I doubt if you have offended anyone. I think the reason the people are the way that they are is that sobriety is a life and death deal so people feel passionate about it and want everyone who struggles with alcoholism to have the best chance of getting sober.

Interestingly the AA program is about connecting with a power greater than yourself which many people call god. AA has no monopoly on acheiving a connection with god, the 12 steps are a tried and tested way to bring it about but by no means the only way.

i have noticed that many people who stay sober outside of AA still have spirituality as the core of their recovery. But i dont think it is just based on believing and praying to be sober. It takes a lot of work to truly live a spiritual life. But there are many ways of getting there.

Dont dismiss AA out of hand. Be open and then if you find you are ok without it thats great but if you are not then you will know there is a place to go. Most people in AA started off with some reason or another why they thought it wasnt for them but we mostly find that our reasons werent really valid in the end.

Obviously I am in AA but i am happy for you to message me anytime, I wouldnt try to push AA onto you at all.

Hello linda50,

I would second everything that Nicky has stated. Some people who are heavy drinkers but who are not addicted to alcohol can get sober on their own willpower but for many alcoholics willpower alone is not enough. It takes some sort of spiritual angle and as Nicky has said, there is more than one way to arrive at the destination.

Again, you have not offended anyone and even if you had it would still be okay for you to post here and make full use of what you can get from D.S. Hang around for a while and you will get plenty of people to talk to and if you keep an open mind you will certainly learn plenty.

The fact that you have a God in your life gives you a head start but that alone will not necessarily be enough to get you sober. I once heard a wise old guy at a meeting say that God will move mountains for you, but you have to bring your own wheelbarrow. That is where you may need a bit of help with things that you will have difficulty understanding or doing on your own. Again, this is not pushing AA and your choices are entirely yours but one place where you will get that help is in AA.

Look around for the alternatives and hopefully you will find something that works for you. In the meantime why not hang about here to see if it helps you. You can find a lot of encouragement here but people may sometimes tell you things that you dont want to hear that is because they are being honest with you and want to help. As alcoholics we can often be over-sensitive and react in the wrong way and that leads us to shut the door on many good things in life.

So, Linda lighten up a bit and have a laugh. Life is too short not to enjoy every day. Getting caught up in alcohol trouble will rob you of that enjoyment but it does not have to be like that. Listen to what people say, even if you dont always agree with them and the results will surprise you.

I hear you Linda !!!

A few years ago, I went into an A.A. site "lloking for help", but the truth is I was really pissed off at realizing that I had to quit drinking and took every remark made to me as a condescending kind of "you have got to be like us, or there's no point in talking to you" ...In other words, I was very defensiv ewhich is not to say that there are some A.A. members out there who really drive people who are still active away .. I'ts as if they feel hollier than God... But this is the case wherever you go... There are all kinds of people in every scenario ...If anyone took offense by whatever it was you said, then thats an issue that THEY have to work on ... Do not feel defeated or outcasted ... Keep trying ... Maybe A.A. is not the answer, but the program has worked for millions of people and DOES have some pretty good advice that you may profit from on your way to sobriety...Keep in mind that we do tend to feel that the whole world is against us poor souls...

Sincerely,
Polina Isabel ...

There is a good book call, "The 12 steps for everyone who really wants them!"

It will aide you in your spiritual journey through recovery.

Good Luck!

athough some of us may be a bit pushy about AA and being afilliated with the program i believe that it is only because AA has saved our lives and enabled ut to not only achieve sobriety but to also live a a life beyond ant expectations that we had ever hoped for while in the depths of alcoholism. I also believe that our passion is contrived from many efforts to stop drinking through a variety of forms with no success only to find our selves once again in the depths of this insidious disease. I knew god before AA but i never had aa dependence nor an understanding of god which i have today. Please dont leave here feeling as if you are different because you are not. This difference that you may believe in could very well kill you. If you are truly an alcoholic you are just like us. God Bless and best of luck in your endeavor to find true physical and emotional sobriety. I say this because I had found physical sobriety on many occasions but until i bcame willing to do my best in AA i had never had emotional sobriety.