In a nutshell, I was sober for a little bit ver a year, and then in the middle of January this year I was involved in an auto accident that was caused by another person. Due to all the emotional, physical, and legal stress that came with it, I fell off the wagon into the deep pit that was below and now I’m starting to working on my recovery again, while still in an ongoing legal battle. Adjust and input is welcome, all I ask is that no one recommend AA to me, because I don’t agree with in some of the 12 steps that the program use.
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Glad you’re here, and I’m sorry to hear about your accident and relapse. I got into an accident almost a year ago and I’m still dealing with the fallout, it sucks and the legal side is very anxiety provoking for me. I can understand what you’re going through, both about the accident and about relapse.
What kind of sober tools were you using during your year of sobriety? Were you a part of a sober community?
This is a great place to find support and resources to combat addiction and help live a sober life. Read around, find threads that you can relate to, and don’t be afraid to engage or reach out for additional support! There are plenty of people who are willing to listen and provide their experiences! 
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Thanks for the response. I’m an Introvert , so physical groups that are in person or by video are a very different thing for me. I have a couple close friends that know of my past and family history, so I have that and my fiancé. I messaged my PCP and she is putting in an Rx for naltrexone. As for tools, I normally go outside when I can, color a little, and game on my tablet and laptop as methods to release some stress.
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I can relate to being an introvert and not feeling comfortable around strangers or large groups of people. Thankfully there are meetings that are online that don’t require you to appear on camera! I’m going to include a link below that will take you to the SMART Recovery “find a meeting” page! I saw in your post that AA isn’t your cup of tea which is totally understandable. Thankfully there are alternate options like SMART and Recovery Dharma! I’d suggest looking into both, either in-person or online meetings would be a great place to find a sober, supportive community!
I’m glad to hear you have your fiancé and some friends that know you and your struggles. Lean on them when you need, there is absolutely no shame in asking for help. Admitting when we need help is a strength, not a weakness.
It’s great to hear you are talking to a medical professional about this and that you are taking steps to find a medication that will help! Definitely a great step in a healthy direction.
That’s a solid list of ways to engage your brain in healthy, productive ways! It’s good to have a list of things we can turn to in those moments of intense stress/anxiety or cravings/urges to drink/use as well! I found the 4-7-8 breathing technique, HALT, opposite action, and STOP to be great tools to combat in-the-moment events or temptations before a relapse! Never hurts to have spare tools in your sober toolbox!
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Hey John,
I also relapsed a few months ago, losing a sober streak over a year long. And AA also isn’t for me. Are you open to other groups (non-12 step) or are all groups out? I personally went to treatment my last time around for alcoholism and my mental health and benefitted a ton from it. I’ve also integrated exercise, meditation, and gratitude into my recovery this time around. I’ve stayed active on this site throughout this entire time too.
Welcome to Talking Sober. I’m looking forward to seeing you around.
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Hi Madds,
Thank you for your reply. I’m not comfortable with groups at all when I can be seen or heard. I don’t like people knowing what I look like or sound like, because I don’t want to take the chance of someone that might know me (outside of those I feel safe around) to know I have a problem. A former employer I had tried to help me once and sent me to a 30 day live in center and that helped for a while after I got out, but those 30 days were hell on me because of the almost AA structure and the number of people I was around. I think for the moment, I’m going to see what benefits I get from this app and community of people, taking the advice and input I get from everyone and try to come up with a plan that might work better.
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This is a great place do build sobriety. I don’t attend any groups either, as I mentioned, and I know others with longer-term sobriety on here who don’t. Check out the “what’s your plan?” Post to get some ideas, if you’d like. Welcome again!