I quit drinking, now what am I going to do? This may be the question plaguing you if you have recently decided to conquer your alcoholism and follow the path of recovery. There is a popular saying in and around Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, “The only thing you need to change is everything”. There are many programs designed to help you to quit drinking. Some of them work and some do not, but regardless of how you got sober to begin with, the big question now is how do you live a sober life, continue to stay sober, and not die of boredom?
A very popular and well-known method of alcoholism treatment is Alcoholics Anonymous. Judges, parole officers, and therapists often send people who they believe are alcoholics to AA meetings. AA is a 12-step program that bases its foundation on the fact that you will have some sort of spiritual experience and turn you life and your will over to the care of God, as you understand him. The authors of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob worded this very carefully and deliberately. They did not want people who do not believe in God to have an excuse not to go to AA meetings. The program however, is in fact a very spiritual one.
A huge part of Alcoholics Anonymous is attending meetings every day, it does not specify this in the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous”, but; as you begin going to meetings it will be recommended that you attend at least one meeting daily, especially for your first 90 days of sobriety. That is correct, every single day, two or three times a day, if you feel the need to be in and around the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous more often to stay sober.
For those “in the program” AA becomes a lifestyle, there are also meetings for the spouses and significant others of the alcoholic, the children of the alcoholics, and so on. Many AA meeting places arrange dances, picnics, motorcycle rallies and other social events quite often. AA and NA have a worldwide fellowship, with meeting places in just about every city in the U.S. If you cannot get to a meeting, there are also on-line and phone meetings, chat rooms and other such places where you can hang out with others who do not drink. AA meeting places are usually a small building in your town, with a couple of rooms that actually looks a lot like a bar. A lot of them have pool tables, and other games, along with people who just want to hangout with their new sober friends without being bothered by those old friends who may tempt you to relapse.
Sobriety is very important, without it, you would not have anything else. It is said that, “if you are spiritually fit then you can go anywhere”, in other words, an alcoholic can be in a bar all night long with out it having any effect on them whatsoever, if they are spiritually fit (without worries or resentments). This is a slippery slope, it is recommended that alcoholics, especially if they are new to sobriety, should stay away from “wet places and wet faces”; that is people who they drank with or places where they used to drink. They will most likely need to make a completely new set of friends, those who do not drink. It is just too tempting to pick up a beer when everyone else at the table is drinking beer. Why put yourself through all that temptation? If your friends are truly friends, they will want you to succeed in your recovery. If your friends are in fact your friends in the true sense of the word, they will not drink around you; they will find other ways to spend time with you in a safe atmosphere without drinking.
Keep in mind that what you thought was fun while you were still drinking will not be the same when you are sober. You probably thought you were the life of the party; you will notice the longer and longer you are sober that you will hear ridiculous stories about yourself, most of them embarrassing and/or dangerous. Remember, there is strength in numbers; the more sober people you socialize with and keep around you, the safer you will be from relapse. Do not let the worry of “what will I do?” block you from the road to recovery. It is a long and bumpy ride, but once you have reached sobriety, your chance at serenity is not far behind. Good luck on your journey of recovery.
A very popular and well-known method of alcoholism treatment is Alcoholics Anonymous. Judges, parole officers, and therapists often send people who they believe are alcoholics to AA meetings. AA is a 12-step program that bases its foundation on the fact that you will have some sort of spiritual experience and turn you life and your will over to the care of God, as you understand him. The authors of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob worded this very carefully and deliberately. They did not want people who do not believe in God to have an excuse not to go to AA meetings. The program however, is in fact a very spiritual one.
A huge part of Alcoholics Anonymous is attending meetings every day, it does not specify this in the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous”, but; as you begin going to meetings it will be recommended that you attend at least one meeting daily, especially for your first 90 days of sobriety. That is correct, every single day, two or three times a day, if you feel the need to be in and around the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous more often to stay sober.
For those “in the program” AA becomes a lifestyle, there are also meetings for the spouses and significant others of the alcoholic, the children of the alcoholics, and so on. Many AA meeting places arrange dances, picnics, motorcycle rallies and other social events quite often. AA and NA have a worldwide fellowship, with meeting places in just about every city in the U.S. If you cannot get to a meeting, there are also on-line and phone meetings, chat rooms and other such places where you can hang out with others who do not drink. AA meeting places are usually a small building in your town, with a couple of rooms that actually looks a lot like a bar. A lot of them have pool tables, and other games, along with people who just want to hangout with their new sober friends without being bothered by those old friends who may tempt you to relapse.
Sobriety is very important, without it, you would not have anything else. It is said that, “if you are spiritually fit then you can go anywhere”, in other words, an alcoholic can be in a bar all night long with out it having any effect on them whatsoever, if they are spiritually fit (without worries or resentments). This is a slippery slope, it is recommended that alcoholics, especially if they are new to sobriety, should stay away from “wet places and wet faces”; that is people who they drank with or places where they used to drink. They will most likely need to make a completely new set of friends, those who do not drink. It is just too tempting to pick up a beer when everyone else at the table is drinking beer. Why put yourself through all that temptation? If your friends are truly friends, they will want you to succeed in your recovery. If your friends are in fact your friends in the true sense of the word, they will not drink around you; they will find other ways to spend time with you in a safe atmosphere without drinking.
Keep in mind that what you thought was fun while you were still drinking will not be the same when you are sober. You probably thought you were the life of the party; you will notice the longer and longer you are sober that you will hear ridiculous stories about yourself, most of them embarrassing and/or dangerous. Remember, there is strength in numbers; the more sober people you socialize with and keep around you, the safer you will be from relapse. Do not let the worry of “what will I do?” block you from the road to recovery. It is a long and bumpy ride, but once you have reached sobriety, your chance at serenity is not far behind. Good luck on your journey of recovery.