Admitting powerless over alcohol was such a relief for me. It took a lot of the guilt and shame out of my addiction because I knew my alcoholism wasn’t a choice on my part. I can only choose whether or not I take that first drink and after that, I have no power in what will happen next. For me, it’s not about loss of agency or defeat, it’s about being honest with myself and taking back control of my life.
AA (and more specifically, working the 12 steps) has been a life changer for me. I started going after rehab and it has become the foundation of my sobriety, but I understand your reservations. You should try a few meetings - maybe start with a woman’s or men’s meeting, or a Big Book or Step study - and see if anything resonates with you.
PS - Congrats on 163 days - that is no easy feat! Keep going :)
I've stopped drinking off and on for four decades. This time, it's going to stick because I've made up my mind that the health benefits of sobriety outweigh the pleasures of drinking. What's helping me is the free app I Am Sober. It counts days, weeks months, years, as well as allowing you to calculate your own motivators -- money, time, calories, health changes, etc. I find it very empowering to see the months tick off. Every day I pledge to stay sober, and the app gives me a daily motivation and an evening check-in. But as I approach 2 years sober, I know I'm going to let the app continue to count the days, but I will not be doing the daily review. I know it's on my phone should I ever need it.
This obviously varies a lot depending on what AA meeting you go to, but I've been to a *lot* of meetings where drinking isn't even really a discussion topic at all. If the room includes mostly people who have years of time, the conversation may not be about drinking, they're talking about *being sober.* (Heck, once you get past like the 1st step the 12 steps aren't even really about alcohol imo.)
Admitting I was powerless over alcohol and my disease actually allowed me to stop fighting it all. I was finally able to take my power back actually once I did that, because I had been trying to convince myself and everyone that I didn’t have a problem. Or that I could do it alone. Once you admit you’re powerless it takes a lot of the pressure off of you and it allows you to start living your life again. You can start to forgive yourself and loosen your grip. Put down your fists. 163 days is amazing. Keep going 🩷🩷
Admitting powerless over alcohol was such a relief for me. It took a lot of the guilt and shame out of my addiction because I knew my alcoholism wasn’t a choice on my part. I can only choose whether or not I take that first drink and after that, I have no power in what will happen next. For me, it’s not about loss of agency or defeat, it’s about being honest with myself and taking back control of my life.
AA (and more specifically, working the 12 steps) has been a life changer for me. I started going after rehab and it has become the foundation of my sobriety, but I understand your reservations. You should try a few meetings - maybe start with a woman’s or men’s meeting, or a Big Book or Step study - and see if anything resonates with you.
PS - Congrats on 163 days - that is no easy feat! Keep going :)
I've stopped drinking off and on for four decades. This time, it's going to stick because I've made up my mind that the health benefits of sobriety outweigh the pleasures of drinking. What's helping me is the free app I Am Sober. It counts days, weeks months, years, as well as allowing you to calculate your own motivators -- money, time, calories, health changes, etc. I find it very empowering to see the months tick off. Every day I pledge to stay sober, and the app gives me a daily motivation and an evening check-in. But as I approach 2 years sober, I know I'm going to let the app continue to count the days, but I will not be doing the daily review. I know it's on my phone should I ever need it.
This obviously varies a lot depending on what AA meeting you go to, but I've been to a *lot* of meetings where drinking isn't even really a discussion topic at all. If the room includes mostly people who have years of time, the conversation may not be about drinking, they're talking about *being sober.* (Heck, once you get past like the 1st step the 12 steps aren't even really about alcohol imo.)
Admitting I was powerless over alcohol and my disease actually allowed me to stop fighting it all. I was finally able to take my power back actually once I did that, because I had been trying to convince myself and everyone that I didn’t have a problem. Or that I could do it alone. Once you admit you’re powerless it takes a lot of the pressure off of you and it allows you to start living your life again. You can start to forgive yourself and loosen your grip. Put down your fists. 163 days is amazing. Keep going 🩷🩷