ALCOHOLISM & DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE
AA Alternative–Non 12 Step Recovery–Alcoholics Anonymous Alternative–Quit Drinking without AA–Stop Drinking–Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
“Addiction is our ability to control fear in a way we perceive as most effective for a particular situation. To control this fear is the motivation and alcohol and drugs serve this purpose well.” |
“The Forgotten Five Steps”
Workbook/Audio Program!
Download Now!
An empowering & practical approach to addiction.
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step, Alternatives to AA
There are vast amounts of information out there on the subject of alcohol and drug addiction, and my goal is to keep it real. I’ve seen what can work and I know the potential each human has and can choose to use, if the desire is there and the right information and motivation is available.
I must emphasize that I believe in the value of each person, and like myself, each must come to terms with who they are, what they desire, and their own way of finding it. My purpose here is not to convince anyone of how right one way is or better than another, but to share what I have learned in the process and hope that it will encourage others to do the same.
I have often heard the question, “Why do I drink or drug?” Or, “Why can’t I stop using alcohol or drugs?” These questions, I believe, miss the mark. The more important question is the “what” question. “What do alcohol and drugs give me?” “What has life presented to me that I believe cannot be handled without my loyal six-pack or pipe?” “What would happen to me if I could not depend on using alcohol or drugs?”
The answer is simple and nothing new. Those who drink or drug will do anything to avoid fear. “What” they get is a temporary fix or way out. It is human nature to choose what we perceive will give us the most happiness at any given moment. Fear hinders this process.
Fear is often secondary to the disease concept in most recovery programs. I believe this gives people a “false hope” that if they obtain a mastery over this insidious disease they will obtain a life of happiness. However, they find out this is not the case when they are presented with a negative life experience and end up using alcohol or drugs again.
Why? Because they believe (perceive) the situation will be unmanageable if they do not run and hide in a bottle or pipe. The avoidance of fear is greater than resolving the conflict in a positive manner.
Addiction is our ability to control fear in a way we perceive as most effective for a particular situation. To control this fear is the motivation and alcohol and drugs serve this purpose well.
In the end, the person struggling with an addiction must come to realize that his/her individual worth is not because he/she is “sober” or “addicted” but because he/she is alive.
The addict will continue to use until he/she is convinced that they can successfully live life without the use of alcohol or drugs.
There Is A Way & You Have A Choice!
I must expand here for I do not believe the alcohol or drug user is inept or deficient in any way. They are not any different than the non-addicted person. Sure they may have a mess to clean up with family and friends, but their desire to avoid fear and obtain happiness is the same as anyone’s. Some overeat, some exercise too much, some close themselves off and become bitter, some work too much, some drink or use drugs, etc. The bottom line is balancing how we cope with our fear in life and still be able to function in a healthy way.
But how do we decide this balance? How do we determine what is healthy or unhealthy for each of us individually?
The question I often ask myself is “What statement do I want to give to the world?” This is individual and powerful for each individual. It cannot be taught to them or forced upon them with consequences and threats. Consequences and threats can be a motivation to change only if the person realizes their current choice of behavior does not match their inner desire and focus of who they want to be and choose for their life.
So the answer lies in our ability to realize who we are and who we want to be. But how?
I get this question a lot. So I decided to create a guide that will help you. In the ebook “The Forgotten Five-Steps” I explain a simple program that will allow you to do this. I also will give you online help and coaching. I believe it is important to invest in your life and obtain accountability. $35 is a small price compared to the thousands of dollars traditional rehabs and programs charge. The money is secondary to me, I’m looking for a commitment. Instead of going out and smoking or drinking this money, decide right now to invest in something that will give you the ability to define your life as you want it to be. I will send it to you free if you are short on money, but for most I would encourage you to purchase it.
You have probably been through the programs and know all the info. Forget all that and decide now that you want more, that you want hope.
“The Forgotten Five Steps”
Workbook/Audio Program!
An empowering & practical approach to addiction.
