Therapy can help you access resources, identify the underlying causes of your addiction, and learn strategies to effectively manage your sobriety. To find volunteer opportunities, search online, ask friends and family, or contact is it possible to get sober without aa local organizations. Meetup groups are communities of people who come together to share their passions, hobbies, interests, and identities.
Unmatched Addiction Care in Colorado.
They’re told they’ll stay stuck in the drinking cycle if they don’t go to AA meetings. Exercise can support your recovery by boosting your brain, battling the brain disorder of alcohol use disorder. Check out why person in long-term recovery and counselor, Chrissy Taylor, encourages exercise in early sobriety. Exercise will get your endorphins pumping, reduce cravings, and make you feel better. There are also online treatment programs to help you quit drinking without AA.
Long-Term Recovery Support Matters
Embarking on a journey to become “sober without AA” can seem daunting, yet it’s entirely possible with the right strategies and support systems in place. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various aspects of achieving long-term sobriety outside the traditional Alcoholics Anonymous framework. Everyone who gets sober is encouraged to seek help from family, friends who are positive influences, people who have been through the same thing, and professionals like therapists or psychologists. Sobriety is a journey, and a destination; and there are always people around to assist you along the way. Disulfiram is a medication that causes unpleasant side effects when alcohol is consumed, acting as a deterrent for drinking. It works by blocking the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which is responsible for breaking down alcohol in the body.
Stability is something that both support groups and formal drug treatment strongly encourage their members to establish by creating a routine. The addicted brain has been significantly overworked and overstimulated. There’s reassurance and comfort to be found in repetition and a sense of stability that their life has likely been missing for some time. Celebrate each day spent sober and acknowledge those victories in a way that is special to you.
What are some self-help techniques for staying sober without AA?
- Sharing personal experiences with addiction recovery can be a powerful tool for inspiring and supporting others on their own recovery journey.
- Everyone who gets sober is encouraged to seek help from family, friends who are positive influences, people who have been through the same thing, and professionals like therapists or psychologists.
- 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.
- Research shows that individuals who engage in professional treatment programs have higher success rates and lower relapse risks compared to those attempting recovery alone.
- Seeing a mental health professional can be a great asset, especially if you are diagnosed with a mental illness (or suspect that you might be).
If you are looking for a higher success rate, more structure, and support than AA, an IOP could be the right choice for you. IOPs offer more structure which help recovering alcoholics stay on track. The 12-Step program, first developed and used by Alcoholics Anonymous, is a 12-step plan in order to overcome addiction. The basic premise of this model is that those in recovery can help one another achieve and maintain sobriety, but that inner healing cannot be achieved unless they surrender to a higher power.
- It’s important to explore different options and find what works best for you.
- Seeking help from therapy can provide you with the tools to manage your problems.
- One effective way to stay sober is to develop coping mechanisms that work for you.
- To start family therapy, find an experienced family therapist through a referral from your doctor or by searching online for a therapist near you.
Getting sober without AA? Positive stories please.
You may even start hallucinating, which can make it difficult to determine what’s real and what’s not. These are all valid reasons to explore other recovery models—and there are plenty to choose from. Excessive drinking has numerous impacts on your body and mind, ranging from mild to severe. There are so many ways to recover these days – the options are nearly endless.
In fact, some other treatment methods are just as, if not more, effective as these 12-step programs. There are plenty of other ways to develop coping strategies, identify triggers, and manage a sober lifestyle. These methods may even have higher rates of success and long-term sobriety than AA.
If you choose to go the do-it-yourself route with DIY drug rehab, you may not have access to valuable structure and support that will guide you as you make this difficult transition. There are endless options to try for support and guidance if you’d struggling with alcohol. Our staff are highly trained with dual mental health and substance use licensing. Our medical staff includes an ASAM certified addiction psychiatrist & an addiction-trained primary care physician.
Is it possible to maintain sobriety without AA meetings/steps and a sponsor?
I know there are many here who have achieved long term sobriety without AA and it would really help me to hear any positive stories that it’s possible to do. Where I live (a small city in a mid-European country) there are only a couple of English-speaking meetings a week, at evening times that I can’t make because I’m a mum with two small children. As with most elements of AA, choosing a sponsor is a very informal and easy process. Finding a sponsor and forming a relationship requires no specific formula or system. Many believe that to gain any benefit from Alcoholics Anonymous, the alcoholic needs to make the commitment on their own.
Professional help remains a valuable resource – you don’t have to navigate recovery alone. Treatment centers like River Rock Treatment offer specialized programs that complement your personal efforts toward sobriety. Your recovery journey deserves careful consideration of all available options, weighing the benefits of independent sobriety against professional support.
