12 Steps vs other methods in recovery

Making all of your amends will be the toughest thing you do.

Complete the program buddy, it will save your life.

It certainly did save mine.

7/20/16

Go to Church !

Wish I had advice for you man. But I’m proud of your accomplishments thus far. As you should also be.

Lost my brother to heroin OD last year and watching him fight that shite was tough. Hoping for better results for you

Just to say,
You sound so strong in this all around, I know you can adapt and overcome it.

quote:

---

I'm back and forth on the 12 steps. I'm on step 4. I know it's early on. I want to continue since so many swear by it, but I just don't feel it, it's hard for me to go in on something when I'm not completely sold on it.

---

Are you working on them with a sponsor? I don't like dictating to people on the particulars of working the program but I do think trying to work the steps without a sponsor with some experience and sobriety time is a bad idea

Also, as someone who loves AA, AA/12 steps are not the only way to get sober and you may find that something else works better for you

I wish you nothing but good things going forward

quote:

---

Any of you folks had hang ups? What did you do?

---

I'm a little over 3yrs sober (12/16/2020). I had tried AA in the past off and on and it never worked for me.

When I quit this time I white knuckled for 4 months and then did some group outpatient therapy that really helped for the next 4 months. It gave me the tools I needed to be successful long term.

Since then, I drink lots of La Croix and N/A Beers to crush any passing urges and otherwise keep an open dialogue with a few close friends about my struggles.

Anytime I start having some wandering thoughts, I play it forward and know where it'd end up. I like my life and don't want to go back to being a slave to alcohol.

My way certainly isn't for everyone, and I was pretty deep in the hole when I stopped (15ish beers/day), but it works for me.

Having said all that, AA is popular largely because it has helped so many people. Find the right group to be a part of in whatever capacity that means for you and lean into it. Remember, idle hands are the devil's playground.

It works if you work it

quote:

---

”Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program”

---

I read the book and went to meetings but internally fought everything about the program. I would half arse everything and considered myself to be too “smart” for the 12 steps to work for me. This approach led me to drink again. It wasn’t until I completely gave myself up to the program and did exactly what was asked of me that things changed.

Thats my experience, but I’m now coming up on 1 year after only being able to string together 3 months of sobriety a handful of times.

quote:

---

Do positive shite.
Gym. Coaching. Volunteering.

If you stumble, it's ok.

---

These two things.

Find some passion or something to keep you interested.

And remember you're only human.

Quitting is tough but it sounds like you've made the toughest steps already.

This is me personally. Take it however you want.

Meetings are total bullshite. You shouldn't have to go to a meeting to know if you wanna get clean. It's all up to yourself. You can't quit for your wife, your momma, etc. when you, yourself, are done with the drinking and or drugs then you can take the steps to recover. I don't need to read a book or go sit in a meeting for an hour to hear about war stories. I have my own. I'm the one responsible for me. It's all about answering one question, do you wanna get high today or do you wanna press on and continue to be sober. I have helped a few people on this very website. I have sponsored countless people. I've been clean 16 years. By doing it my way. Now that's not to say that meetings can't help you. They might. But personally they haven't helped me. Like at all. So the choice is yours.