I am not alone. How do you feel?

It was gross, Cause. But for some reason it was more effective with you than the more adult "Let's agree to disagree" that I tried a few times. I also notice that their behavior didn't bother you when it was applied to an AA.

Let's agree to disagree.

I like your post too, and i'm glad life is working out for you. I feel that self empowerment and the ability to deal with the difficulties and pleasures of life with a sense of freedom is so important. We are all different in some ways and all find strength in different places. I know you have faith and I respect you for that especially as I believe that we should use things that give us strength to rebuild the aspects of our life that were damaged in the past. I have no faith which is partly down to the arguments caused by the different religions in my family and the resulting rows as well as being bombed by terrorists who were fighting in part for religion. I have to rely much more on myself as I have no spiritual involvement. With hindsight, I can see why the AA method caused me to feel depressed. However I have seen it happen to other people who had faith. One of my friends did the complete opposite to be and joined a church where he is very active. Things were not working for him as he found a conflict in beliefs and was treated with contempt by many AA people who gave out the usual " if you dont go to meetings warning".He has been out of the rooms for slightly longer than me and is enjoying life and doing a lot of good for others. He seems very relaxed and empowered in his own way, and his life is based around faith and not recovery.To me this would suggest that taking control of your life and changing habits are the most important thing. I don't do the day at time thing and never have. I had decided to stop for ever before I went to AA and as I went in with some dry time, I never worked a day at a time. In the first year it was not as easy as it is now and I feel that is down to the confidence within me and the experience of having been through some difficult situations. The day at a time thing may be of use to a struggler in their early recovery and a day may be a significant goal for a newcomer but it certainly should not be the aim of somebody with a few years. They should be modifying their goals in life and pushing on, not sitting around counting days and spouting slogans.
We were lucky to have the courage and the support to walk away from what is a really limiting group.I am glad to meet yourself and many others on here and seeing that such diverse methods have provided so many solutions for the member's. I get strength from that but more importantly it means I am confident to recommend other solutions to others who ask me how I did it without relying on AA. Have a good weekend!

"But I found a counselor..." So you did still have someone help you? I continue to know people that did use other people to help them get sober, even when they claim they did it themselves.

"supported me while helping me set a plan and get it in motion..." This describes my sponsor perfectly.

Have you read the OP page about Sensible Support Groups?

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-alt_list.html

As far as starting your own, well, that's really up to you, but there is quite a bit of experience among members, so stick around and keep asking questions...lol

It's called group therapy, but thank you for the endorsement of the value of fellowship. It was very important to me.

No clara, I don't talk about it all day long, I talk about other things. I don't still go to meetings. I haven't been to a meeting in a year and a half. I don't still hang out or communicate with the people I met in the fellowship and there was absolutely nobody that I learned anything productive from. The only thing I learned from the people in AA was negative self-defeating bullshit that would wreck my head all day long, for days and days on end wondering how these things could possibly be healthy or helpful. You are entirely wrong that AA has me more than ever before, as I don't have to try to believe and somehow make sense of all the negative and self-defeating way of life. I can fully reject those things, and I'm here to speak out and warn people about a grave injustice, which is that people have for decades been offered an ineffective method to quit drinking and drugging in the 12 step superstitious faith healing nonsense. To do otherwise would be completely selfish to me. clara, you are the one whose confused.

And let me help you with your last bit of confusion. I never went to rehab. I did however go to detox twice and they didn't heavily push 12 step superstitious faith healing nonsense. We were expected to attend a meeting that was brought there, but that was only one meeting a week. All the negativity I speak out about is directly from the big book and the 12&12 (which I consider to be the most abusive book I have ever read), and from slogans. and meetings, and people I encountered in AA. Rest assured that we are talking about the same program you are familiar with, it's only that you just aren't "getting it." You just don't know something is seriously wrong when you see it.

Good Morning, I watch your intereactions here with the posters who are not in favor of the AA program. There is a saying that " You cannot believe,what you cannot perceive". If you go back and read your own posts maybe you will understand why you are here. There is a common theme to virtualy all of your posts. See if you can recognize it. Peace, Clara