Have a problem with alcohol? There is a solution Alcoholics Anonymous

At TruHealing Centers across the country, we work with you on an individual basis to find an addiction treatment plan tailored to your needs. If you need help, many of us at Amatus have been where you are, struggling with our own Substance Use Disorders. Visit amatusrecoverycenters.com to learn more about how we can support you. Professionally-assisted treatment offers support throughout the entire treatment process and helps people learn how to live an alcohol-free lifestyle permanently. Attending individual counseling can be an extremely helpful step in the recovery process for addicts of all types.

This can help you move forward more quickly, and makes it easier to focus on behavior change or establishing new habits. It’s a science-backed approach to treatment, and an empowering, modern way to quit drinking without AA. One of the challenges of getting sober with AA is about willpower. 12 step philosophy emphasizes surrendering control to higher power. Nevertheless, many people in the rooms end up “white-knucking” their way through sobriety, especially in the early stages. Strong cravings can make it feel like a battle of wills between you and alcohol.

Why You Might Benefit From an AA Alternative

It’s a coenzyme that plays an important part in the body’s production of energy, and when injected at high doses it’s thought to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It’s been found to help with rapid detox from substances including opiates, alcohol, cocaine, methadone and benzos. What is important to remember here is that recovery is fluid.

The AA model — open to all and free — has spread around the globe, and AA now boasts over 2 million members in 180 nations and more than 118,000 groups. Although AA is well-known and used by millions around the world, mental health professionals are sometimes skeptical of its effectiveness, Humphreys said. One of the aspects that make Alcoholics Anonymous so effective is the ongoing and sometimes ruthless self-evaluation that the 12 steps encourage.

Practical Ways to Set Holiday Boundaries With Family

•Smart Recovery is a self-empowering addiction recovery support group. •Refuge Recovery is a mindfulness-based addiction recovery community that practices and utilizes Buddhist philosophy as the foundation of the recovery process. At a glance, these messages make sense, but in reality, they are not practical. Yes, trying to love yourself and building routines that empower you with self-belief is essential.

There are also online and phone-in meetings for those who can’t make it to any of the physical locations. After their first splash of surprise (or lack thereof), I had to accustom myself to my peers viewing me through the distorting lens of alcoholism. My experience has taught me that most people—even intelligent, worldly people—have bad data about alcoholism. When https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/who-sober-alcoholics-are-and-what-it-means-to-be-sober/ others learn you’re an alcoholic, you immediately become a victim of the information shrapnel they’ve passively absorbed about the disease. They don’t see you, a specific, unique person burdened with a wily, tenacious affliction. I did so because I began my recovery journey in the northwest of England, where very little else in terms of mutual-aid recovery exists.

Is AA The Only Way To Stay Sober?

Your sobriety is your own, and how you do it is entirely up to you. 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. Everyone who gets sober is encouraged to seek help from family, friends who are positive influences, people who have been through the same thing, and professionals like therapists or psychologists. Sobriety is a journey, and a destination; and there are always people around to assist you along the way. Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term.

Oar Health offers science-backed, effective treatment for people ready to change their relationship with alcohol. Our licensed clinicians can prescribe Food and Drug Administration-approved naltrexone for AUD. We provide an online assessment, medical review, and personalized treatment plan. Their program teaches skills that can help you stay motivated in your sobriety and cope with cravings. Its foundation is based in science, rather than spirituality.

I stopped attending meetings because a lot of stuff I was instructed to believe became less useful the more “sober” I got.

He is a board member of Ahavas Chaim, a non-profit that offers at-risk teenagers crisis intervention and mental health support. He is also a committee member of the organizations Bonei Olam and Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic. The best part of my job is being able to show up for my team and clients; they all mean the world to me.

• Granted, it was our first night in the country, and I was probably experiencing jet lag in addition to the effects of the booze.
• With a Reddit account, you can protect your privacy and stay anonymous.
• As the name suggests, the organization doesn’t dictate either abstinence or moderation, it simply encourages people to be safe and responsible in their attitudes to alcohol.
• You can enlist in different types of support groups, both offline and online, that will help you reach your sober goals.
• Additionally, Alcoholics Anonymous offers a community of fellow recovering individuals who can offer support, advice, and fellowship.
• You can focus on short-term sobriety, staying sober for 24 hours at a time.

MM holds that problem drinking is not always the same thing as addiction, and in less severe instances, individuals may be able to moderate their drinking instead of abstaining completely. Moderation may not be the best sober without aa strategy for everyone, MM acknowledges, but it may work well for some. WFS uses 13 acceptance statements to support its “New Life” Program that asks members to focus their energies on positivity over negativity.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Multiple accredited sources report that AA members fail to stay sober more often than they succeed. Wired also reports that group talk therapy like the sharing that occurs in AA helps people recovering from cancer and pathogen-driven diseases like tuberculosis. My takeaway is that it benefits people suffering from a hardship to congregate with other people suffering from the same hardship to talk about their experiences. As such, I support AA as one potentially useful tool but it’s not one that works for me. In no way is AA or the 12 steps the alpha and omega of recovery its strictest adherents would have you believe.

Melissa McCarthy is the Vice President of Business Development at Amatus Health. With a decade of experience in the behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment industry, McCarthy is passionate about recovery. She has her finger on the pulse of marketing trends, with the end goal of helping businesses grow so they can serve more people in need. Everyone who comes through our doors is in a moment of profound struggle in their lives.