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step, Alternatives to AA
Contact me with any questions!
www.recoverforever.com
www.addictionalternative.net
www.newarkohiocounseling.com
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step Alternatives to AA
Newark Ohio Alcohol & Drug Counseling
AA Alternative–Non 12 Step Recovery–Alcoholics Anonymous Alternative–Quit Drinking without AA–Stop Drinking–Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
Individual drug and alcohol counseling for the Ohio Counties: Licking County Ohio – Knox County Ohio- Fairfield County – Perry County Ohio- Muskingum County – Coshocton County
Alcohol addiction is not a disease! Quit drinking today. A self help alternative to quit drinking forever.
Addiction Recovery–Alcohol Addiction–Quit Drinking–Alcoholism–Alternative Approach To Quit Drinking–The AA Alternative
“There are many reasons people will give why they drink or drug and why it is not a problem for them. If it truly was not a problem, they would not need reasons.” |
A Practical Solution
So you have decided alcohol or drugs just aren’t cutting it for you anymore and you are entertaining the idea of cutting back or quitting. You know the first step is to not use alcohol or drugs but after that what happens? Just the thought of never using alcohol or drugs again may cause you fear and anxiety. You wonder how you will ever enjoy another get together with an old college-drinking buddy. You wonder how you will make it through the holidays, weekends, or cope with all the stress in life. You feel you may miss out on some of life’s activities and pleasures because you no longer use alcohol or drugs. The doubts about quitting, and the reasons to continue alcohol or drug use start flying around in your head. These doubts are normal but they can often create major obstacles in eliminating alcohol or drugs from one’s life. The reasons and excuses above are important in the sense that they illustrate the beliefs of many who think they can’t quit. They believe their lives will be missing something if they do quit alcohol or drugs.
Below you will find a list of some common misconceptions of those with alcohol or drug addictions. I will give a brief refute to these misconceptions in an attempt to lessen the reasons why some believe they can’t quit alcohol or drugs. (For a more thorough and comprehensive look at these misconceptions see Allan Carr’s book Easy Way To Control Alcohol.) I will then list five practical solutions someone struggling with an alcohol or drug addiction can use to remain alcohol and drug free.
1) Alcohol or drugs help me escape problems.
– False, they numb your senses and mind. They do not address the originating problem or stress but rather intensify and compound it. A great example of this is if your car’s engine light came on. Would you rewire the circuit so that the light did not come on, or would you take your car to a mechanic to have your engine checked? Obviously, rewiring the circuit would do nothing to solve the problem. Likewise, alcohol and drugs only numb you to the real issues that need to be addressed and looked at.
2) Alcohol and drugs relax me.
– False, to be truly relaxed you need to address what is causing you the stress. Alcohol and drugs only deaden the senses; they do not remove the stress.
3) It takes willpower to quit and I don’t know if I have enough.
– False, there is no willpower involved here, simply a choice. Willpower is only needed if we look at how we are giving something up. There is nothing to give up when one decides to quit using alcohol or drugs for these things do nothing for you to begin with. In actuality, what you are deciding to do is choose an alternative way to handle life. This doesn’t take willpower (although it may take some practice) All it takes is an active choice. Alcohol and drugs do not demand you use them. You use them because you believe you can’t handle life without them. The choice to use or not use alcohol or drugs is always present. Anyone who has struggled with an addiction to alcohol or drugs can verify they have, at times, refrained from use. It’s a choice to use or not use, don’t complicate it. A simple illustration would go as follows: What if I said I have milk and orange juice in the fridge, and I would like the milk. Would it take willpower for you to not grab the orange juice? Of course not. It would just be a simple choice. View alcohol and drugs the same way. You can use or not use; it’s your choice. Willpower has nothing to do with it.
4) I drink to be sociable.
– False, alcohol and drug use do not make someone more sociable, but rather remove inhibitions and common sense. Alcohol and drugs give false courage and often with much embarrassment.
5) If I don’t continue using alcohol or drugs, I will be physically sick with withdrawal.
