The only aspects of AA that matter is being with like minded individuals who have the desire to quit drinking. there are AA groups out there more designed for the agnostics and do not do 12 steps or the sponsorship suggestions. AA from 1930 is evolving to our generation so to all the persons like myself that really have an aversion to the god or HP reference dont fret. you can make AA your own.
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Yep! AA at itās heart is just two drunks sitting at a kitchen table helping each other stay sober.
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I went to AA once and I said to myself I dont need it. I managed to quit for about a year then drank again but quit for another year and so on like that for the past 4 years or something but everytime i drink it turns out really bad so i need to not forget whatās the reason I quit all those times. But ya it can be done with a lot of will power
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Iāve never been to AA and Iāve been sober almlst 4 years.
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I go monthly or less. In my opinion you need to tap into the community of alcoholics, even it its just using this app regularly
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I also am not considering AA. I think if it works for you fine. But weāre all incredibly different, not everyone needs something like that to quit. I esspecialy dont feel the need to go as I prefer online stuff such as this app. Its been enough for me so far. Im almost to day 6 and feeling extreamly confident about it, I havent really struggled. And I have found that my āAAā is the gym. I focus on my health. And that doesnt include drinking at all, so its a perfect alternative to drinking. Im a night drinker though, I do realize there are allot of people who struggle WAY harder then I do.
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Correct me if Iām wrongā¦ but sobriety is our common goal, right? Recovery is what bonds usā¦not necessarily programs & methods. You know who taught me that? This app 
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Until joining this forum, I didnāt even know any other ways to recover existed, beyond my own. And I. Am. Thrilled! The options & choices today are wonderful! Whoās to say another option would or wouldnāt have worked for me, you or anyone?
I consider daily sobriety a slow & steady foot race. This app has taught me that while weāre in the same raceā¦ we all wear different shoes (have different programs) ā¦ some brand new, some old, some borrowed & some even go barefootā¦ but weāre all on the same track & have the same goals. Dissecting the fit, color & performance of Nikeās over Reebokās, seems kind of silly & completely subjective. Applaud the runner! Applaud the race! Applaud the motion in the right direction! Without the footwear critique.
The truth is no one knows which way will have the most long-term success for anyoneās individual sobrietyā¦unless we happen to check back in say, oh, 26 years from now. So until then we applaud effort, progress & successesā¦we share whatās worked, what keeps us going & extend encouragement. We stay open minded, accepting and tolerant. Keep in mind, right now your discarded running shoes may just be working miracles on someone elseās foot.
Having said all thatā¦my Kedās have held up just fine thanks. And they most certainly are not āshit or nonsenseā to me.
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We now have mindfulness in recovery and refuge recovery in Syracuse. I hope to check them both out in the future
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All I know is that I canāt stay sober on my own so I need a program. AA definitely works for me, but I like being a recovery tourist
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Donāt let it hurt your feelings. This thread was started a long time ago, and just got bumped out of the shed by a new comment.
AA works for those who work it. The proof is thousands upon thousands of people who have been successful. I have an uncle and a couple of cousins who are amongst these.
I can tell you why I havenāt tried it: because I havenāt needed itā¦yet. If I ever relapse, a meeting, my first meeting, is where I am going.
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Me? Ladyā¦you are the example. You and your mate have what 26 and 27 years respectively? Living, breathing proof that sober living, is good living.
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I never went to any meetings. I quit on my own. It has been about a year and a half. I just tried to quit for 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, a year. Strung it together until I no longer thought of alcohol the same. It feels like being a kid again in that aspect,ā¦ of not having it in my life.
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I agree wholeheartedly with you on this. I got into an argument with my wife about this very topic and she couldnāt see my logic that calling yourself an alcoholic was a demotivating and not a motivating factor.
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I really want the AA thing to work but I just canāt get myself sold on the God idea. When I was younger I was glib and viewed my atheism as a luxury. Now I see how much comfort that can be gained from participating in a religion, I wish I could but I just canāt buy into the God idea. I will try it on for size to see if it fits but am grateful for this thread as a whole series of alternatives have come into view. My skin isnāt thick enough to white knuckle it. Happy year yāall!
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There are many AA members who are atheist or agnostic and turn to a Higher Power that they do not see as God, but something outside and beyond themselves.
I do not go to AA but have read many biographies about AA members, struggling with this very thing.
I like a multifaceted approach, myself. But check in with the people who are well beyond my nine days.
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I was on my way to an AA meeting on Aug 20, '18. Noticed I was feeling crappier than the usual hungover/shaky morning after tremors. It also helped that I couldnāt find the meeting address, so I went to the ER instead. Not finding the building probably saved my life. That was 138 days ago. I think Iāll do it my wayā¦
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I find this very important also, Iāve seen some people start to obsess over their sobriety (a.a.-groups/friends who are struggling) and start pushing their family/relationship away. Keeping busy but finding balance between the two is a must.
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Day 9,709. With and without AA. AA is not the most effective program; Teen Challenge has a much higher success rate. AA is much more widely known, however.
John D Rockefeller hosted a dinner at which Bill Wilson requested, and received, the money he needed for publication of the Big Book. Several of the movers and shakers in New York were also in attendance, including publishing magnate Henry Luce. Articles favorable to AA began appearing in Mr. Luceās publications, including Time, Life and the Saturday Evening Post. And it spread like wildfire.
As to my own experience with AA, Iāve been through the Twelve Steps and the Big Book with a sponsor, and have been a sponsor. Learned to love and be loved. Consciousness of, and surrender to a Higher Power of, my character defects is something I would not trade for anything.
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Iām doing fine without AA. Tried it, but the meetings did nothing but make me feel creeped out and so did the unwelcomed and unsolicited attention from the men. I donāt think AA is a bad thing, and I know staying sober takes a lot of work on the self to stay that way, so to say Im doing it alone is incorrect, Iām just not doing it with AA.
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