Fix my alcoholism without AA. Thanks /adv/!

Step1: even though you want to drink, don't.

You're done!

>>17895826
you don't need AA but if you're already calling yourself an alcoholic it is very unlikely you will be able to stop and/or control your boozing without some professional help

IMHO boozers are disgusting addicts no different than gamblers, narcotic abusers etc destroying 1st themselves and then everybody near them

FOAD

Shrooms

At least when you become a homeless alcoholic, most liquor store end up kicking you out, so consider it rock bottom when all the liquor stores around you don't want your business anymore.

How the fuck does that cartoonist have a job. I hate them so fucking much, everytime I see that retarded fucking cat I become completely enraged. I hope that author knows theyre shit with their shit unfunny fuck cat FUCK.

i will if you can give a GOOD reason why not to go to AA.

>>17896422

I went to AA and it's a bunch of depressed people who have completely ruined their lives talking about how you have to find God.

I'm an alcoholic, but I haven't wrecked my life, and I don't believe in any form of higher power, so the meetings end up being of no value to me.

Plus, I don't actually want to quit, which is like the first tenet of any anonymous program. I get why it works for some, but it doesn't for me.

>>17896430

>i dont want to quit

then we can't help you. there is no magical system that will regulate your alcoholism.

thats just called self control, something you lack.

>>17896430
If you're functional, you don't have a problem.

If you're not function, you have a problem.

>>17896440

Well, I know I SHOULD quit, so I'm actually open to ideas about quitting. I think there's a difference between needing to quit because my life just can't sustain it, compared to being the best person I can be.

>>17896447
I'm functional, but only by luck. My friends look at me and wonder how I'm not a complete sack of shit with how much I drink. It's been 10+ drinks a day for 11 years now - on the weekends and when I "go out," more. This will catch up to me, and when I put the bottle down and try to go sober for a while, the cravings are basically all I think about.

>>17896468


>there's a difference between needing to quit because my life can't sustain it
>im functional
>but only by luck

so your life CANT sustain it.

go to AA. it doesn't matter if you use religion or not, but you can also research less religious groups in the area. here in los angeles the religion part is more of a ritual. like a 10 year old pretending to believe in santa clause.

you still get the presents e ven though you dont really believe, cuz the ritual shows you that it works.

maybe im biased cuz my boss just got his 45 year chip

>>17896488

Yeah, you're very biased. There aren't tactics in AA from my visits to stop drinking that aren't firmly rooted in a higher power, or sharing experiences with others. Like I've said, my experiences don't relate.

People talk about their "rock bottom," and I'm nowhere near it. But I'd like to never get to it. The problem I have in there is that it's all too preachy, and it immediately forces me to feel uncomfortable and want to leave.

>>17896468
>>17896468
seems like you're fine to me.

When you're ready for a break, you'll take one. Until then, do what you enjoy as long as it doesn't hinder things you need to get done.

Opie, how has drinking affected your life in a negative way?

>>17896509

>you're very biased.

id think not. i had an alcohol problem myself, a pretty bad one, i refused AA. and im able to drink with control now.

the problem is you don't have what I have. so you need something else. you need AA.

>BUT MUH HIGHER POWER

again, santa clause, presents.

>B-BUT MY EXPERIENCES DONT RELATE

how would you know if you dont share them? that being said, you dont need to relate. you just need to speak your issues, and ask for support when needed. hell, just show up and listen and use the fact that you dont want to end up like those people ot motivate you.

>people talk about their rock bottom but im nowhere near it

see above.

>its all too preachy

preachy is a good way to avoid getting any worse.

>it makes me feel uncomfortable

yes, having to give up alcohol is very uncomfortable, and dealing with all these people is very uncomfortable.

so is working out. so is breaking up with your girlfriend. so is getting on an airplane.

but you want to be fit, be single, and visit people, so you put up with the uncomfortable to get where you need to go.

if it was easy, it wouldn't have a program. go back to AA. stand by your morals about religion, but dont shirk the ritual. if you are asked to pray, prat to yourself. ask yourself to lend you the courage and power you need to get through the day.

or sit there and say
>NAH I DONT NEED IT BUT ITS UR JOB TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO FIX IT FOR ME :^)

>>17896522

Alcohol makes me fat (I'm not fat by any means, but if I didn't drink, I'd be in actual good shape). Alcohol costs me a ton of money. Alcohol gives me the desire to binge or make stupid decisions like buying shit online that I don't need.

