Food & Drink Anyone here done AA meetings or the like?

Deaths Head said:
It’s kind of funny most with addictions will totally ignore metabolic functions and just seek help from others when they should help their bodies first , not just those supplements there’s several natural health products you can take instead of relying on other ppl , internal health is necessary .

Most would rather sit with random strangers instead of go to a gym and improve themselves,the same amount of time you waste at AA you could actually be doing good by releasing dopamine , this article right here shows 60% of alcoholics go back to drinking as well when they quit for a year . Why not physically help yourself be less dependent on anything ? I don’t get it , idk ?

www.webmd.com

Exercise: How It Can Help With Addiction Recovery

There’s growing evidence that exercise can be a powerful tool in your recovery if you deal with addiction. Learn how getting active can boost your chances of success.
www.webmd.com www.webmd.com
Click to expand...
or take some useless anti depressant
 
Stargazer Rex said:
Been to some. I was a bad alcoholic for 5 years. Multiple medical detoxes, multiple rehabs, multiple relapses. I haven't had a drink in almost 4 years now. A couple of the rehabs I went to we had like 2 or 3 AA meetings a week. It can be hit or miss. You should definitely try them. You are an alcoholic, you obviously don't know what the hell you are doing so try them out at least a month and see if there is anything that can help. You should be desperate to figure this out or you are going to die a painful death, but you already know that. A big part of their program is spirituality. So if you aren't a spiritual person the program may be not gel with you.

Having said that, I didn't care for it. I am a very spiritual person but the program just wasn't what I needed. After rehab I never went to another AA meeting. I've been to 4 rehabs over 5 years and two of them we had to go to AA meetings multiple times a week. There are some good people there but also some dry drunks who are just miserable. They figured out how to stop drinking but never figured out what was actually wrong with with them that made them an alcoholic in the first place. Many of them would take up their whole time just complaining and whining about their life. You'll encounter those people. And the rest of the group just zones out. But you'll also encounter some good people who inspire and motivate you. You can tell they truly beat their addiction the right way and are happy and productive. It can also seem very cultlike which some people need to stay on track. I didnt. I did a deep dive on my mind and over a year long period I came to terms with my issues. Almost lost my mind in the process and I wouldn't recommend it but it worked for me. Get a mental health counselor if you need it.

Just my experience. Be open minded and be ready to go deep and accept some pain to figure this out. You can and need to. It's probably going to be the hardest thing you ever done but its beautiful on the other side. Much love and God bless.

1681174737198
Click to expand...
As a mountain man there’s like two ways to the top.
 
Never did an AA meeting. Would it be relevant to go to these meetings, if you are addicted to hard drugs?

I'm not saying I am, but I feel like I have to get a fix every 3 months or so, which I think is no good.
 
Deaths Head said:
Most would rather sit with random strangers instead of go to a gym and improve themselves,the same amount of time you waste at AA
Click to expand...
Yeah. I'm sure going to the gym will make me forget the car accident that killed my girlfriend. I'm sure it will also help put a positive spin on seeing my sister weighing less than 80lbs because cancer was eating her alive.
 
Fury said:
Quitting smoking for me was easy in general but every so often, even after having quit for years, I get an intense desire for nicotine.

Also, I barely drink out of no real desire to do it ( every few months I'll have a drink or two at a restaurant when the mood strikes me) and I constantly get asked about it. Go out with people who don't know me well and don't order a drink " how long have you been sober?" is what I get.

The other interesting part is when I tell them that I'm not alcoholic who quit drinking, my not drinking then makes them uncomfortable.
Click to expand...
I don´t think about alcohol, just drink on new years the last years. Used to get shit faced in my 20ies occassionaly on the weekends.

Not smoking gonna be weird when I´m around friends who smoke. That is the number 1 relapse reason, seeing others smoke and thinking mmmm a cigarete would get me so high right now / would taste so good. As in nicotine buzz, which is stronger the longer you haven´t smoked. Social smoking is real. If you´re at a workplace with many people where many don´t or barely know each other. Small talk over ciggaretes. Or just smoking to get outside and chill. But fuck cigarettes. Really detrimental.
 
