Getting/Staying Sober without AA or AA Hybrid

Hello Community :slight_smile:

I am very new here, and am very new to the idea that people can get sober (and be happy or not dry) without bsing in AA.

In a short nutshell, i got sober at 19 in AA and was a member for almost 5 years. I left for a multitude of reasons, and it was a slpw thing that just happened and always stayed in toich with my sponsor. I saw the promises take shape in my life; things I loved about it, things I didnt care for but my fewlong was if I need it it is there and I know that and it was comforting.

Fast forward I had been sober 10 years, super happy, married to a person i did not think existed and about to have my first baby (i always wanted to be a mom more then anythong) - she was planned, we were ā€œreadyā€ and it was like a SWITCH. I had not thought of drinking in probably 9 pf those 10 sober years, and suddenly i was questioning whether or not I could have 1. I drank very occassionally (every 3 or 4 months 1-4 regular size beers). I never bought it, or wdnt out it was only if I felt like it and if there was beer at home from my husband. I have always been around people who drink through my sobriety and the presence of alcohol never bothered me after that first year or around then, and I had never been tempted (maybe a thought once and a while when people looked like thsy were having fun, that thought of like wow that does look like fun i wish i could have enjoyed it like that - but even those thpights were super rare).

I tried going back to AA bc i knew i didnt want to be drinking, no matter the amount and tried for about 1.5-2 years and if just wasnt clicking. Things that made sense, i was seeing in new ways and I very much felt left out as a woman and new mom (i tried a few womens meetings, but in that time met no new moms and only 1 mom. That left me feeling super isolated, and also like I was the problem and so was my thinking and if I didnt get it right then its bc I was just being dry, dishonest with myself and living in my ego. I lost my daughter and thats when I left AA, or stopped tryinf ro go because it already felt like I was an imposter and like it was grating to go - i was in such a vulnerable time I just thpught, i cannot spiritually argue with this issue anymore. I felt I processed the loss of our daughter pretty well, i honestly felt so much gratituxe for the short time we had with her and a real warmth around her life. I would not say I was traumatized by her death at all, it was devastating but I thinkā€¦i felt a lot of grace too. Our grieving process was interrupted by covid, and the challenge we were going theough also felt a bit lost because evefyone was now struggling.

We had a son, and moved to the country. Something we always wanted. Through these years Id say my drinking did go up to around once a month, but when trying to get pregnant and theough the pregnancies i never drank. I never had a black out, and over the 6 years i had only drank too much 3 times (where I threw up the next day). I think part of me wondered about what this all meant about control, what did it mean about me and my relationship with alcohol. I still wanted to not drink and put it dowb, but also felt I wasnt sure why i couldnt get AA anymore and felt generally lost. I hadnt drank in front of my kids, and nevwr while they were awake.

Everything changed last year. My sister, who was my other half, was murdered and I feel like everything has collapsed. The experience of the system, justice and family court and dealing with protective services for my nephew (which happens automatically in domestic violence cases like this) has been very awful. Our coysin was really supporting my mom at first, and since then I have assumed the role of taking care of almost everything. We renovated our home for my nephew to live with us, who has a severe disabilty and it has been very difficult becayse we are very rural and have no family around. I have managed almost everything for his life, dealing with the lawyer and courts as well. My mom and husband both have been havinf a challenging time as well, so i felt it was my sort of roll to keep an even temperment and be positive. I was also taking care of the children and took the time off work.

I am in a nutshell exhausted and i think i may have PTSD though i am not sure. I feel I had an epiphany the other week regardinf a lot of things about the space I am in, and also started working through my triggers and my tool belt. I have a therapist who is amazing and I am so grateful she is in my life. She is the one who actually introduced me to the idea that, you know peopoe do get sober withput AA. I am in my 30s and can I tell you i just did not think there was anpther way, or that if people didnt go to AA they probably found a way to drink or just drank and if they were sober they were dry and unhappy. I know that I dont know my therapist, but she does not seem unhappy to me. Then i was thinking, its just her. People cant just GET SOBER ā€œon their ownā€ā€¦and I dont know why i looked up this app, i just did it.

