I Outgrew AA and Still Stayed Sober Its More Common Than You Think
That’s why this community is a private, confidential Facebook group for those who want to find a new life. Its goal is to get rid of the stigma surrounding alcohol use disorder for everyone who wants to quit, including those who have failed once or twice before (like the community’s founder, Paul). Soberocity could be a great solution for you if you’re looking for an online community that occasionally also has live events across the country. Don’t feel trepidation if you’ve never spent time on Reddit.
Sit down and think about the people, places, and situations that make you want to drink. Think of ways not only to avoid them but also how to overcome those triggers if you face one unexpectedly. It’s vital to have wholesome, supportive relationships in your time of recovery.
Son’s Christmas dread after drink-driver killed dad
If the core of AA is meant to help people get and stay sober, it would adapt to a modern world and/or just stop denying that it is a program of God written by two sexist men that died ages ago. The fundamental belief of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is that we shouldn’t drink alcohol 100% of the time, works. I also think that, if possible, it is a great idea to make amends with the people and things that make you feel regret. It’s important to find a treatment program that works for you and to have a strong support system to help you through the recovery process. Additionally, some people may find AA’s group dynamics or principles too rigid or dogmatic.
- Don’t feel trepidation if you’ve never spent time on Reddit.
- Open communication channels keep you accountable and foster understanding among loved ones regarding your struggles.
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 (other than booze) can motivate your recovery. Whether this is some sort of spiritual program, giving back to your community, getting involved in recovery activism, is all up to you. What is important to remember here is that recovery is fluid. Our needs change, so our need for various support systems and interventions evolve as well.
Regular Exercise
The group is a friendly, safe space to talk about dreams and inspirations in sobriety as well as fears and regrets. This kind of soul searching can be scary at times—but it’s also thrilling. In terms of sobriety, it is essential to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ know that even if all you want is to believe in yourself, you are on the right track. You might not believe in yourself today, tomorrow, or next week. Still, if you’d like to believe in yourself, you have what it takes to do it.
Looking at old photographs may help some people stay clean and sober. This especially may help if people are thinking about taking a drink of alcohol. Sometimes, in recovery, people may feel run-down, tired, and unhappy. Of all the things that support my sobriety, one of the most critical is knowing that there are sober people are all around me, inside and outside formal programs like AA. From my very first meeting, I learned a lot about addiction and how my addictive nature manifests. I worked with a sponsor and did the Steps, which gave me tons of invaluable insight into myself and my experience.
Find Balance in Your Life
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 (or suspect that you might be). They can help to identify how mental illness played into excessive consumption of alcohol and provide specific methods for overcoming those challenges. It offers a variety of tools and techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and rational emotive behavior therapy, to help individuals overcome addiction.
This means that scientific research and evidence are used to support the techniques and methods that are promoted through this model. AA is spiritual in nature and calls on its members to turn their lives over to a higher power. This concept of spirituality in healing may not work for everyone.
According to research, these programs can be incredibly beneficial for long-term sobriety. When your life has a clear purpose, it’s easier to focus on and maintain that purpose. If you feel that your life (and what you do with it) matters, you will have powerful motivation to maintain your sobriety. To remedy this, I’ve found so much support online and have a bunch of online girlfriends who “get it” and know a few sober people on-on-one in real life, too. One of the most popular forms of alcohol addiction management and recovery support is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a 12-Step 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. The most common feedback I’ve received comes from people who want to be sober with others but do not want to partake in Alcoholics Anonymous. Online resources, such as podcasts and blogs, can also provide support and inspiration. It’s important to set boundaries for yourself and stick to them.
Everybody else in the room had faced severe consequences as a result of their alcohol abuse. From where I sat, I was nothing like them, meaning I was okay and didn’t really need help. Looking back, I’d have done better to seek out other resources aimed at people who want to reduce their alcohol intake. No support group aimed at quitting alcohol forever will work for you if you don’t really want to quit. This is the one thing that makes me feel I’d never really enjoy group meetings. Today I want to shed some light on my brief experience with the network and share 8 reasons why I chose to get sober WITHOUT AA.
- It can be as simple as your existing friend group who checks in on each other through text, or commiserating with online strangers on a sobriety memes account on social media.
- The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success.
- One of the biggest resources for women in recovery is She Recovers.
- Ultimately, finding some kind of support group or coaching program can make it much easier, and much less stressful, to stay sober long-term.
- They focus on methods that use both Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy components to engender change of self-destructive behaviors.
The program has in-person meetings in the US and Canada and other locations across the world. They also have online meetings for those that don’t getting sober without aa want to or can’t attend regular meetings. Many of the activities that make for a healthy routine are also effective for relapse prevention.