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re: Do any of y'all go to AA/NA/CR meetings or worked the steps?
Posted on 5/3/23 at 8:31 am to DavidTheGnome
Posted on 5/3/23 at 8:31 am to DavidTheGnome
Congrats on finishing Treatment. The 12 step programs including AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery have been shown to help. The most important part is getting in a program that there are people you can relate to or talk to. That's why NA was separate from AA. But there are a lot of people with Opioid Use Disorder who like AA better than NA.
I had a patient who was in Intensive Out Patient who was in her early 70s and we were talking and she said she wasn't getting much out of AA. WE talked about it and the AA she was going to was almost exclusively Gays or Lesbians. We found her one we some ladies at a Church
I had a patient who was in Intensive Out Patient who was in her early 70s and we were talking and she said she wasn't getting much out of AA. WE talked about it and the AA she was going to was almost exclusively Gays or Lesbians. We found her one we some ladies at a Church
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Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:05 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
Also just my opinion I wish they didn't separate AA and NA
The one I've attended included some individuals from NA which I thought was cool. Different addiction, but still addiction. Cool to hear similar but different stories and struggles.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:20 am to DavidTheGnome
Glad to hear it man. I am roughly 18 months sober now. Had a really bad 3-year stretch with alcohol as it just finally caught up to me. Had a couple seizures as a result. Nevertheless...recovery is difficult but unbelievably rewarding. If you put it #1 you essentially will have everything you have every wanted. Like someone said earlier, fix whats between your ears...all those terrible habits. Humility has changed my life personally. Makes life so much less stressful. I am proud of you even though I do not know you. 
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:20 am to redfieldk717
quote:
12 years - some meetings are healthier than others. Find a home group with committed people who focus on the solution and not the problem.
Quit procrastinating on doing the steps. A lot of relief in your future as you complete each one.
Get to a point in your life where you aren’t dependent on meetings to stay sane. Your substance of choice is a symptom of your problem. Fix what’s between your ears so you can go out and live life. If you have to go to a meeting every day or you’ll go crazy, after some substantial length of sobriety, you haven’t made any progress.
This guy gets it. I’ve only got a year and a half, but so much work was put into fixing the anxiety, depression and fear that was causing the drinking that it changed me so profoundly that I don’t need constant meetings. I have a weekly meeting that I go to and will hit a Saturday Men’s meeting occasionally or go to birthday night every couple months.
Getting the right home group is so important. My first meeting was at a group that was just like you see in the movies, only thing missing was the cigarette smoke. Depressing and problem focused so I found a new group where everyone has such a great outlook, but still acknowledges their struggles.
I get that the program’s not for everyone, but 90% of the people who say that haven’t actually tried, they’ve sat in a couple meetings and bailed.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:20 am to supadave3
quote:
This scares me death.
I was scared of it for a long time until I wasn’t. Fortunately I didn’t drink out of control for very long this time.
I let an argument with some old timers in AA turn into resentment that drove me away years ago. The thought of “maybe I’m not a drunk and can handle it now” crept into my head a few years ago and eventually eroded my defenses against the first drink. As time went on I became more irritable and eventually said frick it I’m testing this.
It took about a month then I was drinking everyday. My wife is also in recovery so I was hiding it from her but of course she busted me. I put it down about 6 weeks ago and been to a few meetings since but I need to buckle down and commit or I’ll drink again at some point.
The scariest thing about this last go around is that nothing really bad happened. I didn’t drink long enough for my health to fall apart again. Didn’t lose a job or anything financially. When my wife found out she told me to quit or leave so that’s really the only external consequence. I had plenty internal battles though and still do
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:25 am to Tbonepatron
I heard an old old timer say 2 weeks ago that 1 out of 17 people make it to a second meeting (where he got that info is beyond me). Not sure of a time frame or is there's one at all so I'm not entirely sure how accurate that is. However, it wouldn't surprise me if it's true
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:27 am to redfieldk717
quote:
I went to Palmetto and ended up staying in NELA for several years afterwards.
I too went to Palmetto about 8 years ago. I was only there about 3 weeks but I got what I needed out of it. Went back home and did an outpatient program for 6 weeks and I was good.
I got drunk every night for 20 years straight before i went but was very functional. I never drank during the day, always went to work, etc. I just got fricking tired of drinking and I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. After I quit drinking I lost 60 pounds and got healthy enough to completely reverse the symptoms of the diabetes.
I never went to one AA meeting after I left Palmetto. I just didn't feel like I needed it. I'm an atheist so the whole "higher power" thing was something I just couldn't do.
I completely changed my life though and haven't had a drink in almost 8 years. I know AA helps a lot of people but it just wasn't for me and I don't think everyone needs it to quit drinking or drugs.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:28 am to wasteland
quote:I get this. I'm actually in IOP (intensive outpatient rehab) right now and we meet from 6-845pm 3 times a week. It's about a 3 1/2 month process. I'm trying to get to the root causes (the whys if you will) of why I drink as much and as hard as I do. Like has been said, it's between my ears, feelings, emotions, inaccurate presumptions and so on.
