Hello sugar1189,

There are very many people who get sober every day without ever going to AA. There are many more who struggle with sobriety and cannot succeed no matter how hard they try and where all else has failed it has been found that AA can help these people.

AA is not a magic cure for alcoholism but it does offer you a path to sobriety. Much depends on being willing, committed and open-minded and making full use of what AA has to offer. Yeah, the people in AA are an odd lot they are nearly all alcoholics.

AA can help in several ways. The meetings are a support mechanism and it has been found that associating with other people who understand and do not judge can help an alcoholic to stay sober. My own experience has been that I found it impossible to stop drinking on my own and what had been impossible became almost easy once I went to meetings. At that time I didnt even believe in AA.

Going to meetings is a positive thing to do but meetings alone are often not enough to solve the alcohol problem. The solution comes from a programme of recovery that enables an alcoholic to change his or her way of thinking. Unfortunately many who go to AA meetings will not learn about the recovery process and they may relapse as a result. The road to success entails getting a sponsor who can take you through the Twelve Steps and then putting what you have learned into practice. The rewards that come from trying to practice the AA principles are great and limited only by the effort you are prepared to put into it.

You will read many opinions about AA, some positive and some negative but you will not know the truth until you experience it for yourself. Dont just give AA a go give it everything and you will be glad that you did.

Through the 12 steps of AA, I was able to slowly strip away parts of my ego that were responsible for making me drink and drug. This brought me closer to my spiritual core. That made it much easier to stay away from drugs and alcohol and things began happening in my life, I had no explanation for. I was getting the things I needed and just the right times in my life! There were alot of little miracles that helped me out along the way.

I can honestly say, the 12 steps saved my life and gave me a happiness I never thought possible. Doing the steps was my saving Grace and I live by the 12 steps every day of my life. To me they are a blueprint for success, and flexible but not binding in any way. We are free to progress at our own pace. It is a journey I am happy to take and I welcome anyone who walks this road with me!

God Bless!

Giday S89, first up for the record I am sober thanks to the program of AA.

However, for me the important thing is not which program used to become sober but to believe in that program. When I read many posts on how they got sober the thing that comes through to me is they all believe in the way sobriety was achieved.

Not surprising I got sober in AA, why would I need to use another program?? Of course I believe in the program of AA.

Whatever program you choose, you need to do what is suggested. The program of AA is not sitting in a room listening to a bunch of drunks, the program is the 12 steps and doing them honestly and to the best of your ability. I imagine this would be true for other programs.

So in the end the belief in the program has to underpin the recovery.

Good Luck G8.

I have been looking into Rational Recovery and therapy, which gives a lot of insight into the addictive voice. Maybe try a few things and see what works. It is hard to go it alone, I tried for quite sometime and have also found AA to be both good and bad for my sobriety. Hang in there!!

I did it on my own. I tried AA it was an absolute failure. If it is not you path it will not work. Going on you own has the same success rate as AA.
Group therapy is not my cup of tea it works for others. There are other groups besides AA, if that is your path.

AA and any other recovery group/programme all have their own path. AA was - still is - wonderful for me. I went to meetings to get help, support and find someone who had taken the path before me to go through the 12 Step programme of recovery. It's the programme, not the people or the meetings that got me sober, although the people and meetings are very helpful. The programme teaches me to live and think in a way that does not have me reaching for a bottle. It teaches me great values and problem solving techniques that I missed out on during all the years when drink was my only escape.

Now I don't want any escape - I've learned to have a fun and peaceful life sober. That's the gift that was given to me that I freely pass on.

Other ways didn't help me or I didn't give them my all - it took trial and error before I threw my lot in with AA and got a whole lot more back.

AA provided me with an alcohol free safe zone for a time. I learned a lot of practical things and met good people that helped empower me to stay sober. However, for me, I view the 12 steps themselves negatively...

After a time, my life filled up with other activities and I stopped attending meetings (after about 5 years). I kept a few of my AA friends, well those that would remain friends with me after I stopped attending meetings.

Basically, I view AA's strength much as any other social club with a common interest (i.e. yoga class, gardening club, bowling league, etc.) where people gather to learn and support each other. Some stay in the group for life, others move on once they learn the basic skills, and still others bounce in and out (after relapsing or not) as the need arises...

For me, the things that constitute my sober lifestyle and their priority changes over time.

Aa just saved my arse. I needed the structure of a meeting every day at 430 to stay out of the bar. Then I would drive home at 530 and make it one more day.

Drinking was like the Death Star. I just had to get enough space between me and it to not have myself attracted back to the death

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I have made friends that I would walk thru fire for

Something that's great about AA, if I don't like a particular meeting I can always find another.

It fills time.
It helps you meet people that are suffering like you.
And it teaches you how to live honestly and rightly...without a drink.

AA has some really good things about it and some other things that can make someone with an alcohol problem uneasy. I never stayed in AA longer than 3 months at a time, but I did learn some really helpful things and it is really good to have people who are sober around for support, maybe give it another chance. I know I'm going to.

I went to AA when I finally ran out of excuses.

I sat and listened for six months. Then the powers of the program took over. I got a sponsor, and worked the steps. More importantly the fellowship of being around great alcoholics who no longer drink, is the key to my sobriety.

You got to AA not to hear about sobriety, but to hear what happens to people who go out.

If the one meeting you went to sucks, find another, and then another. Vary your locations and times til you find others you identify with. Once you identify with someone, find their best meetings.

I am sober thanks to the program of aa.
I go to as many meetings as I can and my home group helps me feel connected to others who are recovered and to help when I can for those who are in need. I'm of service, I have commitments, and I have friends who understand when I want to talk, or ask for help.
I don't like every aa meeting as much as my home group but I've found every meeting I was willing to show up for with an open mind, helpful.

AA did not help me. I found the meetings depressing and the 12 steps too religious and in conflict with my beliefs.

I am happily sober without it.

Sharing my experience to hopefully help others and listening to others experiences is how meetings help me to stay sober. People are odd everywhere and that fact doesn't keep me from going anywhere.