Does getting sober mean u have to go to meetings, get a sponsor, and whatever else i mean do we have to do this exactly in order to complete sobriety to its fullest… Can their b short cuts?
So in your general experience in life does taking shortcuts in important matters generally turn out well?
There are lots of routes to sobriety - but it’s definitely a journey! This forum is a brilliant resource if you care to use it, but like most things that are worthwhile you’ve got to be prepared to put the work in.
Here is a collection of threads that might be useful to you to get started.
In the FAQ thread there is a link to Resources for our Recovery, which I will also link to here because it shows you some of the different options.
Hope you find the answers you’re looking for
To me it really all depends on you, you do have to work your sobriety in some sort of way. Sitting around all day reminiscing of what you thought use to be good days drinking will only make things harder and worse.
I tried isolation my first aproach in 2018 and made it one month and was completely miserable the whole time because all I thought about was alcohol. This time I got a therapist and joined a 90 day program, I attended 1 a.a and I liked it, I do have a big book that I haven’t read and I’m still doing ok. I did surrender to god and admit I’m powerless, I also exercise alot now, and do alot of soul searching, and meditation music. I’m trying a bunch of new things. There are many forms to recovery, but sitting around moping about alcohol will do nothing. Not saying thats what you’re doing, saying that’s what I did my first time. So yes, at least working your sobriety in some sort of way that you are comfortable with is very crucial at staying sober. This naked mind by Annie grace was a very good book I read, I also like to watch recovery stories on YouTube. W.e you are comfortable with
I generally believe there are different routes. @Char281990 describes one, and it’s the one that has been the most successful for me.
I will also say I am definitely an alcoholic, and in my experience, the level of success/sobriety was always equal to what I put into it. And time was probably the most important part.
Shortcuts always meant short sobriety.
(Edit: Whoops, meant as general reply, not to @siand. Mah bad.)
There are no shortcuts! Mostly because getting sober and staying sober is hard. It gets easier but there’s no magic button on it. Find what works for you. For some ours AA. I do SMART recovery. Neither one is better per se. It depends on what’s best for you and those might not be for you. All you have to do is find a way to beat drink or by not having it and start there everyday. If a program helps you with that great! But really the easiest thing is to just not drink.
How you get there is ultimately up to you.
I only know what I did, which was hit all time rock bottom, admit I had a major problem, quit my job, start my life over from scratch, start a work out routine, try and fail a bunch of times… and then wah la. Sobriety. It was the hardest thing Ive ever done. I am a new me now. A wayyy better version. This Naked Mind really helped me with the alcohol part. Getting rid of all the drugs and making sure I could never get more helped with the drug part. Checking in each day helpeded me a lot too with all the parts.
For some there where shortcuts but that shorted their life drastically. Thats just for today on a whole other level.
Stop rushing dear. Not even 30 years.
take the time to get clean properly and you can have another go at a beautiful future.
First i was going to say… Yeah there’s a pill. But that’s stupid, this disease we have… Incurable. We can however stop using loose our urges and find a new way of living.
Great question. Gonna answer it to the best of my ability. For some people AA works, for some, it doesn’t. Here is my story and if you can take something from it, hey more power to you. Sometimes I think to myself I started sobriety at the wrong time because of the virus. I have 82 days today being sober not going back to that lifestyle but to each is own, can not and will not tell a grown man what to do, ok so when I started sobriety AA got closed down due to the virus. I then tried AA online and let me tell you it is not for me, so basically do you have to follow a str8 line of course not whatever works for you as long as you stay sober. For me what has worked is going to the park walking with my girlfriend and talking to her about staying sober, how many days I have and the benefits of staying sober, I also do it at night time before we go to sleep, it helps me get the negative energy out and get the positive energy in whatever works right. Its good to have support there you need it, another thing is coming to this website and reading what people have posted sometimes or most of the time it relates to me so it helps me out. Going on youtube seeing videos on the benefits of quitting and staying sober very helpful. So as you can see whatever works for you take it one day at a time don’t think about tomorrow think about today how can you stay sober today, than when the next day comes around you worry about that then, Man I wrote a lot alright Be safe and stay sober.
The easiest way to get sober is to not drink or drug.
A to B, straight line performance.
Most people wish that it was that way. Hell I did. Truth was that I was just a miserable person, be it drunk or sober. Thanks to things like AA, IOP, therapy and good ol fashioned time sober I’m a pretty happy person nowadays, over 2 years sober and not missing any of the debauchery.
@Char281990 your sobriety will be what YOU make it. Not what anyone else can tell you to do or do for you. If you’re happy just quitting, and it’s all good, just quit. If you need help, do something out of your comfort zone like a meeting(AA/SMART/Celebrate/or any of the plethora of groups) or therapy.
Great question! I wouldn’t say the opposite of going to AA (meetings, sponsor, etc) is looking for or finding ‘shortcuts.’ I would however, suggest that there are different paths to sobriety and finding the path and methods that work for YOU is what matters.
Some people do go to AA meetings to get sober and they can offer you advice about how that works. Other people go to SMART meetings or SheRecovers conferences or follow Annie Grace and her program. Some people use this forum as their main community of support and knowledge, others like reddit or other forums. Some people read sobriety literature and websites, follow sober people and sober groups on Insta and FB. Still other people use various medications to assist in getting sober. Or they use mindfulness and yoga or upping their physical activity or pursuing vitamin therapy.
There are so many paths one can pursue in our sober journeys. Finding the path that speaks to you and sets you up for success is your goal.
Take a look at this thread, it may give you some ideas for websites, books, podcasts, etc to help you in your journey…
Also, this thread may help you gain some insight into what has worked successfully for others, and give you some options for building your own sober muscles and toolbox…
Besides this group, what other sources are you using for your journey
Hope this helps!! And welcome to the forum!!!
Shortcuts, in my experience are when I accept the wisdom of others rather than learning by making mistakes. I’ve found this wisdom from people in AA, the forum here, and during the course of my treatment of my mental health.
The shortcut is when someone says “there’s a pit, don’t fall into it” and you heed the advice, and save yourself having to dig yourself out.
Keep in mind there is no real endpoint, though, or perhaps you prefer to look at it as the endpoint is reaching the maintenance stage of sobriety. It’ll always take some work, but it won’t be like the beginning. These days for me it’s just natural not to want alcohol anymore. It takes time, but you can get there.
There are no shortcuts for me. Recovery and sobriety is a life long process that enables me to live a happy and serene life without drugs and alcohol. I will never be cured.i just learn a different way of life.
No you don’t have to go to meetings and get s sponsor there are many many organisations to help you get and sty clean but taken shortcuts are definitely not one of them
Wisdom of the day right here.
Meetings are the only thing that work for me. I had to buy in 100% to finally get the program. I decided that I was gonna put the same effort into my sobriety that I did for my drinking.