And I would love to hear more from people who are sober without AA or using it as a hybrid. I love the steps and I am going over the first 3, and I have opened a 4th I hope to share with my therapist. Im just, im so curious and also i feel so spiritually desperate. I had 11 days and was feeling this new wave over me, and then I took an ativan (prescribed for the anxiety since my sisters murder) and it led to a dribk (I have noticed this connection before). I have turned in the Ativan, and want to keep going here. I am so scared with butterflies in my stomach. Please share with me your stories, tips and advice. I would love to hear about other ways to heal and growā€¦

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Sorry it was so long! I was just talking to my BFF about how I am a ā€œtalkerā€ :slight_smile:

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Cross posting a thread on my process and journeyā€¦you can take a look and see if anything seems intriguing to you. My profile also has some links to threads about how I got hereā€¦sober after 40 years of drinking and my own trauma as well.

It is possible to heal our selves beyond the traditional, tho in my experience the community support aspect of both is what is key. I spent a long while looking for support that fit meā€¦that was quite a long time ago and Soberistas, WeRecover, Women for Sobriety were quite helpful. I found this app when it was a bit over a year old and I have been here and sober from alcohol since then. Glad you are here.

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Girl, if you see any of my posts on here, pack a snack, bring a bookmark, and get comfy, because youā€™re in for a novelā€¦ so same girl, same :joy:

Absolutely people have gotten sober without AA. I think it depends on what resonates with you. For me, I quit drinking without it. I gave it many tries, but I guess my brain is wired differently. Itā€™s been absolutely miraculous for so many alcoholics, so Iā€™ll never knock it. However, for me, I just prefer to look forward. Alcohol is no longer a part of my life, I never think about it, so I really donā€™t want to invite it back into my life on a regular basis. I donā€™t need to talk about it every day to remember the hell.

What worked for me was a combination of a medication called naltrexone, this forum, and therapy. Some consider naltrexone cheating, and guess who doesnā€™t give a single :poop:? That would be this gal, not one single :poop: what people think.

Itā€™s like when people say you didnā€™t really give birth if you had a c-section because you didnā€™t suffer enough. Whatever bro. Die? or take naltrexone and have people think Iā€™m a cheater? :thinking: Iā€™ll take the latter. And, Iā€™ve suffered enough thank you very much. Iā€™m good for now, but thanks anyway.

I have had a very, very difficult few years. Iā€™ve been through some tragedies that I could have never imagined. Drinking never crossed my mind during any of it. It doesnā€™t bother me to be around it, unless itā€™s red wine or tequila, I find the smell of both to be repulsive, same when I was drinking. :face_vomiting:

Thereā€™s no one way to quit drinking. You donā€™t have to do what worked for someone else no matter how hard they push you. Only you know what works for you. People are obviously going to be passionate about what worked for them, and sometimes they can be a little over zealous. However, itā€™s always with good intentions, even though it might seem overwhelming and pushy at times. Iā€™m kind of that way with my secret recipe to cure dog diarrhea. I will beat a mofo down if they donā€™t try my secret recipe for doggy squirts! lol

Anywho, I donā€™t refer to myself as an alcoholic, I go by my diagnosis of an AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder). Though itā€™s been removed from my chart, I will always respect the fact that if I ever picked up a nasty gross drink, I would never put it down.

I donā€™t refer to myself as sober either, Iā€™m just a plain old non-drinker. And itā€™s the craziest thing, no one gives a shit. They worry about themselves. If people do notice and are stumped as to why youā€™re not drinking, it says a whole lot more about their relationship with alcohol than it does about you.

One thing I found really interesting was going to events where I used to drink a lot, shoot, I thought I was just keeping up with everyone else. My bad, now that I donā€™t drink I noticed that the other people were only having a drink or two lol. That was eye opening for me.

If you read around on here, you will see a long list of different ways people have gotten sober. Welcome, Iā€™m glad youā€™re here :heart:

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Hi and welcome.
Thank you for sharing so much of your story. You certainly hace managed a lot of hard things and have taken on more than many people would.

