i had a friend i met in church.he was 5 years clean.i asked him how he did it he said he prayed and prayed that god would take the desire.he told me he had no desire to use anymore.i suggested he go to a meeting sometime with me but he said he got nothing out of it .he said he lived by the word.well that 5 yrs he was in prision and then a year he was on probation..i havent seen him but last time i visited he had a lot of unsavory people over so i left..shortly after his phones off..i dunno..doesnt look good.thats all i know i know about doing it on youre own.

All different types and degrees of "addiction". I know "addicts" who have stopped for years without help, who are dealing drugs, totally unscrupulous, yet used previously for many years. I know others who have desparately tried many forms of help, tried being spiritual, and are now dead from their addictions. The "Doctors Opinion"(AA BigBook), talks of many different types of aloholic/addict. The Solution outlined in the BigBook is intended for the "Hopeless" type, i.e. the type who go back drinking/using against their strongest will. I believe many "Addicts", are simply people who choose to live a lifestyle which includes using, If they decide to stop then they can do so-. They are not addicts of the "Hopeless" variety. *NB*Only my opinion/experience.

You know my answer. I tried on my own and was not successful at all. More than once in fact. What helped was the combination of rehab and a.a. for me. 12 years is a long time, and is not normal behavior.

PeterLondon speaks the truth, The disease of addiction/alcoholism is cunning, baffling, powerful. Educate yourself, read the big book of AA, the Dr's Opinion, and then the 1st 164 pages, it explains better than any medical text, or self help book the disease and how it manifests itself in addicts/alcoholics. Addiction has a body component, a mental component, and a spiritual component, when the "perfect storm" of these three components manifests itself in someone, then their chances of recovery, of getting past their addiction, of having a happy, joyous and free life are just above zero. The famous phychiatrist, Carl Jung, who worked with many, many alcoholics/addicts in his day, said this, (I quote loosely) The alcoholic/addict of the hopeless variety had to have a profound spiritural experience, one that displaces his current belief system, with a new one, in order to recover. Addiction is progessive, it gets worse over time never better. In my case I ran into trouble with cocaine in the early 90's, started having some consequences from my using, and NA was suggested to me, I showed up there for a couple of years, lost any desire to use, by just hanging out with other sober folks. Fast forward 5 years, picked up again, and 4 years later couldn't stop by myself, family intervened on me, sent me to treatment. That was 5 1/2 years ago, got out of treatment, showed up at some Cocaine Anonymous meetings, planning on doing what I had done before, but couldn't stay sober, in and out for 6 months, till I truly surrendered and owned my truth that I was powerless, and needed to become teachable to recover. The progessive nature of the disease was in play in me, and I had to do things differently this time, cause I was a full blown, hopeless addict. There is work outlined in the Big Book, that is a path to a Higher Power, a God of my understanding, that when I stay close to Him, he gets between me and my addiction. I now have almost 5 years in this new awesome life...

I know a few people who have done with the help of God.

you can always opt for God. He is the master counselor and healer and suffered on the cross, so He can identify exactly what you are going through. Read Beth Moore's Book "Getting out of the Pit". it was a HUGE help and answer for me.