Congratulations, and thank you! Hitting the 3 years mark on February 12 and it’s been made a lot easier by folks such as yourself who talk openly and honestly about addiction and recovery. It’s a standard I am grateful to hold myself to. Just subscribed and excited to read more!✌️
Thanks for your post. I’m a recovering alcoholic, sober in AA for 36 1/2 years. I’m also culturally Jewish, non-religious, and while I accept there’s power greater than me, I gave always taken issue with the “god talk” in AA. It is decidedly Christian, decidedly insistent that everyone calls their higher power god. In my opinion, the god talk in AA trivializes and limits something ineffable. Walking in the woods is spiritual for me. Petting my cat, being with my grandkids, all spiritual experiences. AA saved my life, no question. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. I think there is a lot of dilution and confusion about recovery, but a hard drinker isn’t necessarily an alcoholic. For me, Jewish atheist, AA works because I know I’m powerless over alcohol and every time I walk into the rooms, the power of the group sustains me.
I love this so much, thank you for this comment, I couldn’t agree more. AA has a reputation for being dogmatic (and that reputation can be justified) but it’s also possible to just take the parts that are helpful and not worry about the things that don’t ring true to you. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective.
Happy Soberversary! I‘ve just discovered you and am struck by how much I agree with everything you are saying in this post. Part of it is obviously that I‘m also sober and in recovery from alcohol use disorder since 2018 and, additionally, late diagnosed with ADHD since 2023. I‘m very much against dogma in the treatment of addiction. I never went to rehab, never attended an AA meeting but joined another local support group (Blue Cross), stopped attending meetings, had a lot of individual therapy to look at the root causes of my addiction (being an adult child of an alcoholic from a dysfunctional family in combination with undiagnosed, untreated neurodivergence in not only me but my eldest daughter and my husband in combination with perimenopause). It was and is a lot. But I‘m also loud and proud about my recovery, so much so that I talked about it in an interview that’s now on YouTube and has had more than 21,000 views. It’s in German and I‘m saying some of the same things you have mentioned here and also that I love being a member of the Club of Recovering Alcoholics which I absolutely didn’t expect at the beginning of my sober journey. I‘m so grateful for the global sober community.
congrats, katie! all this advice is spot-on, thank you for sharing it. regarding #13, i wanted to share that wellbutrin/bupropion has been incredibly helpful for managing my cravings. i was hesitant to try medication and initially blamed myself for struggling, but the difference it made was immediate. it allowed me to breathe, and i’m so thankful for that.
That’s great (and fascinating, I know it has been helpful with ADHD and smoking cessation but I don’t think I knew about alcohol). I’m so glad you took the leap and found something that helped!
Congratulations on year three and hitting your goal! Woohoo! Loved the paragraph about is it a disease and that any addiction is worth paying attention to, one not more serious than the other. You've opened my eyes to my parents' journey with alcoholism. Thank you for sharing your brain and creativity.
thank you so much! i know how painful it can be to be on the other side of the equation (watching a loved one struggle with substance use), so thank you for sharing your experiences with that.
Congratulations …… and thanks for sharing this - I’m newly sober And really needed to hear these things from someone who’s been around a bit longer - one day at a time of course!!
Congratulations, and thank you! Hitting the 3 years mark on February 12 and it’s been made a lot easier by folks such as yourself who talk openly and honestly about addiction and recovery. It’s a standard I am grateful to hold myself to. Just subscribed and excited to read more!✌️
Congratulations on almost three years, that’s amazing! And thank you for the kind words
Happy sober anniversary!
Thank you!
Thanks for your post. I’m a recovering alcoholic, sober in AA for 36 1/2 years. I’m also culturally Jewish, non-religious, and while I accept there’s power greater than me, I gave always taken issue with the “god talk” in AA. It is decidedly Christian, decidedly insistent that everyone calls their higher power god. In my opinion, the god talk in AA trivializes and limits something ineffable. Walking in the woods is spiritual for me. Petting my cat, being with my grandkids, all spiritual experiences. AA saved my life, no question. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. I think there is a lot of dilution and confusion about recovery, but a hard drinker isn’t necessarily an alcoholic. For me, Jewish atheist, AA works because I know I’m powerless over alcohol and every time I walk into the rooms, the power of the group sustains me.
I love this so much, thank you for this comment, I couldn’t agree more. AA has a reputation for being dogmatic (and that reputation can be justified) but it’s also possible to just take the parts that are helpful and not worry about the things that don’t ring true to you. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective.
Congratulations! Loved this. 3.5 years here, one day at a time. I'll keep coming back.
Thank you and congratulations to you too!
Happy SoBerthday! 🤘🏽
Thank you! ☺️
Congratulations on 17!
Congratulations and thankyou for this post. These are valuable lessons.
Congratulations on 17 ❤️
thank you!
Happy Soberversary! I‘ve just discovered you and am struck by how much I agree with everything you are saying in this post. Part of it is obviously that I‘m also sober and in recovery from alcohol use disorder since 2018 and, additionally, late diagnosed with ADHD since 2023. I‘m very much against dogma in the treatment of addiction. I never went to rehab, never attended an AA meeting but joined another local support group (Blue Cross), stopped attending meetings, had a lot of individual therapy to look at the root causes of my addiction (being an adult child of an alcoholic from a dysfunctional family in combination with undiagnosed, untreated neurodivergence in not only me but my eldest daughter and my husband in combination with perimenopause). It was and is a lot. But I‘m also loud and proud about my recovery, so much so that I talked about it in an interview that’s now on YouTube and has had more than 21,000 views. It’s in German and I‘m saying some of the same things you have mentioned here and also that I love being a member of the Club of Recovering Alcoholics which I absolutely didn’t expect at the beginning of my sober journey. I‘m so grateful for the global sober community.
https://youtu.be/cbcW5XzO9dY?
Thank you so much! It’s a pleasure to connect with you!
Love your posting and positively LOVE LOVE LOVE the birthday balloon photo!
haha, thank you! for an eventual "party girl" i was never much of a...party girl
congrats, katie! all this advice is spot-on, thank you for sharing it. regarding #13, i wanted to share that wellbutrin/bupropion has been incredibly helpful for managing my cravings. i was hesitant to try medication and initially blamed myself for struggling, but the difference it made was immediate. it allowed me to breathe, and i’m so thankful for that.
That’s great (and fascinating, I know it has been helpful with ADHD and smoking cessation but I don’t think I knew about alcohol). I’m so glad you took the leap and found something that helped!
Congratulations on year three and hitting your goal! Woohoo! Loved the paragraph about is it a disease and that any addiction is worth paying attention to, one not more serious than the other. You've opened my eyes to my parents' journey with alcoholism. Thank you for sharing your brain and creativity.
thank you so much! i know how painful it can be to be on the other side of the equation (watching a loved one struggle with substance use), so thank you for sharing your experiences with that.
Congrats on this amazing milestone! I love seeing these pictures of little Katie. Really great advice here!
Thanks, Hope! ❤️
Congrats !!! 🎊🎈
Thank you!
Congratulations …… and thanks for sharing this - I’m newly sober And really needed to hear these things from someone who’s been around a bit longer - one day at a time of course!!
wow 17 years. that's amazing. I'm in my 2nd year. Feeling grateful to feel everything.