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Posted
On 3/12/2025 at 6:13 PM, Brisketexan said:

I had a buddy who did the same.

In no time, we all made fun of him because we saw his bare ass on an episode of The Red Shoe Diaries.

His ass was that bad? Hmm

Posted
On 3/14/2025 at 10:55 AM, Kennythetiger said:

Glen, how are you feeling, lately?  

Apologies for being a bit slow to respond - the family and I are in Colorado for Spring Break.  

Things have ebb'd and flowed.  Had a really good week last week except for last weekend.  My brother in law had a bday party for his wife on the friday before this past one and their group is a pretty rowdy party bunch.  I didn't partake and kept club soda in my hand all night to the amazement of some of the folks there.  Being around that much booze though seemed to trigger some of the PAWS symptoms and I started getting the brain zaps while we were there.  We left shortly after and I spent most of the weekend just getting by and exercising.  It seems when episodes like that hit, they stick around for a 24-36 hour period and leave me feeling pretty terrible but I try to dull them with a workout.  I still haven't had any urges to drink mentally but my body still freaks out.

This past week was better most of the week until Friday.  No brain zaps, thank god, but good sleep was really hard to come by this weekend.  I'm pretty dead on my feet but can't seem to fall all the way asleep and that seemed to trigger an episode last night that lasted through this afternoon.  More body zaps and racing thoughts.  I'm going to try to load up on melatonin tonight and see if that helps on the sleep front.  If there is a positive side of things, It seems like I'm slowly going longer periods between bad days.  Even if it's an additional day each week between episodes, if that makes any sense, I'll take the wins where I can get them.

There was an issue with my insurance coverage on the outpatient recovery center.  They said that since I'm not actively drinking that my insurance kicked back the approval.  They called today and said they had a work around but I haven't had the time to call them back.  I'm going to see what they have to say and hopefully it's good news.  I'm hoping they can help with the withdraw symptoms somehow because those days are the worst.  Tuesday will be 2 months since my last drink.  I know these things take time but the bad days can be brutal.  

Keep fighting the good fight.

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Posted

If you’ve gone 2 months without a drink it’s an epic waste of your time and the insurance company’s money to go to treatment. You’re either done or you’re not.

I’m going to PM you my phone number, please feel free to give me a text or shout this week.

One quick story to establish my bonafides - prior to being separated from alcohol for the last time 14 years ago, I was the poster child for psychiatric pharmacology. Since doctors wouldn’t confront me directly about my drinking habits, my disease manifested itself in everything from ADHD to bipolar disorder, and I was accordingly medicated. Eventually my condition was determined to be garden variety alcoholism of the unremarkable type.

The brain zaps you report remind me of weaning from Cymbalta. There are 203 granules in a 60Mg capsule. I built an excel spreadsheet, and over several months opened each capsule and, using forceps and a jeweler’s velvet pad, removed and discarded the unneeded quantity until I was done. Brain zaps suck.

Anyway, you and I have a shared experience and I would like to help. At the minimum I’ll try to be amusing. But to be transparent, I’m also going to suggest that you read a book called Alcoholics Anonymous. 40 million copies (no shit) have been printed, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Ok, I’m exaggerating. 37 Million is the actual number.

;)

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Posted (edited)
42 minutes ago, GlenFromTheMailRoom said:

Apologies for being a bit slow to respond - the family and I are in Colorado for Spring Break.  

Things have ebb'd and flowed.  Had a really good week last week except for last weekend.  My brother in law had a bday party for his wife on the friday before this past one and their group is a pretty rowdy party bunch.  I didn't partake and kept club soda in my hand all night to the amazement of some of the folks there.  Being around that much booze though seemed to trigger some of the PAWS symptoms and I started getting the brain zaps while we were there.  We left shortly after and I spent most of the weekend just getting by and exercising.  It seems when episodes like that hit, they stick around for a 24-36 hour period and leave me feeling pretty terrible but I try to dull them with a workout.  I still haven't had any urges to drink mentally but my body still freaks out.

