4 Ways I Stay Sober Without AA

If you need sober friends and don’t do support groups, Meetup has great local activities that will allow you to get out of the bars and meet people in positive environments. Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you took this brave step toward sobriety in the first place. Just be sure that your rewards don’t involve drugs or alcohol. Instead, focus on things, experiences, and activities that will support your new, healthy lifestyle. Related to harm reduction, but also useful for complete sobriety, medications for alcohol use disorder are gaining increased popularity.

• “I made a note in my phone of all the reasons why I need to go sober and why I want to stay sober,” she says.
• These medications can help reduce alcohol cravings, helping people to either cut back or stay sober after they’ve quit.

Of all the things that support my sobriety, one of the most critical is knowing that there are sober people are all around me, inside and outside formal programs like AA. From my very first meeting, I learned a lot about addiction and how my addictive nature manifests. I worked with a sponsor and did the Steps, which gave me tons of invaluable insight into myself and my experience. By Buddy T

Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

Can You Actually Stay Sober Without AA?

Nevertheless, AA does have the best track record for success. Religious experiences and other self-help groups can also boast of providing substance to sobriety. Many alcoholics will become involved in church or civic activities to help them stay sober. It’s important to find the support and resources that work best for you. Whether you find support online, in person, or through other means, the most important thing is that you are taking steps to stay sober and live a healthy, fulfilling life.

• Revisiting those words now and again will mould you into a better person who can stay sober without AA.
• Religious experiences and other self-help groups can also boast of providing substance to sobriety.
• They’ll also provide emotional backing during difficult times.

Although it can’t help with medical detox, practically every other aspect of a well-rounded rehab program can be done through your phone. Not only is this much more flexible to your schedule, it’s also significantly more affordable. One of the strengths of AA is that it provides a community of people facing a similar challenge, and gives you access to others further along in the process. If you prefer not to attend AA, look for other ways to access this kind of community—whether that’s through other groups, a supportive social circle, or through a recovery coach or counselor. One of the challenges of getting sober with AA is about willpower. 12 step philosophy emphasizes surrendering control to higher power.

Can therapy be effective in helping me stay sober without AA?

It helps you find a power greater than yourself, and gets you involved in service with others in your community who need help. Whether or not you are interested in a spiritual program, finding something https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to live for (other than booze) can motivate your recovery. Whether this is some sort of spiritual program, giving back to your community, getting involved in recovery activism, is all up to you.

Options like naltrexone and disulfiram have been around for several decades, and there are now half a dozen effective choices in total. These medications can help reduce alcohol cravings, helping people to either cut back or stay sober after they’ve quit. What most people don’t know is that there are a lot of alternatives to AA.

Daniel Taddese: Leading Healthcare by Engaging, Enabling, and Supporting People

One of their top rules is all about sharing that philosophy without attacking another’s. If you’ve never participated on Reddit, then you might not know just how close-knit and supportive the people you meet online its thousands of “subreddits” can be. It’s important to remember that there are innumerable approaches to recovery, and whatever you choose to help you, you’re not alone. One common thread throughout all of their experiences is a sense of guilt and fear when they leave.

• If this perspective is a reason you want to stop drinking without AA, these won’t be suitable.
• They can help you decide what treatment methods are right for you.
• Depending on where you live or where the meetings are, AA groups might lean heavily toward one age, cultural background or gender.
• Have you thought about joining AA, but do not have transportation to travel to meetings?

As mentioned above, there are many ways to become and stay sober from alcohol; it is not a numbers game. 1000 people attending an AA meeting at a megachurch is just as powerful as a single person becoming sober on their own for one day. The program only works for some people, and refusing to change dismisses the larger group of people it doesn’t work for in its current form. The most common feedback I’ve received comes from people who want to be sober with others but do not want to partake in Alcoholics Anonymous. Recovery is a journey filled with progress, not perfection.

How To Quit Drinking Without AA

Granted, it was our first night in the country, and I was probably experiencing jet lag in addition to the effects of the booze. It was the exact kind of feeling that, prior to sobriety, I’d have drunk more to get rid of… Is my reaction to alcohol because I have an allergy to alcohol that sets off a physical craving for which there is no cure? The more recovered I got, the less sense it made to attribute aspects of my character simply to alcoholism. If you think you have a drinking problem, you should check out AA. Without a doubt, going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and being a part of the fellowship saved my life.

• They’re told they’ll stay stuck in the drinking cycle if they don’t go to AA meetings.
• Whether it is taking the stairs or walking to the store, you can make small changes in your life that will make you feel better.
• They can be particularly helpful if you believe you have underlying anxiety or depression you are managing with alcohol.
• You have to establish healthy boundaries and avoid high-risk situations.
• However, there are individuals who lack faith is this 12 step program which seeks to unite former alcoholics in the journey to recovery.

Typically, this means questioning brands that sell T-shirts that say “Wine is My Valentine” or questioning why something like “Rage Yoga” (which involves drinking beer) even exists. Grace Roy, 18, began writing while receiving treatment in hospital in a bit to share her experience. Dean recommends having fun making festive alcohol-free cocktails and getting your friends and family involved. And even having getting sober without aa a drink in a Champagne flute or wine glass can go a long way to making an alcohol-free alternative feel more Christmassy. “I think everyone has a very big fear that you stop drinking and your social life stops,” says Tom, who hosts the They Think It’s All Sober podcast with Jamie. If there’s a time when your willpower might be tested, chances are it will happen when people around you are drinking.

Sober Mom Squad

Fortunately, if AA doesn’t work for you, there are other choices. Different support groups exist to help you quit drinking without AA, some with a more secular approach. Rehabilitation centers, also known as rehab centers, are facilities that provide treatment for individuals with substance use disorder. Rehab centers can offer a range of treatment methods, including counseling, therapy, and medication-assisted treatment. Inpatient rehab programs can provide individuals with a supportive environment that can help them maintain Sobriety. It doesn’t mean they’ll never maintain long term sobriety, that they’ll never successfully stop drinking.