How to Achieve Sobriety Without AA: 8 Powerful Strategies by John Makohen
Instead, MM focuses on helping people to manage problematic drinking and behaviors that are destructive, aiding in encouraging positive lifestyle changes. MM is a peer-support program that acknowledges that behaviors are changeable, and that alcohol abuse (which differs from dependence) is a habit that can be altered. Reputable, research-based treatment programs select therapies and interventions to match your personal needs. For example, a Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who misuses cocaine, doesn’t have the same needs as a stay-at-home mom struggling with alcohol use.
The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder and Addiction
Others feel recovery is a private experience, and don’t want to share their struggles with people they don’t know. Still others feel uncomfortable with the label “alcoholic,” or simply want to cut back—not quit completely as AA requires. It is generally the first step in a more comprehensive treatment plan. This guide includes the steps required to fully support the path and the journey to addiction recovery. It is common for people to feel like they need to replace one habit with another, like swapping out drinking for some other random thing to fill the space and time.
What is behind your drinking?
This addiction recovery support group is for women with any type of substance use disorder, including AUD. Their New Life Program is based on 13 acceptance statements, and six levels of recovery. WFS puts particular emphasis on positive reinforcement, cognitive strategies, self-care, and group support. When reaching out to family and friends for support, it’s important to choose wisely.
Supporting a Loved One: Medication & Recovery
Similarly, if you’d like to be sober but aren’t sure if you can do it 100%, you are already on the right path. In AA specifically, meeting people who have lived through relapse and recovery cycles is common. It is also common for people to project the one thing that eventually worked for them onto others as the only way to be sober. I’ve also witnessed the fantastic potential and empowerment that often emerges by building relationships with people in recovery.
- Yes, we can share in their joy and be proud of their path, but remember that there is no only way to do this.
- Developed by Dr. John D. Sinclair, the Sinclair Method is an evidence-based treatment for AUD that involves taking naltrexone.
- The first step to getting sober is recognizing and admitting that you have a problem with drug or alcohol misuse.
- It has given me the tools that will keep me sober and improve my life.
- There are therapists who specialize in AUD, and psychiatrists can prescribe medication for AUD or co-occurring mental health conditions.
- By becoming well-informed about the risks involved, you reinforce your commitment to quit using, gain the power to resist temptations and stay on course.
Addiction Info
One common mistake for those who are new to alcohol and drug recovery is substituting a new compulsive behavior for their old one. People new to recovery can find themselves approaching their new diet, exercise program, job, and even participation in support groups with a compulsion that echoes addiction. A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and address any co-occurring mental health conditions getting sober without aa that may make recovery more difficult. A mental health professional can help you cope with some of the challenges you’ll face on your path to sobriety. Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic. It’s not just your drinking buddies and drug dealers who can get you into trouble—sometimes those who are closest to you can contribute to a relapse.
A future free of addiction is in your hands
If none of these options sound good to you, you can build the recovery community you feel is lacking in the world. Start a group in your area or on a social networking site like Facebook, and watch it grow. My own company, Workit Health, hosts online recovery groups for our members. Groups meet virtually throughout the week and focus on a wide range of topics. If you’re a Workit Health member, you can self-enroll in groups through the Community tab in our app.
- 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.
- Efforts are made to accept thoughts and actions as self-destructive, learn how to cope with the emotions and behaviors that are created through alcohol addiction, and then overcome them.
- One study found that 68% of people treated in a detox unit experienced moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
- Maybe peer support groups are not your thing, and you desire an alternative to support groups not because of the spiritual aspect, but because you want to focus on recovery in a more individual manner.
- These groups are good options if you are seeking a more secular approach to recovery while also desiring peer support and group sessions.
FAQ: Alternatives to AA and 12-step programs
- Just as no one treatment plan fits all people, no one treatment plan may be suitable for the entire time you are in a formal treatment program.
- One of the challenges of getting sober with AA is about willpower.
- I wanted to learn how to quieten my mind, how to live my life free from shame and with love and self-compassion.
- Celebrate every milestone and achievement, no matter how small they may seem.
Your cravings might seem strong at first, but they’ll decrease in power the longer you ignore them. If you have a severe alcohol addiction, visit your doctor so they can help you quite safely and direct you to other resources. For more https://ecosoberhouse.com/ tips, including how to understand why you drink, read on. SMART Recovery concepts help individuals to recognize that alcohol abuse can be destructive, and it creates problems emotionally, physically, socially, and behaviorally.
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Why You Might Benefit From an AA Alternative
I frequented syringe service programs, not just for sterile needles, but to congregate with harm reductionists and other peers who were ex-drug users. Educate yourself about the long-term physical and psychological effects of substance use disorder. By becoming well-informed about the risks involved, you reinforce your commitment to quit using, gain the power to resist temptations and stay on course.
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„Honestly, Workit Health is the best choice I’ve ever made.“
Finally, if you find all of these options too time consuming, expensive, or fussy, you can always go it alone. This can be a lot more difficult—and even dangerous if you have a severe enough addiction. That said, there have always been people who are able to quit drinking without a group or a program.
And what if in-person mutual support meetings (Refuge Recovery, LifeRing, SMART AA, NA) are not accessible to you? Well, these are not the only means to recover—there are a whole range of resources available to you. It is possible to get sober on your own and learn how to get sober at home. Many more modern “sobriety programs” exist that are suitable solutions for people seeking sobriety with others without the issues mentioned above, such as SMART Recovery. There are also many online support groups full of friendly strangers ready to cheer you on, answer your questions, and support you without judgment.
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