– Not necessarily, most people I have encountered experience flu like symptoms for around three days. They may be a little shaky and disoriented, but it is no worse than the common hangover or flu for most. The major battle is mental. For the hard-core alcohol or drug user I would consult a physician for your body will be going through a major adjustment. Be smart, if you are at all concerned about the physical symptoms, consult your physician.
6) I enjoy drinking.
– False, in reality you believe you cannot enjoy life without alcohol or drugs. For the alcohol users, do you remember your first taste of liquor? Did you say, “Wow, that is the best tasting liquid I have ever had?” Most of those who currently struggle with an addiction wish they weren’t drinking or using drugs while they use. Where is the enjoyment in that?
There are many reasons people will give why they drink or drug and why it is not a problem for them. If it truly was not a problem, they would not need reasons. Do I have to give a reason for drinking water or milk? No, because it is no big issue for me. So the above are some brief explanations of the reasons some may use to continue drug or alcohol use.
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An empowering & practical approach to addiction.
**********
The following is a list five things an alcohol or drug user can utilize to help them quit drinking alcohol or stop drug use.
1) Get out of your head!
– You have decided to quit using alcohol or drugs after much mental debate. A day or two goes by and you start to feel better physically. You are very proud of yourself. Something happens at work that is stressful and what happens. Your head starts looking for a way to cope with the stress. The alcohol or drug debate begins again. You start rationalizing and justifying how it may not be so bad for one more drink or hit. STOP right there! You are and will achieve what you think! Get out of your head and focus on something else. It’s your negative thinking that got you into the drug and alcohol mess to begin with. But how do you do this?
2) Be selfless not selfish!
– A major reason to want to use alcohol or drugs is selfishness. The poor me syndrome. The whole world starts to revolve around you and no one has as bad as problems as you do. Well none of these problems will be remedied by using alcohol or drugs. You wont pay your bills or patch up the situation with your spouse or at work by using. You wont even find that moment of happiness you are so desperately seeking by using alcohol and drugs. Instead of going up into your head and feeling miserable about yourself or situation, help someone! Get out of your head and into someone else’s world. Kindness to others is the key here, for it does not allow you to have a pity party in your head. The greatest cure and joy in the world to combat misery and selfishness is to help someone else. Talk to someone who seems down. Volunteer at a hospital or detox center. Do anything to get out of your head and not think about yourself. It works!
3) Do something!
– Nothing will change if you sit on the couch feeling sorry for yourself. You need motion and action. All the planning and goals mean little if you don’t put some action behind them. Do something! Get a hobby, volunteer your time, go running, read a book. Whatever will help put you in motion. The concept of fear is important here for most who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction have let fear immobilize them. Remember this: fear lessons and becomes irrelevant when we are actively working toward a goal. Do something toward a goal you have.
4) Choose a goal!
– A goal is something you want to achieve that does not hurt yourself or others. It’s what you want to focus your life towards. Those who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction often lose sight of what their goals are. Find one! What do you enjoy doing? Even if it is a small goal, find one. Finding a goal and working towards it eliminates the power of alcohol or drugs in your life. Your life becomes about who you want to be not who you were.
5) Establish meaning in your life!
– If you are spiritual or religious, PRAY. Re-connect with life and that quiet but persistent voice inside you. Your emotions will tell you when your focus is wrong. Emotions are the nerves to the soul. Listen to them, and if you are having negative emotions look at where your focus is right now. Readjust it! When you were drinking or using drugs your focus was only on yourself. You weren’t happy. You can be! Who do you want to be, what do you want to value, and who do you want to care about? Focus is individual for everyone, but you know it is there. You feel it. You are not ignorant, weak, or stupid. You have just never pushed through your fear of life by getting out of your head, thinking of others first, and putting action behind your goals. You do these simple steps and you have just obtained your new focus!
