lol many others in earlie recovery do become hooked on exercise lol. it might happen yet.

Did your sponser explaine why it wase't acceptable to chose yourse;lf as your higher power? If they didn't or can't chose eanother sponser, sometimes its hard to accept stuff when its not made obviousie the good intenison or rasional behind the basic princiaple or idea of stuff. Explinasions may not make it any more easier but i think minds accepot easier once they have the rational.


was seeing the aa meeting and the power within the group suggested as a sutible alternative to the higher power being of a devine faith based nature?
I know may sucessfull 12 steapers who have this view and never view the HP as devine, just thir hp lies within the joint power of the positive from within the meeting.

id be happie to chat with you about this, just draw my attension to it if i don't see it or pm me or just have a wee chat in private if you feel uncomphortable with the publicness of this descusion.

your call so give me a shout if you want,

cheers

dotsie you can't see who is last poster heer or when the last post was. I am posting now to see if it will change things and to see if i can post.

wonderring if this is part of the problems earlier in the week, thats not resolved.

Being that I have been to multiple rehabs over 4 years to be where I am now (18 months sober.) I just had to respond to this thread, even if it is a few days old.
From what I have seen and heard thru my journey there is simply not one solution that fits all. We hear a lot about AA and its successes but the scientific data puts its success rate at 7-10%. There is no way to ever know how many people in the quiet of there own homes and suffering are able to stop and stay stopped. I have been taught the long-term recovery rate is only somewhere between 25-33% for all addicts. Maybe they were just trying to scare us or maybe it is true, I don't know but that is what all rehabs seem to use as the figure.
It makes sense that the 'solution' is different for all afflicted with this as we are all different people with different needs and beliefs.
For me AA was initially helpful as it kept me busy and with people who understood. I then found I needed to be around healthy people who did not focus on alcoholism all the time. Being immersed in the subject became bad for me, I needed to learn to be 'immersed; in the real world. Just some thought from someone who has 'been there, done that'.

congradulations on your time up green (18 months)

figures in the uk for addictes as diffrent from alcoholics run a lot less its between 4 and 6 % for long term recovery but this is based within narcotices annonimise figures. for addicts as opposed to long term users but are not addicts.

you being arounf "healthie people" did you joine any other support group? or start with some other group maybee religouse based? Or are you doing it compleatlie on your owen?

green, congrats, and I say that with all sincerity. I know poeple in recovery, and know what a huge task it is. Keep up the excellent work.

I'm glad you discovered what works for you. It makes tremendous sense to me. I hope it will help someone reading who needs a different idea about recovery.

We are such an addictive society that whenever aqnyone has a breakthrough it is such a happy event. Whether it be sex, food, drugs, or alcohol each is an addiction and hard as all get out to overcome, some never do. So BRAVO green415....!

Greene, I don't think it matters how old the thread is. I've seen dead threads get resurrected after months of inactivity. Just my observation. It's awesome that you are at the 18 month mark. As always, I appreciate your candor. My husband has gone no longer than 2 weeks without a drink in our 20 year marriage. He drinks 2-3 glasses of wine after work, and sometimes a beer on the way home from work. I no longer police him. He knows the high stakes. He is not destructive other than to himself. I do worry that if he tried to quit on his own is there withdrawal for that amount? I do understand that one cannot be one's own higher power. But I don't like the notion of being put on the spot to determine a higher power. I've noticed on the self-help and psychology aisles of the book stores there are lots of books and workbooks to help those who want to quit an addiction.

There is a great deal of good literature out there.
I don't know if he would go thru a withdrawal, none of the people I have been in rehab with drank that small an amount. But given that he has done it for so long has to make you wonder about it. After a day of not drinking I wonder if his hands are shaky or if he is sweaty and nervous. Those were my first signs at the beginning of my journey. Also, from my experience and talking to other addicts, we are very seldom, if ever, honest with ourselves and others about the amount we are actually drinking. My poor hubby thought I was drinking 2 or 3 drinks a night. He was in a state of shock the day I went to him for help and confessed it was actually more than a fifth every day. So you can see I was in much worse shape than your hubby. Just remember that the person in real trouble is seldom, if ever, honest about it all. The shame is too great.

Okay, this thread is a year old, but is a subject near and dear to me. I see above where I had 18 months of sobriety so I had to give an update - even if no one is reading it.
2 1/2 YEARS SOBER AND PROUD OF IT!!!!!!

I salute you and celebrate with you in your joy. You obviously are loving yourself (that's where it starts!) and your life and how many people can say this? You go girl! (Queen jumping up and down and doing a happy dance for Greene)