Substance Abuse Recovery Thread
November 10, 2016 at 7:16 pm
(This post was last modified: November 10, 2016 at 7:48 pm by Thumpalumpacus.)
Hi y'all. I'm opening this thread because it seems to be a useful idea. I've talked with a couple of members recently concerning sobriety and recovery, and I am myself an alcoholic in his first year of recovery. It seems to me that having a thread where we can organize a clearinghouse for secular recovery resources, and hopefully form a virtual group of sorts where we can share experiences and lend each other support would be a good thing. I'm hoping that we can address all sorts of addictions, not just alcohol, and invite anyone with any substance abuse issues or experiences to contribute. I'd like to make clear, as well, that any theist members are welcome here as well.
Now, I know that once a thread is released into the wild, it takes on a life of its own, but I'm just going to ask that folks posting here refrain from flaming and stuff like that; the idea is to provide a spot for the exchange of ideas (be they support or critique) without the heated exchanges that can often accompany discussions about sensitive topics. And I'd ask that religious discussion be left for the many other threads on the forum dedicated to those topics.
A little about myself: I'm an alcoholic, active for about 15 years in full-blown addiction. I started trying to sober up about a year ago, and entered recovery in January starting with my first AA meeting. Like many here, I found the religious emphasis off-putting, but as another member said in Gemini's thread -- which was the kicker that decided me to start this one, thanks, Gem
-- I took from AA what I could and left the rest alone. In May I started a VA outpatient group program that worked much better for me, and completed that program in August. My sobriety has not been perfect; I've had several lapses, but got right back on the horse and rode farther. I'm a member at SoberyRecovery.com (link is in my signature), and I've found that place to be very helpful -- lots of support from addicts in various stages ranging from still active to decades sober, and I hope anyone looking for help checks it out. They have a ton of resources, a great section for blogging, and very active forums. I'm there under the same screenname.
I hope this thread, too, can be helpful, and hope we can get this rolling and create a sort of virtual group. I'll post back later with some online resources, and will be glad to help anyone through PM who doesn't feel comfortable posting publicly on such a sensitive matter.
Be strong -- we can do this.
Now, I know that once a thread is released into the wild, it takes on a life of its own, but I'm just going to ask that folks posting here refrain from flaming and stuff like that; the idea is to provide a spot for the exchange of ideas (be they support or critique) without the heated exchanges that can often accompany discussions about sensitive topics. And I'd ask that religious discussion be left for the many other threads on the forum dedicated to those topics.
A little about myself: I'm an alcoholic, active for about 15 years in full-blown addiction. I started trying to sober up about a year ago, and entered recovery in January starting with my first AA meeting. Like many here, I found the religious emphasis off-putting, but as another member said in Gemini's thread -- which was the kicker that decided me to start this one, thanks, Gem
-- I took from AA what I could and left the rest alone. In May I started a VA outpatient group program that worked much better for me, and completed that program in August. My sobriety has not been perfect; I've had several lapses, but got right back on the horse and rode farther. I'm a member at SoberyRecovery.com (link is in my signature), and I've found that place to be very helpful -- lots of support from addicts in various stages ranging from still active to decades sober, and I hope anyone looking for help checks it out. They have a ton of resources, a great section for blogging, and very active forums. I'm there under the same screenname.I hope this thread, too, can be helpful, and hope we can get this rolling and create a sort of virtual group. I'll post back later with some online resources, and will be glad to help anyone through PM who doesn't feel comfortable posting publicly on such a sensitive matter.
Be strong -- we can do this.