An empowering & practical approach to addiction.Addiction Recovery–Alcohol Addiction–Quit Drinking Alcohol–Alcoholism–Self Help Alternative To Quit Drinking–Alcohol Abuse–The AA Alternative
Newark, Ohiowww.newarkohiocounseling.com
Alcohol Addiction Alternative, Self Help recovery To Quit Drinking, Alcohol Addiction CounselingIndividual drug and alcohol counseling for the Ohio Counties: Licking County Ohio – Knox County Ohio- Fairfield County – Perry County Ohio- Muskingum County – Coshocton County
Newark Ohio Alcohol & Drug Counseling
ALCOHOLISM & DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE
AA Alternative–Non 12 Step Recovery–Alcoholics Anonymous Alternative–Quit Drinking without AA–Stop Drinking–Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
“Addiction is our ability to control fear in a way we perceive as most effective for a particular situation. To control this fear is the motivation and alcohol and drugs serve this purpose well.” |
“The Forgotten Five Steps”
Workbook/Audio Program!
Download Now!
An empowering & practical approach to addiction.
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step, Alternatives to AA
There are vast amounts of information out there on the subject of alcohol and drug addiction, and my goal is to keep it real. I’ve seen what can work and I know the potential each human has and can choose to use, if the desire is there and the right information and motivation is available.
I must emphasize that I believe in the value of each person, and like myself, each must come to terms with who they are, what they desire, and their own way of finding it. My purpose here is not to convince anyone of how right one way is or better than another, but to share what I have learned in the process and hope that it will encourage others to do the same.
I have often heard the question, “Why do I drink or drug?” Or, “Why can’t I stop using alcohol or drugs?” These questions, I believe, miss the mark. The more important question is the “what” question. “What do alcohol and drugs give me?” “What has life presented to me that I believe cannot be handled without my loyal six-pack or pipe?” “What would happen to me if I could not depend on using alcohol or drugs?”
The answer is simple and nothing new. Those who drink or drug will do anything to avoid fear. “What” they get is a temporary fix or way out. It is human nature to choose what we perceive will give us the most happiness at any given moment. Fear hinders this process.
Fear is often secondary to the disease concept in most recovery programs. I believe this gives people a “false hope” that if they obtain a mastery over this insidious disease they will obtain a life of happiness. However, they find out this is not the case when they are presented with a negative life experience and end up using alcohol or drugs again.
Why? Because they believe (perceive) the situation will be unmanageable if they do not run and hide in a bottle or pipe. The avoidance of fear is greater than resolving the conflict in a positive manner.
Addiction is our ability to control fear in a way we perceive as most effective for a particular situation. To control this fear is the motivation and alcohol and drugs serve this purpose well.
In the end, the person struggling with an addiction must come to realize that his/her individual worth is not because he/she is “sober” or “addicted” but because he/she is alive.
The addict will continue to use until he/she is convinced that they can successfully live life without the use of alcohol or drugs.
There Is A Way & You Have A Choice!
I must expand here for I do not believe the alcohol or drug user is inept or deficient in any way. They are not any different than the non-addicted person. Sure they may have a mess to clean up with family and friends, but their desire to avoid fear and obtain happiness is the same as anyone’s. Some overeat, some exercise too much, some close themselves off and become bitter, some work too much, some drink or use drugs, etc. The bottom line is balancing how we cope with our fear in life and still be able to function in a healthy way.
But how do we decide this balance? How do we determine what is healthy or unhealthy for each of us individually?
The question I often ask myself is “What statement do I want to give to the world?” This is individual and powerful for each individual. It cannot be taught to them or forced upon them with consequences and threats. Consequences and threats can be a motivation to change only if the person realizes their current choice of behavior does not match their inner desire and focus of who they want to be and choose for their life.
So the answer lies in our ability to realize who we are and who we want to be. But how?
I get this question a lot. So I decided to create a guide that will help you. In the ebook “The Forgotten Five-Steps” I explain a simple program that will allow you to do this. I also will give you online help and coaching. I believe it is important to invest in your life and obtain accountability. $35 is a small price compared to the thousands of dollars traditional rehabs and programs charge. The money is secondary to me, I’m looking for a commitment. Instead of going out and smoking or drinking this money, decide right now to invest in something that will give you the ability to define your life as you want it to be. I will send it to you free if you are short on money, but for most I would encourage you to purchase it.