The scariest thing about this last go around is that nothing really bad happened. I didn’t drink long enough for my health to fall apart again. Didn’t lose a job or anything financially. When my wife found out she told me to quit or leave so that’s really the only external consequence. I had plenty internal battles though and still do
ETA: and I've been to 3 medical inpatient rehabs which supported the AA program, 2 faith based inpatient rehabs and completed one 6 week round of IOP before so this isn't my first rodeo
This post was edited on 5/3/23 at 9:40 am
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:29 am to Bama and Beer
quote:
I heard an old old timer say
You point your finger at someone....you got three pointing right back at you.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:30 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
Right that’s what I said? Open meetings are open to discussion of alcohol and drugs. Closed meetings you can only talk about alcohol.
Incorrect. Closed meetings are only for those with a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are for those with a desire to stop drinking, family, guests or those unsure. I know you’re new to recovery so I won’t be a hard arse about it but you need to grab a 12 and 12 and read the traditions. Especially as it pertains to singleness of purpose.
I’m not saying addicts shouldn’t go to AA because many times the AA community is much larger than NA. The whole reason AA and NA are 2 separate things is because of singleness of purpose.
If you read up on the creation of AA and all the literature it explains how organizations before AA got away from just treating alcoholism and ultimately failed. The traditions are there to protect AA and keep it alive for the next struggling alcoholic.
The inclusiveness you’re describing is much more NA like where they see all drugs as equal but I promise there’s a good reason both organizations exist. Just like OA, CA, MA, SAA and GA. Same basic 12 steps however the magic of recovery happens when one drunk helps another, an addict helps an addict etc.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:31 am to wasteland
quote:
wasteland
You sound like my sponsor
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:34 am to wasteland
quote:I paraphrased this in many less words on page 3
Incorrect. Closed meetings are only for those with a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are for those with a desire to stop drinking, family, guests or those unsure. I know you’re new to recovery so I won’t be a hard arse about it but you need to grab a 12 and 12 and read the traditions. Especially as it pertains to singleness of purpose.
I’m not saying addicts shouldn’t go to AA because many times the AA community is much larger than NA. The whole reason AA and NA are 2 separate things is because of singleness of purpose.
If you read up on the creation of AA and all the literature it explains how organizations before AA got away from just treating alcoholism and ultimately failed. The traditions are there to protect AA and keep it alive for the next struggling alcoholic.
The inclusiveness you’re describing is much more NA like where they see all drugs as equal but I promise there’s a good reason both organizations exist. Just like OA, CA, MA, SAA and GA. Same basic 12 steps however the magic of recovery happens when one drunk helps another, an addict helps an addict etc.
But this was much better explained
This post was edited on 5/3/23 at 9:35 am
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:35 am to Bama and Beer
Bama and Beer, I would say abandon all preconceived thoughts about AA and throw yourself balls deep into meetings and steps. I’ve helped quite a few drunks I’ve the years like you and there’s usually some reservations or refusing to do something that causes the person to keep drinking. Many times it’s step 4 or step 9 but to me the quickest way to drinking is hesitation to work step 12.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:39 am to wasteland
I've been to many AA meetings in a lot of different places. Some great groups and some not so great ones which I didn't return. I've made it to step 9 and only made a few amends... I chicken shitted out and eventually started drinking again.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:43 am to Bama and Beer
Amends are tough man. Most people understand but some are less forgiving. Some people believe you have to make every amends but I don’t believe that. Step nine says to make the amends except when to do so would injure others. Sometimes there’s no way to make the amends without causing more damage so I deal with those a different way and try to make peace with it.
Step 12 will also keep your arse sober in tough times in my experience. And you should not wait to start working 12. It’s tough to drink when you’re helping someone else not drink
Step 12 will also keep your arse sober in tough times in my experience. And you should not wait to start working 12. It’s tough to drink when you’re helping someone else not drink
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:45 am to Slammy
quote:
You sound like my sponsor
Is that good or bad? Lol
Posted on 5/3/23 at 10:05 am to wasteland
quote:
Is that good or bad? Lol
It's very good. He has 30 years so he is all about the history which I find very beneficial.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 10:11 am to dukke v
quote:I agree with this 100% but I would say 99.8% of people won't work the steps if they don't have some kind of addiction.
Believe it or not, but 12 steps is not a bad way to live life even if you have never had an addiction. I’m on 18 months sober but do not attend meetings but I do work on steps.
And 18 months PJ
that is fan-fricking-tastic Posted on 5/3/23 at 10:13 am to Slammy
There's someone in a meeting I frequent who just celebrated 51 years sober last month and another guy hit his 46th year sober in April
Posted on 5/3/23 at 10:13 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
I'm working the steps but still on four, I started dragging my feet on it and making excuses which is drawing it out. My sponsor is really in depth with it too but he's great.
This is where a ton of people fall off, sit down this weekend and finish it all. It’s imperative to get through it quick
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