AA for Long Term Recovery?

[brightlite]

Hi Abbers,

I thought I would post here to the long term abstainers to find out some answers.

Is it really necessary to attend AA meetings to gain long term sobriety. I understand the societal aspects of going to meetings...I guess it is better than sitting home and I also understand the thought that if you can start to help others with their sobriety, you will in turn be working on your own.

My question is....did all of you long term abbers attend AA and if not, where/how is your outlet to help others? Is it here on the boards? Are you involved in other social groups, churches, gyms and do those count? Although I don't know if I will fit in at AA and I'm not a big church goer, I believe I need to find some sort of spiritual outlet. Exercise, yoga, meditation could they be done as a replacement?

Your insights and experiences would help.

[startingover]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Hi there Brightlite.
Not sure if I can be called long termer but I have been sober for over a year now.. I didnt attend AA, I just used this forum to help me in my initial quest for sobriety. I have made some very good friends here too. Exercise is key to my wellbeing and I walk/run/swim and do yoga. Also I am volunteering at an addiction agency hopefully helping fellow addicts turn their lives around. Oh and I am starting back to college later on this week.
I think when we are changing our lives, we need to try different avenues to see whats comfortable for us and what works to keep us on the right path. One solution wont fit all.
Keep trying different things and see what works for you.
Good luck!

[Cinders]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Brightlite,

While I do go to AA and actually like it, many on here with a whole lot more sobriety under their belt than I have, do not and will not ever go to AA.

It is a personal choice.

I do recommend you try a few meetings and see what you think about AA. It is a 12-Step program and until you start learning what that actually means (not what others who don't follow the 12-Steps think it means) you can't make an informed and intelligent decision.

At the very worst, you will waste a few hours testing the waters and deciding you absolutely do not fit into the AA plan. At the other end, you may discover you love it and become one of those avid AAers who live and breathe nothing but AA.

Or, you can become like me. I love to go to my AA meetings, I am searching for a new sponsor, I like most of the ideas presented in AA and it is so comforting to be around other alcoholics who actually understand what you are going through. Face-to-face is kind of nice. However, if I could never go to another meeting again for whatever reason, I would be a little sad but I would just continue my journey to stay sober and learn to live a happy, good, sober life.

Cindi

[Doggygirl]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Hi brightlight. I don't consider myself "long term" either by any stretch. I was one of those adamant "AA is not for me!!! NO WAY!!" people that Cindi references in her post - one of the ones who would bash the 12 steps from here to the end of time without knowing one single thing about it.

At almost 9 months sober, I found myself spending a lot of time in fear of relapse. While I must always respect the fact that I am an alcoholic, and one drink WILL lead me back to the bottom of the pit (I know this from experience relapsing), that daily irrational fear was driving me nuts. That's what made me decide to check out AA. I knew I wanted to stay sober but I also wanted to find a way to do it more peacefully.

I'm still going, and I really like going. Here are some of the things I like about it. Of course these things are just my own opinion and as was stated upthread, each person needs to find his/her own way, and AA definitely is not for everyone.

1. For the most part, I have achieved contented sobriety. I still have more to learn but the progress has been awesome.
2. I found out first hand that there is a huge difference between not drinking, and leading a fulfilling AF life.
3. I am finding a spiritual path, albeit slowly, that I struggled with and never found before.
4. Face to face support and understanding - well, nothing beats that for me.

I did get a sponsor and am working through the steps. There are others who just go to meetings. If you decide to check it out, I agree with Cindi that it's good to go to several different meetings. Each group tends to have it's own personality and at least for me, some groups are a better fit than others.

Just speaking of the relationships (12 step work aside) there is a lot of similarity with MWO. A lot of honest sharing. A lot of joy. A lot of sorrow. Many long term friendships are forged. Lots of people come and go, but the core group keeps growing. The main difference is that it's in person. For me, that difference is huge. I love MWO. I also love AA. Both are instrumental in my day to day sobriety.

Anyway, that's my experience.

Whatever you decide to try or not try, I wish you well in your quest for sobriety. The journey is worth whatever it takes to get on that road.

DG

[brightlite]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Thanks all for your input. I will consider attending a few different meetings. There are so many different ones around here, not sure which one to start with. Also a little nervous too. Small town all that sort of stuff.

Starty I love to exercise too and thought that would be my outlet, but I also think that you do need to give back in some way. You have found a venue to do that and it sounds like you have a solid system in place. I need to find something that will provide all the pieces for me. Or, piece meal them together.

[Cinders]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Brightlite,

You can always call the AA Central Office in your area and ask to talk to someone who can help you.

I do that when I am out of town and want to insure I don't end up in a dangerous neighborhood or at a meeting where I wouldn't fit in.

If someone isn't there who can help you, just ask to have someone call you back. That is what I do. You will be talking to someone who cares, btw, these tend to be volunteers and recovering alcoholics, just like us.

Cindi

[Doggygirl]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Cindi, thank you for sharing the tip of having someone call back. That's a great idea. I haven't had to find out of town meetings yet but have thought about the best way to go about doing it!

Brightlight, exercise indeed rocks - at least it does for me - as another element of my sobriety program. After getting my butt :b&d: at the gym, the last thing I feel like doing is racing out and ingesting some poison (to me).

Strength and hope to you!

DG

[AAthlete]

AA for Long Term Recovery?

Brightlight, I was about as anti-spiritual as you could get. I was pissed at God for letting all the bad crap happen in the world. I was absolutely positive that AA wasn't for me and that I could do it all myself when I was good and ready. Course, I had been saying that for eight years..... I think I finally looked at AA as truly my last resort cause I certainly felt hopeless at that point.

I would simply encourage you to be open and honest with yourself. You'll find that religion won't be shoved down your throat (religion tells you what to believe), but instead you'll be encouraged to follow a spiritual path (spirituality says it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in something). That was the key for me, eventually finding your own concept of God. Doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen if you are willing to be open and honest...

I finally realized that, and amazingly enough I was able to get and stay sober. And, it wasn't just not drinking, it was living a life that I didn't think was possible! It's not perfect by any means, but it is 100% better than what I had.