Alcohol Recovery Without 12 Steps Community Group
This group was created to explore various recovery paths for Alcoholism. We generally chose to explore paths outside of the AA model, or ones which incorporate, but are not limited to AA. Anyone wanting to learn and explore how to become free from alcohol addiction are welcome. Our main goal is to support each other with compassion and decency, while remaining open minded...
For those who might find this helpful or are interested. This is my favorite alternative version -- the least dogmatic and to me most sensible one that I have found.
"A Humanist Alternative to A.A.'s 12 Steps" by B. F. Skinner (Harvard University Scientist) From July/August 1987 Humanist Magazine. http://www.minnesotarecovery.info/literature/agnost12.htm
1. We accept the fact that all of our efforts to stop drinking have failed.
2. We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help.
3. We turn to our fellow men and women, particularly those who have struggled with the same problem.
4. We have made a list of the situations in which we are most likely to drink.
5. We ask our friends to help us avoid those situations.
6. We are ready to accept the help they give us.
7. We earnestly hope that they will help.
8. We have made a list of the persons we have harmed and to whom we hope to make amends.
9. We shall do all we can to make amends, in any way which will not cause further harm.
10. We will continue to make such lists and revise them as needed.
11. We appreciate what our friends have done and are doing to help us.
12. We, in turn, are ready to help others who may come to us in the same way
"A Humanist Alternative to A.A.'s 12 Steps" by B. F. Skinner (Harvard University Scientist) From July/August 1987 Humanist Magazine. http://www.minnesotarecovery.info/literature/agnost12.htm
1. We accept the fact that all of our efforts to stop drinking have failed.
2. We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help.
3. We turn to our fellow men and women, particularly those who have struggled with the same problem.
4. We have made a list of the situations in which we are most likely to drink.
5. We ask our friends to help us avoid those situations.
6. We are ready to accept the help they give us.
7. We earnestly hope that they will help.
8. We have made a list of the persons we have harmed and to whom we hope to make amends.
9. We shall do all we can to make amends, in any way which will not cause further harm.
10. We will continue to make such lists and revise them as needed.
11. We appreciate what our friends have done and are doing to help us.
12. We, in turn, are ready to help others who may come to us in the same way
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
"Look at your past behaviour and think about making amends. Repay money owed â?? accept any blame that is yours for any bust-ups with family or close friends and maybe make reconciliation where possible/desirable. Remember that this is for their benefit not yours â?? consider that some people will be content never seeing you again."
Maybe thats my character flaw.
I do hope I can be there for someone else who is struggling with the same problem. that is some goodness that can come out of me ruining years of my life.
2. We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help.
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AliasPandaBaby } It is a good one but still to many steps for me. I am already stuck on #1. We accept the fact that all of our efforts to stop drinking have failed. In my drunkard mind that just tells me if all has failed I better get my butt to the liquer store and get some Voddie {
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Good point. #1 might better be worded
"1. We accept the fact that all of our efforts ON OUR OWN to stop drinking have failed."
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I feel that I need outside help to remain sober -- for me A.A. and non-A.A. groups help here. I don't even mind calling the groups a Power Greater Than Myself (in that several people have more to offer than one person). Where I have a problem in the original A.A. Steps is when it gets to having to turn my will and my life over to the care of a prayer-answer favor-dispensing deity who will remove our shortcomings, restore us to sanity, manage our lives (pertinent idea #3), care for us, love us (Tradition 2), listen to our prayers, and guide our groups (Tradition 2).
"1. We accept the fact that all of our efforts ON OUR OWN to stop drinking have failed."
I cannot accept the fact that all efforts on my own have failed. It did not happen over night but neither did the drinking become a problem over night. In my efforts I made on my own I have found with myself a way to fight this demon alcohol. In my own efforts I have come to terms to not drink and each passing day it has become easier as I keep apply what works for me.
As far as the amendments I don't agreee with AA that one needs to dredge up every regretful event of their life that happened when they where drinking. I think a person with morals has already made many amends where they feel needed though their life due to being drunk or not. What is the need to drudge these up again if the two parties have come to agreable terms already? None. Due to being this way before my drinking turned into a problem I already applied this to my life and had no need to apply this to stop drinking.
I find looking for demons that are not there more negative to one making efforts to not drink. If I had to fit into every step of AA as they see it I would have to start lieing to fit in to be and alcoholic. Lieing isn't and option of change to me.
Under the guidance of a Therapist I go into the past to see what happened in "early" life to make me act the way that I act today. In my therapy the past that i go into is my formative years the predrinking days.
You could argue though that more than one set of steps is needed. If someone came to the opinion that they were "powerless over alcohol and their lives were unmanageable" then they should indeed be following the AA 12 steps.
In any event I think that it is up to the person to decide on the steps they should follow, if any.
I'm quite receptive to 'plans of action' (I am a list maker) so I like the idea of following a program that focuses on my mental health (I have tried counselling 3 times. Yes, my daddy didn't love me but analysing it to death has never helped me). The steps themselves seem pretty random.