Recovery

[zach]

I stoped drinking 20 months ago on my own. Does this pose any threat to me that quitting with a  treatment center would not have done? Everyone insists that you can not stop on your own, but I feel that I can stay sober.

[Terri Lea]

I have been clean and sober for almost 5 years.  After years of chemical abuse and numerous treatments both in and out patient, I finially sobered up on my own.  I did however use the tools that I had learned from previous treatments.  I did go to A.A. for about the first year and a half, I read the big book, went through a couple of different sponsers, and worked the steps, up to step 4.  Maybe some might say I can't work a 4 step program, but all I know is that I did what I had to do in the beginnning, and now I am doing what works for me...My whole life does not center around A.A. anymore, I do however celebrate every sobriety birthday, I do still count the days of being clean and sober, and I do still announce to everyone when one of these landmark occasions have occured....I still have my higher power to lean on and I do still call my sponser who now lives an hour away from me.  I don't know about you, but this is what has worked for me.....I guess in a way, we never really do it on our own..we always have god and our loved ones to lean on...even when we don't know it...A.A. is a great program, don't get me wrong on that....there is nothing wrong with life-long participation in A.A., as long as it is working for you...that is the key to the whole thing, is finding what works for you...As a fellow human being in recovery, I wish you the very best luck and hope that god gives you all that you deserve in life..Keep up the good work and from all this rambling, take what you need and leave the rest....God Bless and Good luck
Terri Lea

[pete]

I stoped drinking a few times before it stuck, I never went to an AA meeting or a detox clinic and have been sober for atleast 6 years.  I does help to have a few buddys who have been sober for a while.  The main thing is not to tempt yourself, and stay away from your drinking bud's... My sister is big into NA and swears it cant be done by yourself. I disagree, but if your set to stay sober you can do it, some people need more support than others. I have met many of my old drinking buddys who are now sober, most have cleaned up by themselves.
  If your resolve is to stay dry you can do it.  I think the most inportant thing is to confront the demons that make you want to be a drunk, you can pay a srink or learn to be brutly honest with your self. I have found the later to be the best for me, but must say it is not the best for every.
  I know a lot of people who have fallen of the wagon after detox, meetings srinks and all that.  If you realy want it you can live sober for the rest of your life.

[Barbara]

There is also a major difference between a drunk that abuses alcohol and one that is addicted to it.

Chances are easier for the non-addicted alcoholics to stay sober and even without recovery programs. The truely alcohol dependant alcoholics are the ones that have trouble staying off the booze and need all the help they can find whether it be shrink, A.A. OR both! There are test questions to determin if you only abuse alcohol or are truely dependant on it.

If you had alcohol withdrawal and drank round the clock the avoid feeling bad from the withdrawal than you definately would be classed as dependant. If you just drank too much and partied down, found it easy to quit and stay off the booze, chances are you were never addicted to it and don't have as much to worry about relapse.

A treatment center is mainly to help the dependant alcoholics make it through the withdrawal without serious complications during detox such as seizures and DT's.

[Brian to Zach]

I think it is pretty much the same with narcotics, alcohol, etc.  Stopping is really the easy part and can certainly be done on your own.  Staying off the drug/alcohol is the hard part and the chance of success is MUCH greater if one who has stopped engages in some sort of recovery program.  Some people don't need one but the road to finding whether you are that person is a hard one which doesn't need to be travelled.