Addicts and Alcoholics Unite!

I'm curious if there are any other clean/sober people here who feel the extra burden of conspiracy truths on recovery life.

It's hard enough staying clean and sober without absorbing endless knowledge of eminent doom. I am lost and lonely. Make yourselves known.

Nope, just us drunks.

*chirp chirp chirp*



But I'm a recovering ex-alcoholic alcoholic.

I've given up more times than a drunk has tried to be a drunk, I know that!!

reply to post by Drezden


I am a recovering alcoholic and I would say it is best to not let conspiracy theories and fear become a new drug for you. If you look back you will see that a lot of alcoholic/addict behavior was driven by fear.

Go for a run and get those endorphins running!!!!!

Yes, Yoda teaches us that fear is the path to the dark side. So many things are fear based.. we are saturated with it. The News, advertisements, alternative-news (mostly by default). It's easy to get caught up in it.

Originally posted by xacto
Go for a run and get those endorphins running!!!!!

Bugger that, running makes it hard to drink!

Oo

I prefer to watch people run. Sometimes it's interesting.




..

Aww common, if you can't laugh about yourself, you have no fun in life.. No one used to know I drank, until they caught me sober.

Ha!

reply to post by Drezden


Yep, clean and sober just over a year, following 40 years of one substance or another. Kudos to you, too!!

ATS is one of my favorite sites, but I've learned to be careful about which threads I read. Some of the doom and gloom thoughts fascinate me, broaden my perspectives, and have influenced me to gather a stash of emergency supplies. However, even if I feel particularly objective, reading too many of those threads tends to sap my energy, cloud my thinking, and leave me feeling depressed. Escaping the sadness, dread, and fear obviously didn't help - it all still exists.

Look for the more positive forums and threads and minimize the time spent on Political Madness, Global Meltdown, Rant, and the like that can easily feed anger, fear, sadness, and other negatives. Humor adds levity and keeps me sane. It's working well for me, and hopefully it will help you too.

I Don't buy into the terms alcoholic and recovering alcoholic.

I'm 43 and haven't had a drink in quite some time. Simply because I do not wish to be drunk anymore. The drunk state holds nothing for me. I used to love to drink now and then only for the purpose of getting drunk. Therefore people told me I was an alcoholic.

I made the choice not to get drunk anymore by myself. In years past I have seen AA meetings and this odd religion they try to push on you, oh weak person that you are so powerless to stop your drinking that you need some otherworldly 12 step program that allows your higher power to be an ash tray. Yes, some may need that, but not me. I find it hogwash and brain washing. They can do more harm than good with thinking like that telling you repeatedly day in and day out you are powerless over your situation is self defeating. When your brain really starts to believe that crap, they have effectively brainwashed you into their cult.

I am not now, nor will I ever be an alcoholic or recovering alcoholic. You have to get yourself to that point - that you know no good can come from drinking to excess and you really do not want to do it - honestly. Until you come to that point everything else you use to try to quit drinking is a crutch and a lie to yourself and you know it.

There is no "extra burden of conspiracy truths on recovery life." for me. No burden at all because I refuse to allow such philosophy to make me feel like I'm a bad person who needs to continually remind himself how bad drinking is. No doom no gloom. I have made peace with myself. I simply never wish to drink to be drunk again. nuff said. Get to that point and then forget it. Put it in your past and move on. If you tell yourself you are a recovering addict all your life and must always go to meetings and call your sponsor for advice yadda yadda yadda then you have already defeated your efforts to remain in a state where not drinking wont bother you. You must release this thinking as well as honestly never wanting to be drunk to be whole from the effects and lure of alcohol.

I still love the taste of beer so I drink Odouls Amber. I go to parties where people drink. I am never tempted. I can because I know what I want. people who spend their lives in recovery programs do not know what they want and are not being honest with themselves.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
I Don't buy into the terms alcoholic and recovering alcoholic.

I'm 43 and haven't had a drink in quite some time. Simply because I do not wish to be drunk anymore. The drunk state holds nothing for me. I used to love to drink now and then only for the purpose of getting drunk. Therefore people told me I was an alcoholic.

I made the choice not to get drunk anymore by myself. In years past I have seen AA meetings and this odd religion they try to push on you, oh weak person that you are so powerless to stop your drinking that you need some otherworldly 12 step program that allows your higher power to be an ash tray. Yes, some may need that, but not me. I find it hogwash and brain washing. They can do more harm than good with thinking like that telling you repeatedly day in and day out you are powerless over your situation is self defeating. When your brain really starts to believe that crap, they have effectively brainwashed you into their cult.

I am not now, nor will I ever be an alcoholic or recovering alcoholic. You have to get yourself to that point - that you know no good can come from drinking to excess and you really do not want to do it - honestly. Until you come to that point everything else you use to try to quit drinking is a crutch and a lie to yourself and you know it.

There is no "extra burden of conspiracy truths on recovery life." for me. No burden at all because I refuse to allow such philosophy to make me feel like I'm a bad person who needs to continually remind himself how bad drinking is. No doom no gloom. I have made peace with myself. I simply never wish to drink to be drunk again. nuff said. Get to that point and then forget it. Put it in your past and move on. If you tell yourself you are a recovering addict all your life and must always go to meetings and call your sponsor for advice yadda yadda yadda then you have already defeated your efforts to remain in a state where not drinking wont bother you. You must release this thinking as well as honestly never wanting to be drunk to be whole from the effects and lure of alcohol.

I still love the taste of beer so I drink Odouls Amber. I go to parties where people drink. I am never tempted. I can because I know what I want. people who spend their lives in recovery programs do not know what they want and are not being honest with themselves.

Don't confuse spirituality with religion. AA has the highest success rate of keeping people off drugs and alcohol (and it's still painfully low). It is the best we have at the moment. What worked for you does not work for most people. They can stay clean/sober for awhile but they eventually relapse. That's why getting together with other clean/sober people is important.

When they say "powerless over alcohol" it's not talking about you are powerless to the temptation.. it's once you've started drinking you can't stop, you can't have just one beer without taking it too far. I think it's good that you're able to not drink without AA.. but most people need a drastic change to their life, AA is about changing your life not just your drinking pattern.. and that's what keeps people sober for the long run.