I never went to but I was an overweight kid my whole life that went to weight watchers when I was a 16 year old male that weighed 300 pounds. The meetings themselves weren’t helpful, a bunch of old overweight moms blaming their weight on their husband and children. But the process and reminder every week that this is a gradual process that lots are struggling with was very helpful. It really helped to keep me accountable. So even though the meetings and program itself wasn’t great I think the ritual was helpful for success
 
Trabaho said:
Not smoking gonna be weird when I´m around friends who smoke. That is the number 1 relapse reason, seeing others smoke and thinking mmmm a cigarete would get me so high right now / would taste so good. As in nicotine buzz, which is stronger the longer you haven´t smoked. Social smoking is real. If you´re at a workplace with many people where many don´t or barely know each other. Small talk over ciggaretes. Or just smoking to get outside and chill. But fuck cigarettes. Really detrimental.
Click to expand...
You're not wrong. I quit once smoking had been banned everywhere, including on the grounds where I work and not just in the building, so that helped a lot. The rest of it was pride/ego, I told people I would quit or had quit, so I was willing to suffer for my ego. Pretty much everyone I know who smoked had either quit or was trying to quit in their early 30's.

I never really tried to quit when other people said I should or for reasons outside my own. Quitting anything has to come from within you.
 
No but my dad did. He never talked about it (it was 40 years ago and he’s gone now) but he stayed sober for the rest of his life. My mom knew about it but I did not until his funeral where one of the dudes carrying his casket got up and told a funny story about how my dad helped him get sober.

He said my dad was his AA sponsor and he called him and told him he couldn’t take it and was about to have a drink. He said my dad said “if you have one sip, I’m going to kick your ass. I’m coming now”. My dad was 6’6 and a big dude. Then my dad showed up at his house on a motorcycle and basically abducted him, making him get on back and took him to a provincial park and went on the bike all day. Then he said my dad stayed the night at his house and they sat around watching hockey.

Alcohol and its results finished off my father’s hockey career. He didn’t once complain though. Hopefully you can stay sober too. It takes a real tough person to get through it but we’re with you sherbro. I can only imagine what you’re going through, I had a hell of a time just quitting chewing tobacco.
 
As a healthcare provider with part of my responsibilities is managing addiction/withdrawal, I have been to several NA meetings. It’s sort of cult like and they drink coffee and smoke a lot of cigarettes. Seems to help the people who stick with it and follow the steps. That type of program isn’t for everybody though, but can see how having a support system of people who understand you can be helpful.
 
Worst thing about meetings is the guys that go there for the 13th step. Those meeting attract predators because people are vulnerable.

As far as you go, just listen, bro. Get a sponsor and go to meetings. Good luck.
 
UberHere said:
As a healthcare provider with part of my responsibilities is managing addiction/withdrawal, I have been to several NA meetings. It’s sort of cult like and they drink coffee and smoke a lot of cigarettes. Seems to help the people who stick with it and follow the steps. That type of program isn’t for everybody though, but can see how having a support system of people who understand you can be helpful.
Click to expand...
Hahaha shit the smoking never stops
 
I went for several years and yes it worked for me. But I also had a sponsor and worked the twelve steps as they were intended. The majority of people just kind of wander in and out between benders and never do the work. Those are the people that @Jesus X is talking about. They haven't had enough pain in their lives I suppose.

But at the end of the day, no program is going to work unless you've legitimately hit rock bottom and are willing to do the work. Just showing up and hoping for the best doesn't cut it.

I haven't been to a meeting in ages and some would argue that is abandoning the program... But I've been sober for 22 years now.
 
I've been sober my entire life, so not in a position to give direct advice about AA. But the religious angle seems very overbearing, to the point of being obnoxious. That could be a major blocker. I don't know if you've talked to your doctor about alternatives, but look at anything you can get into in terms of psychological or psychiatric treatment. There are various medicines that can reduce some types of compulsive behavior.

That aside, getting as many people as you can involved in keeping you honest outside of any meetings you go to has to be a plus.

Personally, walking past liquor stores or the beer section of grocery stores is like walking past stacks of cow urine. Maybe trying to train yourself to view alcohol in a negative light using specific mental images could be a technique.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,282,993
Messages
58,475,115
Members
176,048
Latest member
gibberish

Share this page

Back
Top