I just finished 84 days at St. Joseph's Recovery Center in Parkersburg, WV.. I have over 100 days clean and sober. People are always saying you can't do it with out God but I have done it. I find more strength and courage within myself. I have endured having my right leg amputated, twice, once through the knee and a second to amputate my knee. I received my third prosthetic leg September 19, 2019 and I'm already walking with it. So, people you can do the twelve steps of AA/NA/HA or whatever "A" you choose by simply exchanging the word "God" with "My Higher Power".
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52 comments (26 - 50)
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.good for you. have had a problem with alcohol since i was 14. quit several times but never for more than & month or 2. thought about AAs over the yrs but never tried it b/c of the religion. the only ppl i know that successfully quit did so with AAs.
booze pretty well fcked up my life. although i did have some wild times. just had enough control to stay in the RCAF for a pension. now pretty well managing my intake. 3 to 5 drinks each evening (depending if we go out) starting around 5:30 PM. i just enjoy good craft beer & whiskey although i know that even this small amount i consume is not good for my health b/c of my heart condition & meds. but fck it i'll be gone soon regardless.
callmedubious
Level 8
Oct 6, 2019
3
I felt so sad...to see your value in your own eyes, so diminished. Addictions are a powerful force, that robs us of our fully functioning emotions, that must be developed over time from experience. Alcohol alters emotions, so correction cannot be made from that ‘alter state!’ Thus, you cannot develop to your fullest potential! We only get one chance here...will you be happy to leave without regret and what about the people who care about you? Just my thoughts...
@Freedompath ,
there's no doubt alcohol is a powerful drug. it ruined my 1st marriage & my daughter turned against me. my oldest grandaughter graduated HS this yr & i haven't seen her since she was 4. i've burned a few bridges.
OTOH, i have a few drinks in the evening which increases my dopamine, serotonin levels & i feel mellow for a few hrs. at my age that's about the best i can expect.
i have no hope for humanity so i suppose i'm just self-medicating & coping as best i can.
@callmedubious so sorry to hear that! It is hard and it is work, but it is doable and the rewards are worth it. I know people...
I detect sadness in the fact that you have not seen your granddaughter, for so long?
@Freedompath ,
mt grandaughters & i are on opposite coasts so wouldn't see them often even if my daughter didn't disown me.
shit happens & we need to cope, somehow or other.
@callmedubious I am 1500 miles away from my grandchildren and great-g, I think they could care less, because I never hear from them (I hardly heard from them when I lived near them). But, , I could drop a card from time to time because it DOES matter to me. And when I am gone they will have the same regret that I have at not putting forth an effort at my end, with my people who are all gone now!
@Freedompath ,
sorry that you're not closer to your grandkids, distance & otherwise.
i sometimes think of putting my family history on-line (i am on ancestry.com) but then think, who really cares or will ever care?
@callmedubious it might matter to later generations. It seems to me that we only matter after we are gone...one exception, if you are really entertaining, our family will like spending time with us! That is how I feel, because entertainment is a giant effort on my part!
No-one truly needs a 'Sky Daddy' to accomplish things in their life, all that is required we can find within ourselves, all we really need to do is to first find what we need, then draw upon it as we need it.
Big Kudos to you for not running to the Invisible, Imaginary 'Sky Daddy' and, instead, becoming a REAL D.I.Y person.
Triphid
Level 9
Oct 6, 2019
3
Thank you. I have always believed in " To Thine Own Self Be True", it has helped me through a lot of times.
Congratulations and good for you. Invisible beings very seldom help us do anything.
DenoPenno
Level 9
Oct 6, 2019
3
So true
I celebrate your achievements!! Drinking was an escape
for me in times of emotional distress. AA & NA gave some
commradery during the first 18 months; yet I can relate
to the "higher power" dilemma-some younger folks saw the fellow addicts as ONE!!!( I still find this more realistic)
Knowing your physical & emotional triggers and dependence on substances is enlightening.The science also
as they go hand in hand.There was gaps between AA & NA;
chemistry & willpower; physocology & belief(religion)-that
are changing(hurrrah). I haven't drank for 4 years; don't miss
it ,and respect the power it wielded over me.To get well we
need the info and direction to make HEALTHIER choices not
an endall beall destination. Persaviere and
Thanks.
BBJong
Level 7
Oct 12, 2019
1
You have some great determination. Congratulations and stay strong!
chucklesIII
Level 7
Oct 8, 2019
2
Well done. You have shown the strength of the Human Spirit [ What is left when all the known scientific aspects of your body have been put to one side]
Mcflewster
Level 8
Oct 8, 2019
2
Fourteen years ago, I underwent two back-to-back back surgeries. And the doctors had me on so many pain-killers, I lost all desire to be inebriated in any form, again. Five years ago, I quit smoking. And now, I don't have any fun at all. But I feel better, breath easier, and think more clearly! And no "god" did it. I did it for myself And am much happier. Keep up the good work
davknight
Level 8
Oct 7, 2019
2
Great for you! I have had 12 surgeries on my right leg along with a couple of more surgeries to boot. I went through every one of them by myself. Have a great life my friend.
@ When I was being chiecked into a hospital , the registering lady asked me if I smoked (no) , do I drink (nno) , what religioni did I believe in (athiest) . Then she looked at me for a minute , and asked me , "What do you use as a crutch ? (Nothing , I guess, I just stand on my own two feet (I've already lost a toe and a half, more to come in my future)..
Congrats to you, on both fronts. Beware the 6 week cycle!!!
The key to continuing success is human interaction and continuous peer group counseling. Take the room to the world.
Andy4608
Level 7
Oct 7, 2019
2
I intend to keep it straight. I now get to see my grandchildren and spend time with my daughter. I got the chance to start a new life and I won't waste it.
I think that doing it with God is worse because than you are depending on something that is not reliable. AA has little evidence of efficacy: [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Stephanie99
Level 8
Oct 7, 2019
2
I see AA as a mixed bag. People in recovery know more about what another person goes thru, trying to stay sober. So they get a kind of support that the general public cannot give. In the meetings that I attended, it was not god, but a ‘higher power,’ and whatever that higher power is to me! That was 30-40 yrs ago. I have friends still in AA and sober for years...one size does not fit all...is how I see AA, but it is a start!
AA members officially believe in "a power greater than themselves". Even though most of them believe that mean's god, they really try to honor the beliefs of other members. There's a kind of comradery that comes with suffering. Now, I'm not saying that AA is bereft of egoism - but it is surprisingly tolerant.
Congrats...back in the day, when I went to AA and Alnon, (because of alcoholic husband) I remember about the ‘higher power’ or what ever you need it to be.
Stay well and ‘keep on, keeping on!’
Freedompath
Level 9
Oct 6, 2019
2
Congratulations and best wishes for the future!
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Oct 6, 2019
2
Thank you
There's a number of great secular sobriety groups now days like Lifering or Smart Recovrry
PolyComrade
Level 6
Oct 9, 2019
1
Why did you do it? What happened that you became so determined?
JacarC
Level 8
Oct 6, 2019
1
I would have to say my granddaughters had a lot to do with it. I realized I was killing myself with the non-stop partying and did have something to live for.
@jimmie3286 Thank you.
It's wonderful that you found the inner strength to fight and win! God, in my opinion, is the hope that many cling to, and they need it. But only really strong people can rely not on God but themselves and independently decide to go to their goal. It's great that you are the very person who does not need mythical incentives and can assess the situation independently. As for the sobriety support groups, there are different people, and there will be a different approaches based on this.
Jacsonjul
Level 1
Apr 21, 2022
0
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