How to Quit Drinking Without AA

I’d get high once in a while when I had to cop for friends driving down to NYC from upstate. As recovery became my focus, I eventually introduced these guys to my connections. One of the critical steps in your journey towards sobriety is seeking professional help and support. The alcohol prompts them to hide behind their stress and fear instead of coping with it. Looking at old photographs may help some people stay clean and sober. This especially may help if people are thinking about taking a drink of alcohol.

I know what you’re thinking: Why didnt you go to NA?

The guidance of a substance use counselor or addiction specialist can be invaluable in providing you with the necessary tools and strategies to navigate recovery challenges. I’m 9 years sober, and I’d like to explore 8 powerful strategies I used to create fulfillment in a life of recovery. Experts recommend that people participate in at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise every day.

• AA’s free and anonymous meetings are available in over 180 countries and more than 100 languages.
• Sobriety can be a particularly challenging pursuit for someone with an addiction like alcohol use disorder.
• Achieving sobriety without AA is entirely possible, and these eight strategies can guide you on your journey.
• Still others feel uncomfortable with the label “alcoholic,” or simply want to cut back—not quit completely as AA requires.

I Didn’t Identify As An Alcoholic

Here, Naus recounts jail time, an attempted murder charge and an uphill battle to reclaim a life nearly lost to the stranglehold of addiction in this outrageous memoir. Other studies challenge the idea that alcohol has benefits. These studies compare people with a gene variant that makes it unpleasant to drink to people without the gene variant. People with the variant tend to drink very little or not at all. One of these studies found people with the gene variant have a lower risk of heart disease — another blow to the idea that alcohol protects people from heart problems.

Diet and Exercise

It’s impossible to know how you’ll react and how your life will change when getting and staying sober. This article will describe sobriety in more detail, the challenges a person faces while working to stay sober, the options for treatment, and tips for building a sober lifestyle. Medical support can also wean you from certain substances slowly, helping the brain and body adjust to the loss of the substance more gradually and minimizing some withdrawal symptoms. These benefits not only ease the discomfort of the detox process, but also help to prevent relapse during this stage of treatment. Keep in mind that self-help strategies are helpful tools, but you may need additional help to remain sober long-term.

• In these programs, it’s customary to receive plastic chips as you progress to the one-year mark, at which time you receive a bronze coin.
• We understand the challenges of this stage of life, and our program is specifically built to serve the mid-life adult in a meaningful and individualized way.
• Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol.

Can I Quit Alcohol Cold Turkey?

Not everyone comes from an encouraging and supportive home environment. If your family and or friends aren’t motivating you to seek help for your substance misuse, make an appointment with a medical or addiction treatment professional. These individuals can direct you toward the resources you need for recovery, including the needed services and diagnosis of substance use and any co-occurring mental health disorders.

• I frequented syringe service programs, not just for sterile needles, but to congregate with harm reductionists and other peers who were ex-drug users.
• People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money.
• Eminem posted via X (formerly Twitter) on April 10 seeking diehard Slim Shady fans who would want to participate in the doc.
• I’m into multiple pathways to recovery, harm reduction, alternative health & personal growth — and loud, raw, noisy guitars.

Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife by Brenda Wilhelmson

The group works on developing techniques to enhance this version of self instead of the addict self who has previously been in control of all decisions and led to destruction in life. Each person is encouraged to find their own method of encouraging their sober self within a LifeRing program. SMART Recovery programs offer both local in-person meetings and online support through a 24/7 getting sober without aa chat board and daily online meetings. SMART Recovery programs avoid labels, such as “alcoholic,” and shy away from the disease model of addiction. They focus on methods that use both Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy components to engender change of self-destructive behaviors. What most people don’t know is that there are a lot of alternatives to AA.

Step 3: Find the Right Treatment Program

Distance yourself from people who threaten the success of your sobriety. Your first responsibility is to your recovery, and it’s important to protect it by making necessary changes. It was designed to create community, support and camaraderie for those struggling towards sobriety. Our treatments are tailored to serve each person’s unique needs and you can read about both Oar members who want to quit drinking entirely as well as Oar members who want to moderate their drinking. Their program teaches skills that can help you stay motivated in your sobriety and cope with cravings.

So You’re Trying to Stay Sober Without AA?

Alcohol consumption has a lot of negative effects on your body, and exercising can help undo some of the damage caused by substance use. Plus, the endorphins released while exercising help with mental wellness and even has been shown to reduce cravings experienced during late detox and early recovery. Your recovery journey is yours for a reason – no one else can do it for you, and no one else can tell you where or when you should be on that recovery path.

And others have the goal to quit drinking, but don’t find other aspects of AA to align with their values. Finally, if you find all of these options too time consuming, expensive, or fussy, you can always go it alone. This can be a lot more difficult—and even dangerous if you have a severe enough addiction.

• Detox can occur in a hospital setting or as the first part of inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation.
• This support fosters the motivation and self-confidence needed for sustained sobriety.
• One study found that mutual support groups can be as effective as 12-step programs and may help improve the odds of success for people who are committed to maintaining a lifetime of total abstinence.
• There are still plenty of ways to get the treatment you need and start the healthy lifestyle you deserve.

Best-selling memoirist Mary Karr longs for the family and stability that eluded her in childhood. When she marries and becomes a mother, she finds that with so much to lose, she still cannot control her drive to drink. A car accident, the slow and painful unraveling of her marriage, a stay in a mental hospital and an eventual spiritual awakening finally free Karr from the substance that nearly took her life. Alcoholics Anonymous helps alcoholics stop drinking — and live a better life — one day at a time.