The good news is there are many other paths to help you moderate or manage your alcohol use, or to achieve full sobriety. Let’s explore some of the available alternatives to AA and 12-step programs. While its effectiveness and success is well documented, it is also clear that it does not work for everyone. A 2002 study with 279 people compared AA or similar 12-step programs with other forms of psychosocial treatment. Researchers found that 24% of AA or 12-step participants remained fully abstinent from alcohol after 12 months (2). The program is based around the Twelve Steps to help its members achieve complete abstinence from alcohol use.
I am not powerless over my addiction. And the concept of GOD really cannot help me.
- The personalized approach of professional help ensures that you receive tailored assistance.
- The SMART Recovery program is not based on a spiritual foundation like AA; instead, it’s foundation is research-based.
- I hung around NA for a week or two, never really embracing their demanding path to recovery.
If you think you can stick with it, creating a tapering schedule and gradually reducing how much you drink is usually the best approach. If you plan to quit cold turkey (all at once), make sure you are well-stocked with everything you’ll need for the week—withdrawal can make you feel very ill. Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) is a network of independent getting sober without aa groups to help people achieve or maintain sobriety. It’s another strong option for those looking for secular alternatives to AA meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous helps alcoholics stop drinking — and live a better life — one day at a time. I’m into multiple pathways to recovery, harm reduction, alternative health & personal growth — and loud, raw, noisy guitars.
Breaking the Cycle: The Role of Codependency in Substance Abuse
Celebrating your progress will also serve as a reminder of the strength and determination you possess to maintain sobriety. I continued on my path to getting sober without AA by attending a Master’s degree program in Spiritual Psychology. That said, here are 4 things I have learned that are useful in getting sober from alcohol without AA. So, I don’t know if going to a weekly meeting or multiple weekly meetings would be something I still want to do. Looking back, I do see all the signs and can finally admit that I am and will always be an alcoholic. But, I feel really proud that I was able to recover in a way that makes me happy and that truly resonates with me!
Why Choose a 12-Step Alternative?
If none of these options sound good to you, you can build the recovery community you feel is lacking in the world. Start a group in your area or on a social networking site like Facebook, and watch it grow. My own company, Workit Health, hosts online recovery groups for our members. Groups meet virtually throughout the week and focus on a wide range of topics.
Avoiding Triggers and Temptations
Explore various coping strategies to find what works best for you, enabling you to handle life’s challenges better and promoting long-term sobriety. The SMART in SMART Recovery stands for Self Management and Recovery Training. It’s a worldwide support network and arguably the leading alternative to AA. It espouses a four-point program based on abstinence, the ultimate goal of which is to help followers to lead more balanced lives. Secularity and non-confrontation are central to its ethos, and the organization says it’s perfectly acceptable to use SMART alongside other sobriety aids, even including 12-Step societies.
- They can also be an invaluable source of practical advice for things like withdrawal and or even repairing relationships with estranged loved ones.
- We are all different so surround yourself with people who created their own path and devote their lives to lifting other people up.
- LifeRing focuses mainly on the present – on living a full and positive sober life without dwelling too much on past indiscretions and hurts that may have been the result of problematic drinking.
- Strong cravings can make it feel like a battle of wills between you and alcohol.
- If you have a milder drinking problem, you might be able to go it alone.
How to Stay Sober
Finally, if you find all of these options too time consuming, expensive, or fussy, you can always go it alone. This can be a lot more difficult—and even dangerous if you have a severe enough addiction. That said, there have https://ecosoberhouse.com/ always been people who are able to quit drinking without a group or a program. WFS uses 13 acceptance statements to support its “New Life” Program that asks members to focus their energies on positivity over negativity.
This can help you move forward more quickly, and makes it easier to focus on behavior change or establishing new habits. It’s a science-backed approach to treatment, and an empowering, modern way to quit drinking without AA. This addiction recovery support group is for women with any type of substance use disorder, including AUD. Their New Life Program is based on 13 acceptance statements, and six levels of recovery.