I've seen alcohol affect the people around me that try to "keep up." My friends don't see as clearly or think rationally when they're drinking. They get into fights, get DUIs, get kicked out of places.

I used to drink and drive - which is horribly stupid, selfish, and could have really hurt someone. I have since switched to using Uber to get most places - but again, money.

>>17896588
What would you lose if you decided to quit drinking right now?

>>17896537

>Santa Claus

I don't believe in Santa Claus. "Pretending" isn't going to do me any good in terms of tangible solutions. Santa Claus, and a "Higher Power," both either some kind of a reward. Presents or salvation. Neither of which is coming to me.

>Sharing
I've gone to the meetings, and I've shared. But a room full of people with multiple DUI convictions, people that have lost their kids, people that have had severe health fallouts compared to me? Telling the story about how I once got lost abroad 8 years ago doesn't scrape those at all.

And frankly, listening to their stories doesn't provide me with motivation.

>Preachy is good
No, preachy is frustrating because it's a handwave - they assume the answer to your problems is no more booze. Booze is evil, booze is what's in your way, get that out of the way and the sky is the limit. It's not that simple.

>Stand by your morals about religion, but actually don't, still pray and ask something fake to give you strength.

I may as well go out and yell at clouds.

Listen, I do appreciate that AA works for some, and I'm happy for their continued success. But I have tried it, and it does not work for me. My doctor has discussed AA with me, as he is a recovering alcoholic. It is not for me.

Simple enough, I would like to improve myself, but there has to be another tactic than this one program.

>>17896613

Maybe some friends, definitely all of my social hubs, my crutch for getting over anxiety-ridden situations, a good thing to do on a date, some of my business relationships...

I do get that losing any friends on account of not drinking means they're probably bad friends, but even if I didn't "lose" them, I'd lose our most common activity with them.

>>17895826
Go to a psychiatrist.

If you don't like group rehab you can find a private professional who can help you quit.

>>17896617

>it wont give me a reward

yes it will. like the ten year old told to behave and believe, even if you dont believe, you still got presents.

this is the same thing. you wouldnt know cuz you havent tried, but the millions of successful atheists in AA say otherwise. are you smarter than millions of atheists who can actually control their drinking?

>mine cant compare

do it anyways

>but they dont motivate me

trust me, they motivated you to not want to hear it, they can motivate you to not want to drink

>no preachy is bad

no, preachy is good. you just dont know cuz you dont listen to the preachy.

>i may as well go out and yell at clouds

yes, because you are as dumb as a cloud.

i didnt say to pray to something fake. i said to pray to yourself. are you fake? no? then pray to yourself adn ask yourself for the courage and power to not be a fucking idiot.

>there must be another tactic

there is. its called not being a weak bitch. i was not a weak bitch. so i quit drinking. you are a weak bitch. ,so here you are with ten drinks a day thinking you dont need AA.

pride comes before the fall. good luck OP.

>>17896628
Are you sure? Have you tried going out with these friends or social situations without drinking?

>>17896648

I have lots of friends, but I'm well aware that a lot of these friends are only really friends because we drink together a lot. I have plenty of friends that would do things with me that don't involve drinking, but plenty that don't.

Social situations? I've gone to them without drinking, it's not that I NEED booze, but they're made more comfortable that way. All of that said, if the social situation is "going to a bar," which it is a lot of times for my work relationships, it's difficult as fuck not to drink.

>>17896670
Well what I mean is, if you went there and ordered a diet coke, would you be kicked out? It's not like you're getting together in someone's dirty basement, there must be some activities you're doing that are fun. Can you go there and just drink soda?

>>17896684

I wouldn't be kicked out, but it wouldn't be fun - and yeah, I could potentially be kicked out of a bar space if no one has a seat and all I'm doing is sitting there chugging away at soda for $2.00 and free refills.

>>17896694
It wouldn't be fun for who? For you? So if you stopped drinking, you wouldn't lose your friends, your friends would lose you, because it sounds like you don't really have fun with them unless you're drinking.

