As I stated earlier, not all alcohol recovery programs have religious ties. I'm pretty sure statistics try to claim that majority quit on their own anyway, and some go even further to claim that calling Alcoholism "A Disease" actually makes people less capable of recovering on their own.
I'd handle it more like a behaviorist than anything related to faith if I had to face that myself.
Edit: "I think the total abstinence from a substance causes more relapse than learning responsible use."
It does. Stair-stepping down gradually, weaning, and even moderation each tend to turn over better results than going cold turkey.
Cold turkey however works for some people.
by possum12 stepping tries to condition out the addiction with Jesus and other people. As you stated, addiction is highly personal. These programs "work" for people who developed their addiction according to a specific pattern. I only know what you wrote here, but it sounds (personal, non-professional opinion) as if you want to stop but don't fit their pattern.
And, congrats on the sobriety :)
Thanks. I'm proud of myself.
The god stuff was actually pretty easy to swallow. I suppose I'm an atheist in the sense that I don't believe in supernatural things although I've never thought too much about it, as religion has never seemed worth investigating. My sponsor, and others explained to me that a higher power need not be Jesus or Buddha, but can be anything other than yourself. Simply put, my higher power is luck, fate, kismet, karma, chance- whatever you want to call it. A lot of folks, perhaps most, say that the group itself is their higher power. It needn't be a god or have anything to do with religion.
As far as patterns go, you're right, but also wrong. Addictions do follow patterns, but those patterns don't differ greatly between one alcoholic and the next. It's more like variations on a theme. One of the interesting and surprising things about AA is how similar everyone's stories are. There is no trick I've tried or lie I haven't heard from someone else in a meeting.
by TurncoatIt does. Stair-stepping down gradually, weaning, and even moderation each tend to turn over better results than going cold turkey.
Cold turkey however works for some people.
Cold turkey would have killed me. It was that bad by the end. I think most real alcoholics quit by stair-stepping or hospitalization.
"My sponsor, and others explained to me that a higher power need not be Jesus or Buddha, but can be anything other than yourself."
You see, it's that end portion that makes me not like it. I believe it could be done with the self as a driving force. Splitting your self from your progress is likely to have adverse effects when the self becomes a factor again, or when given a reason to doubt where you've invested your zeal.
"but those patterns don't differ greatly between one alcoholic and the next."
It depends on if disorders are thrown into the mix or not.
by Turncoat"Lucky" is a bullshit trait label for it that undermines the effort they put into it themselves. I'd argue it's closer to inner strength, something that's capable through hard work as opposed to a self-splitting conceptual investment.
Argue what you like. I don't pretend to have the answers. You may be right. I was just hoping to get some advice from ASPD folks in a similar situation. I still hope to.
by ChoakumchildArgue what you like. I don't pretend to have the answers. You may be right. I was just hoping to get some advice from ASPD folks in a similar situation. I still hope to.
I don't think I ever had problems with addiction. I used drugs (only legal of coruse) but never had a problem to stop.
But I can offer you some of my wisdom (i am drunk right now):
You won't change your life if you don't change yourself. You won't find a simple trick you can apply to get your habit under control. You have to change yourself/your perception/your values/something to fill the hole alcohol fills for you. Maybe you should try let go of all your other habits too and change a greater part of yoru life. Make new experiences and get new insights until you don't feel the need to escape boredom anymore.
This might sound crazy but there's no other way. Fact is that you failed to find a way how to live in harmony with your mind and that's why you restorted to drugs. As you said the problem isn't some fear or regret or problem from the past but your life that doesn't suit your mind.
Time to move your ass and get the stimulation you need. Life is too short to develop habits anyway.
by TurncoatWhat stops you from being able to do it yourself?
Speaking strictly for myself, I think my problem is inability to moderate my usage. Alcoholics have many little tricks and schemes for controlling their drinking. Here are a few I tried: drinking only wine, drinking only beer, drinking only hard liquor, drinking only at home, drinking only at bars, drinking only on odd-numbered days, drinking only on weekends, drinking only in other area codes, drinking only in other countries, drinking only alone, drinking only with friends. You get the picture, I think. AA encourages people new to the program to go out and try a little controlled drinking. If you can control it, great, no reason to come back. If you can't... you may have a problem.
I wish there were a better answer to give you, but the truth is, I don't really know why I can't do it alone. Fifteen years ago, I kicked a coke habit without the slightest difficulty. Alcohol, however has proven more cunning and baffling. It has been over 100 days since my last drink, but the obsession is still there.