You have probably been through the programs and know all the info. Forget all that and decide now that you want more, that you want hope.
“The Forgotten Five Steps”
Workbook/Audio Program!
An empowering & practical approach to addiction.
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step, Alternatives to AA
Contact me with any questions!
www.recoverforever.com
www.addictionalternative.net
www.newarkohiocounseling.com
AA Alternative, Non 12 Step Alternatives to AA
Newark Ohio Alcohol & Drug Counseling
AA Alternative–Non 12 Step Recovery–Alcoholics Anonymous Alternative–Quit Drinking without AA–Stop Drinking–Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
Individual drug and alcohol counseling for the Ohio Counties: Licking County Ohio – Knox County Ohio- Fairfield County – Perry County Ohio- Muskingum County – Coshocton County
The “Forgotten Five-Steps” Workbook
An empowering approach to an old problem!
Who would of ever known that somewhere deep down inside you there lingered a desire to be completely miserable? You must love misery because look at all the things you put up with being a friend or spouse to an alcohol or drug user! Why?
Because you are an enabler and enabling allows you to stay in a relationship because your fear of being alone is greater than the experience of your spouse’s addictive behavior. You depend on your spouse so much that you enable him/her to continue the addiction thereby making you a codependent. Once codependent, your life is no longer yours but becomes enmeshed with the addicts. You are just as sick as they are and will probably have to attend some sort of self-help meeting, or subject yourself to years of counseling in order to regain any resemblance of a normal life. Don’t believe me? Ask a professional or self-help group member.
But I will not tell you any of this! It is just not true. In fact it is the most destructive and misguided information out there. When did it become a sickness, disorder, or disease to love!
Just because you can’t just turn your back on someone with an addiction, does not make you sick! It makes you caring! We live in the “me” generation. Individuality is emphasized and anything or anyone who hinders your personal pursuits is considered to be obsolete and to be thrown to the curb. If someone with a genuine desire to help cannot just kick their addicted spouse to the curb, they are considered to be weak with a lack of healthy self-confidence. They are what most professionals call enablers and codependents.
Don’t believe it! Of all the people I have encountered who once struggled with an addiction, but don’t anymore, none of them said it was their spouse’s fault. “If only he/she did not enable me so much” or “if only he/she wasn’t a codependent, I could of stopped drinking sooner”, are two statements I have never heard. In fact it is the complete opposite. Those who have “recovered” value and honor the strength and understanding they received from their spouses and friends.
Now does this mean you become a doormat? Absolutely not. Below you may find some helpful information on what to do. But in no way think that the answer can be found anywhere but truly in your heart. What works for one, may not work for another. What one person wants and can put up with, another may not be able to. Determine how much you are willing to take and set the boundaries. Talk to your friend or spouse and make these boundaries clear.
Sticking to your guns can be very difficult at times, but you must separate “not hurting the person’s feelings” from being able to truly help the person.
Never base your decision or boundaries on what others will think! We have been brainwashed to believe that caring is wrong. It is not. What you need to do is determine for yourself what you want your life to be about.
You are not sick, and caring is not a disease. Everyone struggles with difficult times in their lives and often these difficult times are caused by the behavior of someone close to you. No matter what you may have been told, the addict does not continue using alcohol or drugs because of something you said or did. You are not codependent and you cannot enable him/her to continue drinking or using drugs.
Sure, without money or a home to live in the addict may have to re-evaluate his/her life. But most addicts I have talked to continue using anyways even with extreme threats and consequences.
Consequences and threats may facilitate a change, but true change occurs when the addict decides it is of value to do so. It is entirely the addict’s choice and choosing. Never blame yourself!
Realize there are two aspects of change and both these aspects depend on the person using alcohol or drugs, not you!