This past week was better most of the week until Friday.  No brain zaps, thank god, but good sleep was really hard to come by this weekend.  I'm pretty dead on my feet but can't seem to fall all the way asleep and that seemed to trigger an episode last night that lasted through this afternoon.  More body zaps and racing thoughts.  I'm going to try to load up on melatonin tonight and see if that helps on the sleep front.  If there is a positive side of things, It seems like I'm slowly going longer periods between bad days.  Even if it's an additional day each week between episodes, if that makes any sense, I'll take the wins where I can get them.

There was an issue with my insurance coverage on the outpatient recovery center.  They said that since I'm not actively drinking that my insurance kicked back the approval.  They called today and said they had a work around but I haven't had the time to call them back.  I'm going to see what they have to say and hopefully it's good news.  I'm hoping they can help with the withdraw symptoms somehow because those days are the worst.  Tuesday will be 2 months since my last drink.  I know these things take time but the bad days can be brutal.  

Keep fighting the good fight.

All of my rehabilitative assignments have actually taken place a couple of weeks or more after having already put the bottle down. Able to stop, but not in time to avoid the consequences. That experience for me is the worst. Selfishly, It's just a game of how to I navigate my assignment as quickly as possible to preserve my bottom. Sounds like your experience with stopping is different. And that is something that the one-size-fits-all crowd misses and my insanity juggles. But it's also the beauty of the soft language written in the blue book with steps in it.

To your dilemma, I found myself in a similar worry for my first, and only, inpatient. I had genuine concerns that since I had not had a drink in almost two weeks that insurance and the facility would not take. I'm also an extremely honest person. What to do? Only way I could navigate my integrity around the situation was to go to the liquor store, buy some vodka, take the smallest sip known to mankind, and dump out the rest. Obviously not a recommendation, but my switch was already turned off.

When was your last drink? "Today." What did you drink? "Half-pint of vodka." Check.

Edited by JohnnyRage
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Posted

Also - last night my wife’s best friend turned 50 and I was up til 1am, drinking coffee and watching a half dozen drunk as shit Caucasian women having a twerk contest. What I really wanted to be doing was sleeping so I could rise at 5 and be on the water by sunrise on this gorgeous day.

I’m pretty sure I’m about to upgrade boats, as wives are too much trouble.

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Posted
7 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

Also - last night my wife’s best friend turned 50 and I was up til 1am, drinking coffee and watching a half dozen drunk as shit Caucasian women having a twerk contest. What I really wanted to be doing was sleeping so I could rise at 5 and be on the water by sunrise on this gorgeous day.

I’m pretty sure I’m about to upgrade boats, as wives are too much trouble.

Mandatory pictures of contest?🤣  Sorry, that softball needed to be hammered. If contest pictures are unavailable, pictures of new boat when you get it.

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Posted

In one way I would very respectfully disagree with Bear. Something that I enjoyed about my treatment was very minimal contact with the outside world. Lots of time to concentrate on what went wrong, how to make it right, and how to help it not happen again. 
Very similar to Johnny, I was two weeks’ sober going in to treatment. The telephone intake girl told me that insurance may not cover it since it wasn’t urgent. I said, “Well, I can fix that.”

Thank god I called the insurance company instead, though. They could not have been more helpful. “Just go- we’ve got your back.”

One of the good stories you never hear about health insurance. 

Posted (edited)

It's been another week and I just wanted to post an update/journaling exercise. 

Finding time to put my thoughts down on paper has been hard over the past week or so with this, honestly, being the most difficult part of things at this point.  Lately it has felt like my mind and body are turning a corner minus some GI issues that dehydrated me one day and shot my potassium and magnesium levels up - nothing a couple of liters of IV fluid didn't help fix.  I've been doing a lot of wellness activity and it has really helped when the anxiety has kicked in.   I start and end my day doing breath work and meditation and that has been a great platform for starting my day well and ending it calm and relaxed, meaning hopefully a good nights rest.  

