An AA alternative - Stop drinking or using drugs forever!
| Addiction Self Help- | Alcohol Addiction- | Drug Addiction- | Alcoholism Self Help Recovery- | Quit Drinking or Using Drugs- | The AA Alternative |
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This site was developed as an AA or NA alternative. It is for those who struggle with alcohol addiction or drug addiction and just can't find the meaning and answers they seek in AA, NA or current treatment programs. It is to empower the friends and families of those with a drug addiction or alcohol addiction, and help them understand what they can do to help. It views drug and alcohol addiction as a choice, not a disease. Through the "Forgotten Five Steps" workbook, it presents motivational and practical tools for "recovery" that pull upon your own strengths. This approach will not require years of expensive therapy, endless meetings and defining yourself as an alcoholic or addict. ...I must emphasize that I believe in the value of each person, and like myself, each must come to terms with who they are, what they desire, and their own way of finding it. AA and treatment can be beneficial in changing one's life from alcohol addiction or drugs. However, I have met many alcohol or drug users who just couldn't make it work. They believed in a different philosophy or life course. They wanted more than what was offered. I do not judge others for their beliefs and passions for we all dance to a different tune. You are not a failure because you did not succeed in previous attempts at "sobriety". Look deeper. Find your passion. Raise your standards and begin to believe again...... HOPE! If you have tried to quit alcohol or drugs, and just can't find that peace and happiness through traditional programs, read on. Open your mind and heart to what is possible and know that you are not alone. There are others who struggled also, but found a way to live again. My purpose here is to share my views, opinions and what I have learned in the process, with the hope that it will encourage others to do the same. The question I often ask myself is "What statement do I want to give to the world?" Well, here are some, of many, that myself and others have deemed important enough to share.......   Non 12 step workbook, Alcohol Addiction Self Help, Drug Recovery Self Help, Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery Workbook |
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Drug addiction and alcohol addiction is not a disease, but a choice. You do not have to be a passive bystander to an imaginary disease of drug addiction or alcohol addiction; give up your will; be labeled as an alcoholic or "in recovery"; or attend meetings and treatment for the rest of your life!
Those who struggle with alcohol addiction or drug addiction are finding that often the mainstream thinking isn’t helping them. Three or four alcohol or drug rehabs later, many counseling sessions attended, and hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent only to find out that relapse is a part of treatment and the drug or alcohol addiction "disease" is with you forever! What? Then why go? If something does not produce acceptable results, why continue in it? Because we have been led to believe that drug addiction or alcohol addiction is a disease. We have been told that the only way to "recover" is to attend treatment and endless AA, NA meetings for the rest of our lives. The truth is that most people who have had problems with alcohol addiction or drug addiction in the past quit on their own.
You are in complete control right now! No one is stopping you from cracking that beer, or sniffing that powder.
So why is the alternative to using (not using) drugs or alcohol so difficult to comprehend? We can choose to pick up a beer whenever we fancy. But if we want to put that beer down, all of a sudden there are diseases, character defects, meetings, counseling treatment sessions, etc., to contend with! Many who have had an alcohol addiction or drug addiction problem, have quit on their own and without all the drama and struggle!
There are vast amounts of information out there on the whole "recovery" process from drug addiction and alcohol addiction. With this vast information, I believe, we often lose sight of what matters most.
Drug addiction and alcohol addiction is a painful business. Because of the pain and struggle involved we may search endlessly for the one cause or cure to end the madness. We become afraid, and through this fear cling to any shred of evidence we can find to lift us from our state. Is there one way to succeed in "recovery"? Who is right? Who is wrong? When it is all said and done, it does not matter which path you take to end alcohol addiction or drug addiction. It's your choice, your life. Find a way. For whatever reason, you gave alcohol or drugs power and control. They served a purpose for you. This purpose allowed you the ability to control your fear and feelings of helplessness. Relearning a healthy coping strategy may take time, and you will make mistakes. Don’t go to hard on yourself. Learn from your mistakes. You are more than your drug or alcohol addiction! Those that struggle with drug addiction or alcohol addiction will continue to use until they are convinced that they can successfully live life without the use of alcohol or drugs. Addiction as a choice does not avoid responsibility. Rather it acknowledges mistakes and enables ownership of positive change. |
So why can't people quit drug addiction or alcohol addiction when everything they say indicates they want to? Simply, they feel they cannot live life without it. They have made the wrong choices for so long and depended on their drug addiction or alcohol addiction as a crutch. To stop drinking or using drugs would strip them of the only constant they know: The ability to control their fear and helplessness with alcohol or drugs is the way they perceive as most effective for their particular situation. You have used alcohol or drugs so long to buffer you from these stressors and emotions that you wonder if you can still face them alone. You doubt yourself and your abilities. How would you handle yourself? Would you be overwhelmed with unwanted emotions? Could I live with the reality that I created this mess? How would I resolve all this? It is safer to hide in a bottle or pipe than face the unknown.
There are many who continue to struggle with current drug addiction or alcohol addiction treatment, AA or NA. These people may have been told that there is only one way to recover. That if they do not subscribe to the current thinking of addiction being a disease, then they are in denial, or will never recover. They do not want to forever be called an "addict" or attend meetings for the rest of their lives. They do not want to continuously talk of their past mistakes, but move on. They feel their drinking or drug use does not make them powerless, but challenge themselves to a higher understanding of why they use. There is hope and there are alternatives to recovery. There is no disease and you can recover forever. My goal is to keep it real. I will only talk from experience. I've seen what works. Each human has potential, and if the desire is present and the right information available, the life you want is yours. Feedback From "The Mail Bag" |
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Some have asked why I feel it important to put a website out in direct opposition to what is currently believed in the drug and alcohol addiction treatment field. Some feel if people don't believe addiction is a disease they won't get help. Why not just go with the status quo? Isn’t the system we currently have sufficient enough to deal with the problems of drug and alcohol addiction?
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Finally, of those people who succeed in AA or treatment, it has been shown that the majority were already motivated to change. In other words, motivation of the alcohol or drug user to stop is more important than the actual programs or counseling techniques.
I have been asked if I thought that taking away the disease of drug or alcohol addiction would only encourage people to drink or use drugs. That the disease concept is needed to let people know they cannot keep using drugs or alcohol or face death. This is a fear tactic and it does not work. If it did, our current system would not lose or exclude the majority of those seeking drug or alcohol addiction help. Do people need to fear to remain sober? Some would argue, “yes”. Talk to a current outpatient program and they will tell you the majority of their clients remain sober for six months to a year. Most of these clients are court ordered to attend treatment and would rather attend therapy than sit in jail. But what about long term change? Recidivism is high, and relapse is accepted. What does this say about effectiveness of treatment? Current treatment is not working. The majority of those who quit, quit on their own. |
They did not give up their will to a disease, but took personal responsibility for their behavior. But, what about those who are finding it difficult to stop drinking or using drugs?
I do not believe that because some cannot or will not stop that it must be a disease. The purpose of the disease concept is to justify behavior we cannot understand. I would venture that most professionals in the field would agree. Why do I say this? Because, moral inventories, amends, character defects, and different clinical therapies would be silly if addiction was purely a disease. Making amends or exploring childhood resentments would do little to eliminate something like cancer. What would be more effective is to teach the person the power of choice and empowerment in choosing coping responses to lead a more fulfilled life. So, my goal is to offer an alternative view of drug and alcohol addiction. I would like to replace the fear of disease with the empowerment of choice. If someone chooses to continue using alcohol or drugs, it will not be because they are diseased, but because they have not been convinced they can successfully live life without alcohol or drugs. |
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