I have changed my relationship with alcohol and have been sober now for 20 months. I still consider myself new to the sobriety scene. Iā€™ve also done a lot of personal growth throughout this process. I donā€™t have anything against AA, but I was not too interested in using it for now. I donā€™t rule it out for myself in the future if I find Iā€™m struggling to stay away from alcohol.

So what did help me?

I read a great deal. Learning the science of how alcohol truly impacts me helped. Learning how we have been invited to alcohol abuse by the industry, and really taking stock of its impact in my life has made a big difference. Reading many many posts in this forum gives me a sense of community and a chance to learn from others.

The most helpful book for me was ā€œThis Naked Mindā€ by Annie Grace. She takes an approach to the subject that really resonated with me. I have worked to change my habits, my mindset, and my identity. I went from being a 30 year daily drinker, ā€œwine timeā€ from the moment I got home from work until I blacked out almost every night, to becoming a person who doesnā€™t use alcohol at all. I have literally studied all I could and have changed my identity.

I have a very supportive family. Iā€™m in a pretty ā€œeasyā€ chapter of my life compared to what you describe of your life. Iā€™m in good health and my husband has also quit drinking, so there are a lot of risk factors that are not in my life anymore.

I donā€™t have anything against AA, I just have not accessed it yet.

I wish you the best and I hope peace comes your way.

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Been sober with AA for nearly 37 years never had a reason to seek another way

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Thanks for the replies. I love hearing the non-drinking/sober stories. Appreciate it so much. Peoples experiences are so broad, and I appreciate you both sharing!

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I am fairly new to sobriety. Almost approaching the year mark. I have never been to AA. To me AA felt shameful and I couldnā€™t get myself there. This stems from sense of identity (labeling) and shame I have carried with me for other reasons in my life. Opening the door to being labeled an alcoholic and a participant of AA only magnified the feeling of shame so mentally I knew it wasnā€™t something that could provide the help I so desperately needed. I never sough it out and I never participated so I cant speak of its effectiveness. I know other members on here have been part of that community for a long time and helps them tremendously in their sobriety. I would like to note that because I associate AA with shame and overall a negative outlook that doesnā€™t mean it is shameful in any way. I do not want to discourage anyone or offend anyone either. Again these are traumas I am working through and a personal issue. What I have use for my sobriety and a Huge part of my early months of sobriety believe it or not was this site. It helped to connect me with others who had the same struggle as me and who were supporting each other ODAAT. I was directed to so many tools here. Lots of great reads and wonderful podcast on sobriety. I also joined my local church and reestablished my childhood relationship with Jesus Christ. The church has been a big role for me. I have joined many communities there and I have put myself busy to serve others through my church. These together have given me a new perspective on life and sobriety. The church has helped me deeply healing lots of those root issues that affected me and pushed me to addiction. My problem was drinking. I had my first drink at the age of 14 and drank ever since. In my early dirking it was already out of control. At that age I was already able to outdrink adultsā€™ and many lifelong drinkers. At such a young age you arenā€™t able to recognize thatā€™s not normal. Sadly took me many more years and additional trauma and heartache to realize it. I am glad I found this site and the support it has always given me.

In short yes, sobriety is possible without AA but I think with other methods and even AA the success of ones sobriety lies on how hard we are willing to work on it. Itā€™s a terrible disease that will forever be a part of you (us). It does not go away and it only waits for the minor slip to come back all over again. I hope that in this community you find support. Everything you are going through sounds tough. Glad you are here.

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This is beautiful Isela.
Iā€™m so glad to see you checking in when you do and still in the fight.
What a beautiful way to share your sobriety.
Keep doing what your doing.
:pray:t2::heart:

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Thank you.
Every time I pop on I realize why I loved it so much from the beginning.
Itā€™s always welcoming, supporting and lots of love.

Just last weekend I was in Vegas with a huge party crowd. It was crazy to see everyone in the alcohol induced moments and being the sober one out its easy to think oh those moments are fun but just the same 20min or so later you start seeing this is why I am sober. It was such an eye opener and a boost in sobriety.

Nothing like reality to remind someone the WHY.

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Hi Isela. That was such a thoughtful post. And I agree with you about the importance this community was and continues to be for my recovery.

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Love your update, thank you for sharing!!!