I did have to go the SSRI route with a baby dose of prozac & hydroxyziene to help manage the anxiety when it creeps up.  The good thing is when the anxiety kicks in to gear and I feel an episode coming on, I can tamp it down enough to not have a full blown attack with that only happening once in the past 10 days or so.  The GI issues have really thrown me for a loop physically which is a lot of the root cause of the anxiety because a lot of the symptoms mirror other potential major issues per my GI & psychiatrist.  Once they both kick in, the feedback loop starts.  I did full panels (the hyper expensive integrative health versions) to double check everything and put my mind at ease.  Other than low vitamin D levels, I'm healthy as a horse across the board.  The plan is to keep up with the meds, meditation, add in some supplements, exercise, and keep seeing the psychiatrist for the next few months when I can start winding down.  I'm also down 10lbs of good weight which has been a pleasant surprise.

I do really feel like things are getting better but slowly.  Anyone thinking about getting sober after heavy alcohol use, I'd caution that your mind and body are likely not as healthy as you might think.  The GI issues have fucking sucked, the brain zaps have fucking sucked, and getting stuck in a feedback loop when they both kick in at the same time really fucking sucks.  When I look back to when I started this journey, there's a mountain of things I would have done differently but everyone is different and every experience is different.  The one thing I will say is get as much help as you can because of those facts.  I went at this solo and cold turkey to start and that was the wrong move.  There is no silver bullet for this and the sooner one accepts that fact the sooner you can start and even though it will be rough, you'll slowly start to have mornings like I'm having today.  Spray tanned, rested, and ready - and feeling great.  

Yesterday was 10 weeks.  Keep fighting the good fight.

Glenn

Edited by GlenFromTheMailRoom
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Posted
58 minutes ago, GlenFromTheMailRoom said:

It's been another week and I just wanted to post an update/journaling exercise. 

Finding time to put my thoughts down on paper has been hard over the past week or so with this, honestly, being the most difficult part of things at this point.  Lately it has felt like my mind and body are turning a corner minus some GI issues that dehydrated me one day and shot my potassium and magnesium levels up - nothing a couple of liters of IV fluid didn't help fix.  I've been doing a lot of wellness activity and it has really helped when the anxiety has kicked in.   I start and end my day doing breath work and meditation and that has been a great platform for starting my day well and ending it calm and relaxed, meaning hopefully a good nights rest.  

I did have to go the SSRI route with a baby dose of prozac & hydroxyziene to help manage the anxiety when it creeps up.  The good thing is when the anxiety kicks in to gear and I feel an episode coming on, I can tamp it down enough to not have a full blown attack with that only happening once in the past 10 days or so.  The GI issues have really thrown me for a loop physically which is a lot of the root cause of the anxiety because a lot of the symptoms mirror other potential major issues per my GI & psychiatrist.  Once they both kick in, the feedback loop starts.  I did full panels (the hyper expensive integrative health versions) to double check everything and put my mind at ease.  Other than low vitamin D levels, I'm healthy as a horse across the board.  The plan is to keep up with the meds, meditation, add in some supplements, exercise, and keep seeing the psychiatrist for the next few months when I can start winding down.  I'm also down 10lbs of good weight which has been a pleasant surprise.

I do really feel like things are getting better but slowly.  Anyone thinking about getting sober after heavy alcohol use, I'd caution that your mind and body are likely not as healthy as you might think.  The GI issues have fucking sucked, the brain zaps have fucking sucked, and getting stuck in a feedback loop when they both kick in at the same time really fucking sucks.  When I look back to when I started this journey, there's a mountain of things I would have done differently but everyone is different and every experience is different.  The one thing I will say is get as much help as you can because of those facts.  I went at this solo and cold turkey to start and that was the wrong move.  There is no silver bullet for this and the sooner one accepts that fact the sooner you can start and even though it will be rough, you'll slowly start to have mornings like I'm having today.  Spray tanned, rested, and ready - and feeling great.  

