Don’t leave silly! You are among friends and like minded associates in this crazy world of recovery.
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It was easier for me to quit smoking, and get off opiates, than it was to stop drinking. I haven’t touched either since 2008.
Alcohol was always there, but never a constant issue for years. But, over time, it took over and I’ve only recently been able to break the chain.
Don’t underestimate its ability to consume you. Especially if you replace other vices with it.
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I’m new here and not here to judge anyone. I completely understand what you’re saying. However, being clean to me is not using your D.O.C. Being clean and sober to me means completely sobriety from any mind altering substances especially when you’ve been dependent on one before.
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OMG, I absolutely love this video and especially the message in it. I am a recovering addict, my DOC was any and all opiates finally ending with heroin. I have been participating in medication assisted treatment for almost 4 years now. In my journey, I have attempted to attend many of the various 12 step programs, giving some more of a chance than others. I have found that without exception I have not been able to get anyone to commit to be my sponsor because I am ‘not clean’ in their eyes. Then, once the word gets out that I am recovering with the help of another substance, it’s not long after that when I decide to leave the program and I never go back. This leaves most of us feeling unworthy of any help from anyone. Thankfully I am a strong independent woman in my own right who knows her worth, because the only thing this message sends to others using other means to help them recover from a devastating illness and association with their DOC is a message of exclusion not inclusion.
What are these people hoping to accomplish? Do they have no compassion for other recovering addicts? In my opinion this attitude has absolutely NO positive aspects, it only does harm to others. Making many of them feel isolated and alone, not worthy of help, compassion and friendship.
You let them off the hook way too easy. I believe there is no room for judgments in the addiction community and this attitude is SO judgmental. I thought most recovering addicts understand addiction as a disease process. Why are we not given the respect to decide with the professional help we are using to use the means we have available to us in our commitment to recovery. There is no room for this judgmental attitude in recovery! So stop hindering others recovery because you don’t agree with the way they choose to recover and their treatment of their disease.
As you can tell, this is a sensative subject to me.
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I understand what you are saying, that being clean and sober to you (the operative word) means sober from all substances. I love that you include that your message of abstinence is what it means to you. Not everyone agrees with what it means to you. So since they have a different idea of what it means to them, should they be ostracized and not given the help they need just as much as you? I’m happy that you are able to continue in your recovery without the help of any other substance, I don’t happen to be able to do that at this particular time in my journey to recovery. I hope to be able to accomplish that in the near future. For right now though, I thank God that I have the opportunity to get away from that lifestyle that would have taken my life. Medication assisted treatment saved my life. Unfortunately the drugs did take the life of my 31 year old son 2 years ago.
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I believe the spelling is Tobacco.
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They were spelling it tabacco.
To me being clean and sober means that we refrain from any/all mind altering substance and put the effort after being use to dealing with the addiction at hand start working at little things. Example for me and my recovery I love eating healthy working out and try to not drink to much caffeine or little things like that lol be the best and healthiest I can be. That’s my way for being clean and sober in MY recovery 
.
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Hello, I came to the rooms in NA last August on maintenance buprenorphine but I had been on heroin, methadone and pain medication for around 8yrs and 29yrs drug use all together and I did manage to find a sponsor, I have just completed an at home detox and I’m 8 days clean from everything and 11 days from the mat…I tried the programme on a substitute and I kept slipping on other things, the only thing that kept me going to this point that it clearly states in the literature that the ONLY requirement For membership is a desire to stop using. I know how hard it is to stop and I know a really good meeting for newcomers that I would be happy to send you the link for and get you connected, I’m sorry you had this experience but not all NA Is like that and I completely understand why you would feel like it wasn’t working for you. If you have a desire to stop taking the mat with the right support it really can be done. I hope I haven’t upset you with this post but I’m proof people can get free in the rooms of NA xx
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One of my uncles died from kidney failure, he had liver and other health issues too, and he looked similar to this, although his belly wasn’t as big. Some of our family would try to wean him off it even going so far as sending him to rehab but the effects on him were reportedly terrifying to watch because that’s how addicted to it he was. When he was clean from it, he was a good kind of different.
I don’t think a person is “clean” if they still have an occasional drink because wouldn’t that defeat the definition of “clean”? I haven’t self-harmed in 2 years and I do what I can to not do it which means I’m clean. The same goes with any addiction. If a white table cloth dips into muddy ground even for just a bit, is it still clean? There’d be a filthy part. That’s just my personal take on the matter.
I, too, struggle with the occasional drink to escape my grief and other personal issues as well as drinking to socialize but it’s not the way to go for me. I’m now a full week off of alcohol and I want to continue keeping it that way. I’m with some commenters here though, to each his own. I hope you’ll keep yourself safe and healthy. God bless 
Edit: Try to be graceful with yourself, though, if you drink then regret it. We all err but also remember that it takes discipline to also stay clean off of anything.
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I went to aa and only got my coins when i was completely sober off of weed and alcohol and evertthing but nic and coffee. Was i wrong? Was i allowed to do cough syrup?
Im jk trying to shed a bit of light with terrible dark humor
Clean? Sober? Potato patato
Just dont drink get high or do pills
P.s. i take meds for my schizophrenia (for real) should i go to aa to get my one day coin
Again dark humor
In reality look at how slimmy addiction can be
My mouth has been water over cbd but if i pick it up, i might as well drink the whole tincture and burn 40 or 80$ because god knows ill want more or ill be back here with my tail inbetween my legs