First, the alcohol or drug user must decide that they want to change. This sounds kind of obvious, but I have found that the question “do you want to stop drinking or using drugs?” is rarely asked in a real sense. It is presumed that the addict wants to better themselves or that they are “in denial” and labeled resistant.
I’ve heard educated people talk forever on the concept of denial. It is important to mention here because it is ridiculous.
Those who abuse alcohol or drugs know exactly what they are doing, and I must say are damn good at it. They can deceive and manipulate about anyone to get their next fix.
The point here is that there is no denial, only what the addict is choosing to value. It’s difficult, but we have to put it in perspective to see the individual where they are at and where they want to be. Again, it is not you; it is what the addict is choosing to place importance on.
So the alcohol or drug user has to want to change. If they tell you they don’t have a problem, when it is completely obvious to anyone that they do, they are simply stating, “I’m not stopping”.
Second, is the alcohol or drug user has to think they can change. This can be more hairy because it takes into account the addicts perception of his/her personal life circumstances. In other words, the alcohol or drug user has to believe their life will be improved by stopping their addictive behavior.
I have to add that the model which is currently functioning in the treatment industry (disease model AA) doesn’t do a whole lot for encouraging hope. There are too many variables that can get in the way (spirituality, character defects, surrendering of will) that have more to do with ones practice of life than not drinking or drugging. How can I really change anyways if I have to be dependant on meetings, and not to mention the disease that can re-occur at any moment no matter how many spiritual awakenings I have experienced.
The following information is from a pamphlet, which is given to all patients at a leading addiction treatment center. You will probably agree that it is quite depressing and feeds into the self-fulfilling prophecy of helplessness! ….”Since the drinking of alcoholics is not a matter of choice but the symptoms of a disease, there is no use in appealing to goodwill or exhorting them to use willpower. That is like telling a tubercular patient not to cough…Alcoholics do not choose to get drunk; they get drunk in spite of intending not to. They are not morally depraved; they are sick” James Royce, SJ, Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling.
The pamphlet goes on to include… “Under the influence of the drug, the addicted person’s denial is so powerful that he or she may just resist even more…You are dealing with an insidious, progressive disease that has to be approached systematically…. You need to see the drug-affected actions as part of the sickness and your loved one as a sick person.”
Now those of you familiar with treatment programs are probably not new to this line of thinking. Where is the hope? Where is a solution? Why not continue to use drugs or alcohol if this is all there is to look forward to?
A more disturbing part explains that in helping someone with his or her drug or alcohol problem a loved one must be careful for… “If you were to lose your ability to love, you would feed the addict more reasons to use drugs or alcohol…Addiction is a family problem.” Does a tubercular patient infect his family with a disease? Does his disease depend on the love from family and friends?
The importance here is that if the person using alcohol or drugs sees no hope in abstinence improving life circumstances, no change will occur.
It is not the family’s fault or lack of love, but rather the addict’s belief that they simply cannot live or cope with life without alcohol or drugs. If the addict holds this belief, they will not see any life benefits in stopping their addiction.
-Low self-esteem is an issue here. Self-esteem may be confused with sobriety. One does not regain an instant positive self-image simply by becoming sober.
Self-esteem is often associated with particular actions. A belief occurs that if I do such and such then I am a good person and I will remain sober. Instead of emphasizing that personal worth is present when one believes it is.
2) They must believe they can change and that changing will improve life circumstances.
– Proper support and peer groups must be present here. Remember we all rise or fall to the expectation of our peers.
Family and friends of those who use alcohol or drugs may have a hard time determining exactly what can be done. Talking with others who have been through the process can help, but I would encourage seeking out those with diverse views and experience. There is no “one way” to deal with someone who suffers with alcohol and drug use. Determine what you want your life to be about, set goals and boundaries, and realize that you do not control the behavior and choices of the addicted person. Follow your instincts and heart. And remember, you are not sick because you care!
Individual drug and alcohol counseling for the Ohio Counties: Licking County Ohio – Knox County Ohio- Fairfield County – Perry County Ohio- Muskingum County – Coshocton County
Newark Ohio Alcohol & Drug Counseling