>>17896710

No, it wouldn't be fun for me, not to sit and watch people drink for 3+ hours. I don't think that's a stretch of the imagination there. It's like going to an all you can eat churrascaria with your friends when you're a vegan. Sure, you can talk to them and pick at your side salad, but it's not the same as it would be if you could enjoy the meal with everyone.

And making all of your friends change what they want to do so they can accommodate you is a shitty thing to do as a friend.

>>17896721
If you have a problem with drinking you shouldn't be in a bar... It's that simple and there's no arguing it either. If you sincerely believe you're an alcoholic and want to quit you shouldn't be stepping foot in a bar. The food analogy was terrible too. You can't compare food to alcohol that way.

You sound like you don't actually want to quit drinking though. So come back when you've actually made up your mind. Maybe you just need to hit rock bottom or maybe you're destined to live it out as it slowly eats you away. Ponder that.

>>17896721
Well yeah that's the thing, isn't it? Perhaps you should look at what you're losing, and it's friends you wouldn't socialize with sober doing things you wouldn't do sober. I'm not really seeing that as a loss, when what you're gaining by not drinking is a lot more money and health.

>>17896750
>>17896766

I agree that I shouldn't be in a bar if I'm not drinking - unfortunately many of my friends enjoy bars, and my job sees me in bars a lot. It's a reality of my life.

None of my friends are going to go completely sober if I do. That's a reality. They'll accommodate me sometimes, but not all the time.

I was only asked what I'd lose and answered in kind. My social life would come to a screeching halt if I stopped drinking, and I would spend most of my time sitting in the house bored, or trying to fill it by going to the gym.

>>17896796
Right, you would need to make friends you could stand to be around sober, and do things that are enjoyable to do sober. You're the only person who can choose, every time you drink, whether or not this is a way for you to meet your goals. If you believe that being overweight and poor is worth being with these friends and doing these activities, then may it is for you. And I don't buy the work excuse, a lot of people I worked with didn't drink for health reasons alone.

Try finding a solid hobby you can enjoy without drinking. Knitting, crafting, wood work, cooking, playing video games, hiking, anything new you've never done before! Good luck OP, I'm trying to find something to distract me from wanting to use as well, I might take up writing again.

>>17896840

For one, I'm neither overweight or poor - I make good money and am in pretty good shape, I'd just be in better shape if I wasn't adding a bunch of liquid calories into my diet daily.

As for work, I work in marketing, and a lot of our deals and strategies come up during post-work bar meetings. Pretty much everyone drinks, and a very common thread of coming out for these is that we're all heading to some ritzy bar for free drinks. Sure, I could go and have a seltzer water, but it's not going to change the fact that I have mandatory meetings in bars.

>>17895826
Step one: stop drinking.

Seriously. Note that it is not the only step, just the first and most important one.

Realize that AA has it exactly backwards. You are the ONLY one that has control of your life.

>>17895826
Go on an alcohol treatment program so you don't die from the withdrawal.
Remove anything alcoholic from your home.
Stop associating with anyone who frequently drinks or who you would usually drink with.
Avoid passing by anywhere that you would usually buy alcohol from.
Get a hobby and start a new TV series, they will serve as a distraction and a means of relieving stress.
Be aware of any activities you would do that involve drinking (some people "unwind" with a beverage)

stop

I just stopped about six years ago because I was fucking everything up. alcohol is bad for me so I quit drinking and I don't even want to anymore. I didn't do AA and I think it's fucking retarded.

what people won't tell you is that to quit you have to actually want to

>>17896915
Don't you see how aggressively defending what's holding you back? That's the definition of addiction.

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37KB, 637x478px

AA doesn't do shit; it's almost as bad as NA where people trying to recover get hooked up with more meth.

How to stop drinking:

1: pour your current alcohol down the drain, now.
2: don't get more alcohol.
3: don't sit around lonely and worrying or else you're going to be walking to the liquor store in the rain within 12 hours.

>>17896923
>You are the ONLY one that has control of your life.
>>17897023
what people won't tell you is that to quit you have to actually want to

OP obviously doesn't want to quit. They keep making up excuses. If you really want to quit. You just quit.

And AA does work for some people. It takes a certain type of mentality and personality though. Frankly, it's for people with less self-control and whose minds are easily pliable. In other other words it works on people who are followers and constantly need reinforcement.