Bal.

I am with you there, I had considered SAA but once I read the twelve steps and the concept that we are powerless over the addiction, it ended it for me.

I entered another recovery program, instead. Some of the things I disliked about it was that I had to go to meetings and discuss the addiction when I all wanted to do was to put it behind me, based on what other 12 steppers I would always be a recovering addict and that bothered me because if I no longer lived that life why would I still be recovering?, based on the Check In thread and the guy writes about it explaining it, it appears to me that the 12 steps keeps us from moving away from the addiction completely and based on what others have told me we have to continue going to meetings for the rest of our lives, it seems. That was a deal breaker for me because they believe in the "once an addict, always an addict" when I know we all have the ability to change.

It is possible to stay sober without it, I have been sober for 5 years but it is true that without a plan of action which I may add the 12 steps does not have in the sense of practical and full proof steps like making an air tight schedule, for example.

When I entered the recovery program of my choice, I only did the homework and reported my issues of the days and the steps I took to address the issue. I did not discuss the addiction, I did not want to give it anymore time than I already had.

Basically, the 12 steps was not for me because I have always been a practical critter and extremely independent so those 12 steps made no sense to me. It has helped others and that is great.

If you find something that works better for you, go with that as often say, there are a lot of ways to skin that addiction cat.

Hope this helps,
Wolf (5 years sober)

There is no reason to still attend meetings even if you do not do all the 12 steps. My husband did this for a year, but truthfully, after being sober for a while, he engaged a sponsor and began his 12 step journey.
For the time being, take what you can from the meetings and leave what doesn't work for you.
They are of value either way.
You can also try an online group like
recoverynation.com

what is it about the 12 steps that you dont like?
An accountability person (your best friend) can be very helpful in your recovery, someone to set up passwords, and someone to call if you are tempted to act out.

I never did SAA for practical and philosophical reasons, but I did find an effective path to recovery. I did participate in an online group at yourbrainrebalanced.com, which was helpful in offering alternate points of view from my own and giving me a place to vent when needed. It was also helpful to see other people succeeding to reassure me that success was possible.

Honestly, however, I don't think I would have recovered without a lot of prayer.

So, no, you don't have to join SAA or do a 12-Step program to recovery, but I do recommend you have some kind of support.

100+days since deciding to turn off the "addiction" switch,first two weeks were difficult, but once I survived the early turmoil,things changed.

Never used,SAA, or any support groups. Used this site and your brain rebalanced for support. This can be done, it depends on how desperate you are to get out.

Thanks for the useful advice, Guys!