• H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist | cdin | Lil'LinaptkSix

October Getting/Staying Clean/Sober Thread v Cool Nights and Falling Leaves

Hey Somni and RDP89. Just my own 0.02, but I've spent a lot of time puzzling over issues related to NA and the steps in the context of my own (largely atheistic) beliefs. My experience in NA is that I've had to work at understanding how I can authentically fit in to the fellowship. I try not to compromise my values. But at the same time, I've tried to be more open-minded than I am reflexively. Really I feel like this ongoing project of stretching my tolerance has been helpful in NA. Simply existing in the tension between NA dogma and my own dogma (for lack of a better word) has made me re-appraise some of my own habits of thought...I think for the better.

Of course you do have to guard against selling your soul if you truly find their program intellectually out of bounds.

One other thing I've worked on is reading the literature and understanding the steps carefully and with an eye towards my own needs in recovery. For example, I really love the wording of Step 3 despite misgivings about its most obvious meaning: "We made a decision to turn out will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him." *To me* the most important thing about that sentence isn't God but rather making a conscious, deliberate decision to improve out lives. When I'm using, I don't really make decisions...I just go with the flow and do what I need to do to stay well. Sure, Step 3 is about God. But more basically, it's about claiming agency over our plans and priorities and looking for a tenable way to orient our goals with things outside of ourselves.
 
See here's the problem....a week ago I was so fed up and was fully tapered to nothing and then went CT on opiates...a few days and a few drinks later I'm now loving the drug life...popping pills and drinking
..especially because I'm on vacation out of town ....it's very hard to avoid drugs when I'm away from my normal monotonous life. Like right now i feel like fuck it...I'ma do drugs and drink all weekend. Its like Dr jekyl and Mr Hyde ...I wanna be good one week and the next week it's get high
 
I'm not a fan of the 12 steps. I go to both Refuge Recovery and SMART Recovery meetings. There's enough in my area that I can go to a meeting almost every day. SMART Recovery is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and REBT, while Refuge Recovery is Buddhist-based and heavy into meditation(no awkward chanting, though). No higher power required, and people there are nowhere near as dogmatic as the ones I've met at NA meetings. There's always options if you look hard enough, even though you'd think the 12 steps were the be-all-end-all of recovery.
In the future I want to become qualified as a SMART Recovery facilitator and do commitment meetings at rehab centers. All these places are so steeped in the 12 steps, and many staff members aren't even aware of other programs. That's not right, IMO. Every option should be made available to people in early recovery. Once I've got a little more clean time under my belt(4 months sober as of tomorrow so far), I'll take the course.
 
Don’t get much chance to hear from folks experienced with RR. Especially outside of places like LA. What has your experience been like there?
 
I enjoy it. It's a relaxing environment. The Monday meetings I go to are with people my age(20's and 30's), and we're all interested in bringing alternative programs to facilities. The facilitator has already brought RR to one program run by the sheriff's office(an alternative to jail), and was talking about bringing meetings over to one of the local detox facilities. Since they've got that covered, I figured I'd concentrate on doing the same with SMART Recovery. A lot of people at the Refuge meetings had the same feelings about there only being the 12 steps at all of the inpatient programs, so I'm glad that people are doing their part to raise awareness.
I still have yet to read the Refuge Recovery book, even though I have it on PDF. I was surprised with how secular it really is(Buddhism itself can be rather secular), and how I'm actually able to hold still for the 20-minute meditation(I'd tried guided meditation before and it was always a disaster). I wish I'd discovered RR last year. Maybe I'd have kept myself from relapsing last spring.
 
Nocturne, you are fortunate to live in an area where you can have an alternative to 12 step meetings on almost a daily basis. In Orlando where I live, SMART meets only twice a month and it's in a far eastern suburb, so if traffic is bad it would be an hour's drive easy. We are also fortunate to now have a weekly Refuge Recovery meeting but I will be unable to go for the foreseeable future due to my intensive outpatient program schedule. I go to the agnostic/atheist AA meeting and several people from that group go to RR weekly and speak highly of it. I've also thought about taking the SMART facilitator course because I think a metropolitan area of more than 2 million people should have more than two SMART recovery meetings a months, but I've set myself back badly and need to get some more clean time under my belt before I can think about that.
 
Just got mine at the Publix (grocery) pharmacy. Zero copay and got a gift card for ten bucks!

Nice!

On another note, does anyone thing we are seeing more hurricane/tropical storms this year, particularly in the Gulf region? It feels like there has been storm after storm after storm in the last few weeks.
 
On another note, does anyone thing we are seeing more hurricane/tropical storms this year, particularly in the Gulf region? It feels like there has been storm after storm after storm in the last few weeks.
Yes it has been a pretty active season. Climate change got a lot of attention in 2004-2005; 2004 when four hurricanes hit Florida back to back (Charley, Ivan, Frances and Jeanne) and 2005 with Wilma and of course Katrina. In 2005 they actually ran out of names - they went through all 26 letters of the alphabet - and had to start using Greek letter names. Then there was a lull for basically 12 years and everyone forgot about climate change.
 
in Berlin, Germany there was also a storm, which is unusual. still everyone is picking up trees but just an orcan/storm, not a hurricane :D
today I shared my first step and socialized a bit with NA people. really fun. they are all some years older but nice :D rarely any 20's here and I'm 20 haha.
and aaaalmost no pain today. amazing! really. gooood day
 
Why does everyone assume I’m a professor at my school, lol. I’m a student dude! It flattering and all, but kinda awkward too. Perhaps this is the universe telling me I need to get a PhD and go into teaching...

I’m so happy I got the flu shot this year. Four or five of my friends have come down with it really, really bad. I mean, breaking my foot is enough drama for me. I don’t nees any more discomfort right now. I think this might become a yearly thing.

The flu shot I mean, not the foot thing :)
 
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