.
• For one, Alcoholics Anonymous is, well, anonymous—some members don’t participate for fear of breaking anonymity.
• As you can see, there are many alternatives to AA.
• We focus on whole health not just the spiritual.

HAMS stands for Harm Reduction, Abstinence, and Moderation Support. As the name suggests, the organization doesn’t dictate either abstinence or moderation, it simply encourages people to be safe and responsible in their attitudes to alcohol. It does this through a book, online community resources, live meetings, and its “17 elements”—recommendations that can be completed in any order, none of which is compulsory. Elements include charting your drinking behavior and learning to have fun without booze.

Anyway, I am still glad that AA allowed me to stop being a drunk. If I had my time again, I don’t know what I would do. I only wish there were better alternatives for people looking to be sober. Anyway, I am just happy that I haven’t ended up in a mental hospital or dead like many of the AA members said I would if I left. I was drinking alcoholically by the age of 20 to the point of D.T’s. The man had suggested strongly and quite mean spirited that I should not attain a specific job position due to factors he felt about me that were wrong in his eyes.