Yesterday was 10 weeks.  Keep fighting the good fight.

Glenn

Keep going! Go to an IOP, they will help not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. Nothing at all but greatness and amazing change can be said for good treatment centers. I have done the cold turkey route many times and it seems to make it harder to stick versus having a group of help. Proud to hear of the work you’re putting in. Keep it up. 
“Drugs/alcohol gave me the wings to fly but they took away my blue sky” 

 

Posted
On 4/2/2025 at 8:29 AM, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Keep going! Go to an IOP, they will help not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. Nothing at all but greatness and amazing change can be said for good treatment centers. I have done the cold turkey route many times and it seems to make it harder to stick versus having a group of help. Proud to hear of the work you’re putting in. Keep it up. 
“Drugs/alcohol gave me the wings to fly but they took away my blue sky” 

 

Thank you for the encouragement. 

This week is officially been 11 weeks since my last drink, I think.  I'm losing track a bit but I guess that's a good thing.  I've been continuing with breathing exercises and meditation as well as continuing to see my psychiatrist.  Who I'm a bit on the fence about at this point because it's been 4 sessions and she keeps saying we're just scratching the surface.  If this is about CBT, then I don't know if my insurance will allow it to go long enough to get the full effect at this rate.  I decided to toss the SSRIs largely due to the fact that I can't deal with the side effects right now.  I had been doing well on the prozac until a non-related health issue (stomach issues) came up last week and the Dr. switched me off of it and onto Lexapro.  I didn't handle the change well and didn't sleep for almost 3 days.  The Dr. (a G.I.) said to try to push through it but I need to sleep in order to deal with the other thing that's going on.  I'll spare everyone the details of that because it's not tangential to this thread.  I had to wind up taking a dose of Temazepam to knock me out last night but was able to get a solid 7 hours in and feel much better today.

The lack of sleep really threw me for a loop and I wound up getting some BW done because my body was stressed out.  All that came back clear and we're still treating the other thing.  I've been looking more into Ketamine therapy as an alternative to SSRIs for the anxiety.  I know there's no express lane for this stuff but I also don't want to go the pharmacological route for the rest of my life.  The gut issues seem to be at the heart of what is really driving the anxiety and the GI, psych, and an integrative health doctor here in Austin seem to be in agreement with that.  My panels from the integrative health visit turned up some interesting stuff.  Low vitamin D levels, moderately low test, and thyroid.  They sent me some stuff to handle that but I'm holding off the test and thyroid supplements while I deal with the stomach issues.  

I'd encourage anyone that's recently gotten sober or is considering getting sober to see both a GI and integrative health doctor (make sure they're an actual physician) to make sure your gut is in order.  As you get older, that stuff is nothing to mess around with.

I still have no desire drink and the thought hasn't crossed my mind.  

Keep fighting the good fight.

Glenn.

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Posted
On 3/31/2025 at 11:23 AM, BearSchlong said:

I didn’t realize this had occurred.

I ordered a few copies.

https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/F-00_PLBB_Flyer_MF1.pdf

It's my understanding there was a lot of contention with this that a lot of groups actually voted against the publication. Maybe I'm a little old fashioned, but hoping groups don't start adopting this as the official text.

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Posted
It's my understanding there was a lot of contention with this that a lot of groups actually voted against the publication. Maybe I'm a little old fashioned, but hoping groups don't start adopting this as the official text.

I agree 100% with you, but then again I have the original manuscript coffee table book in my living room and fancy myself a scholar of all things AA.

But I sponsor a lot of guys who can barely read. It must have been incredibly challenging to modernize the language while preserving originality.

For example, the plain text version has the original letter from Dr. Silkworth directly next to the plain text. It does a masterful job of explaining “moral psychology.”

I don’t know about you, but that is a concept in the big book which I have always thought deserved greater explanation.

