Alcoholism Support Group

Yoga, naturopathic healing, acupuncture, psychospiritual counseling and supplements/diet (niacin, vitamin C in large doses, magnesium, fish oil omega 3, Vit B complex and Push IV's from my naturopath, C and niacin helped tremendously with withdrawal symptom) exercise and meditation. Painting, Reading. DS. Writing. Artistry. Getting back to not wanting to die with regret in my heart and if you haven't seen it watch 'The Last Lecture'. It puts a whole lot into perspective real quick.

I don't think it matters how it happens.

I just wish I hadn't relapsed after 22 years but like I have said, it taught a lot of people lots of things. We learned from my mess up and I certainly won't take sobriety for granted again like I had learned to do for so long.

For me it was God both times that helped me so far, though I didn't acknowledge it was God the first time but now I do.

Man I had gained a lot of weight from wine, I gained 40 lbs or so and I have lost all but 10 of that in 5 months and I'm not dieting, just not drinking. It feels so good to my muscles to feel strong again, I had no clue how crappy I felt until I started losing it so fast.

I've only gotten sober once-- one home detox, one rather primitive rehab where all we got was bed, board and meetings, and then several AA meetings per week and internalizing the steps ever since. Second, I have to admit that my memories of that horrendous beginning are fading as I enter the springtime of my senility, and that my one very brief experience with this topic is altogether too short and limited to serve as a relevant example for others to benefit from.

I'm really not trying to be funny or smug here. The relapsers, both here and in AA, continue to teach me what not to do. During my first few years of sobriety I lived not too far from a real, full service rehab called Seminole Point Hospital in Sunapee, New Hampshire that had two open AA meetings per week. It also had an ice cream bar, but more about that in a moment. My favorite was the Wednesday night step meeting. Part of what I wanted to hear were the stories told by the patients, the majority of whom had relapsed after anything from a few months to many years of sobriety.

I would sit on the edge of my chair and listen when they talked about what had gone on in their lives in the weeks, days and minutes before they picked up the one that had brought them to that hospital. Like the helmsman of a fragile boat in a treacherous river, I wanted a chart drawn by experienced skippers to tell me where the rocks & reefs were and how to mind the channel buoys.

One night a guy I'll call George had quite a story to tell. After about four sober years in AA, he had become turned off by his home group in Quincy, Massachusetts and all their "God stuff" and had traded in his chips for the program called Rational Recovery. The rest was the ususal slipalogue. One day several months later a drink was inexplicably in his hand, and then it was back to to drinking around the clock again within a few weeks after that.

Later that evening at the ice cream bar, George was still singing the praises of Rational Recovery. And despite the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that I shouldn't be buying into it. I was frankly intrigued by the word picture he was painting-- take the course for a year, graduate and never drink again. No steps, no meetings, no higher power, no inventories, no amends, just permanent normality.

Then it hit me, and I asked, "George, how did you get here?"

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"Well, it's over a hundred miles from Quincy to Sunapee, right?"

"Yes."

"So how did you get here?" I pressed. "Did you drive up, take the bus or did someone give you a ride?"

"OK, OK, I came in an ambulance, all right?" he said with transparent agitation, and then at once calmed down as he quickly changed to subject back to the advantages of Rational Recovery. But by then my curiosity had faded and my own queasy stomach had also calmed as I yielded to the more soothing temptation of a vanilla shake.

So what is the gist of your post?

That there's something fishy about a success story that ends with a 100 mile ride in an ambulance to a funny farm.

LOL

I agree.

I'm entering the springtime of my senility. Can you tell?

When I had 2 options left; prison or death. And one of them is close to coming true.

I believe God spoke to me thru others, and the time was right. That was Nov 15 1994. I stayed sober thru working my AA program.

The reason ppl are saying it doesn't matter how we got sober is because there has been some criticism of different ways. This is an alcoholism community, not an AA community and anyone is welcome to share their experience, strength and hope.

ktharp, i think i get what you mean, but we should think of this as an alcoholism community first and be open to discuss all kinds of treatments, including aa, holistic healing, etc. in a clear headed manner, right? How else are people who dont know a thing about how to be sober going to learn the options out there? I think it is good to hear all the cool things people do to get well. It is just when someone says they have a corner on the market for getting sober, or that your way is ridiculous (even if it is working-not really working) etc., that is when it gets objectionable imo. If someone got sober through, lets say, tantric sex, tell me all about it, PLEASE. very curious

I think many of us get sober by changing our ideas emotions and attitudes.Some may call that a psychic change or spiritual awakening.I happen to have done that by doing the 12 steps in A.A.I am sure there is many other ways..I am just grateful that it worked for me...........peace