03fef842d9b26f01a1d1ad18df2242db.png
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Posted

I don't care deeply and am not enough of a regular participant in AA to rightly have a strong opinion one way or the other.  But, generally, I think that the idea that the literal words of the big book are sacrosanct, have mystical properties, and must be literally treated like scripture is bad and reflects one of my least favorite parts of AA culture. The whole thing about the higher power, people have so much of a hard time with that based on their feelings about religions and Jesus and whatever diety and the nuns or their mother or authority and on and on and on, and we try and tell them the truth which is that it does not matter and this is not that and that God does not need to be an old man on a cloud or whatever it is. And then truth be told so many AA meetings feel exactly like a Bible study. Some amount of that is inevitable, it is in fact a similar thing, but thumping the book and quoting the scripture and holding the book and dissecting the sentences and examining the gospel of Bill. I always feel a little twinge of something when I say that it isn't religious and it's not church - it doesn't need to be and it isn't exactly but uhhhh yeah man.

 

Anyways, they'll get to sell a lot more books and that language is much more clear. I don't think of the big book as being that dense but it really is a lot of dickety aught aught onion on the belt getting run over by a trolley swell language of the time. Hopefully it helps some people to have updated language to help them on the path.

Posted
6 hours ago, GlenFromTheMailRoom said:

Thank you for the encouragement. 

This week is officially been 11 weeks since my last drink, I think.  I'm losing track a bit but I guess that's a good thing.  I've been continuing with breathing exercises and meditation as well as continuing to see my psychiatrist.  Who I'm a bit on the fence about at this point because it's been 4 sessions and she keeps saying we're just scratching the surface.  If this is about CBT, then I don't know if my insurance will allow it to go long enough to get the full effect at this rate.  I decided to toss the SSRIs largely due to the fact that I can't deal with the side effects right now.  I had been doing well on the prozac until a non-related health issue (stomach issues) came up last week and the Dr. switched me off of it and onto Lexapro.  I didn't handle the change well and didn't sleep for almost 3 days.  The Dr. (a G.I.) said to try to push through it but I need to sleep in order to deal with the other thing that's going on.  I'll spare everyone the details of that because it's not tangential to this thread.  I had to wind up taking a dose of Temazepam to knock me out last night but was able to get a solid 7 hours in and feel much better today.

The lack of sleep really threw me for a loop and I wound up getting some BW done because my body was stressed out.  All that came back clear and we're still treating the other thing.  I've been looking more into Ketamine therapy as an alternative to SSRIs for the anxiety.  I know there's no express lane for this stuff but I also don't want to go the pharmacological route for the rest of my life.  The gut issues seem to be at the heart of what is really driving the anxiety and the GI, psych, and an integrative health doctor here in Austin seem to be in agreement with that.  My panels from the integrative health visit turned up some interesting stuff.  Low vitamin D levels, moderately low test, and thyroid.  They sent me some stuff to handle that but I'm holding off the test and thyroid supplements while I deal with the stomach issues.  

I'd encourage anyone that's recently gotten sober or is considering getting sober to see both a GI and integrative health doctor (make sure they're an actual physician) to make sure your gut is in order.  As you get older, that stuff is nothing to mess around with.

I still have no desire drink and the thought hasn't crossed my mind.  

Keep fighting the good fight.

Glenn.

Take this for what it's worth (nothing) but I can tell you the experience of one alcoholic.....Me.

Anxiety, depresion, lack of sleep, shitty shits, stomach pains, all that.....it was a part of my existence and drinking seemed to keep it at bay temporarily, but when I'd have to stop it all came roaring back in spades.  So I had to drink.  I sought every answer under the sun to alleviate the symptoms; every answer that is but to stop drinking and look at the root cause of why I couldn't stop and more importantly stay stopped. 

Stopping and staying stopped were two separate issues.  I couldn't stop once I started.  I couldn't stop starting.  I could not not drink over any considerable period of time.  I had resolve.  I sought solutions. 

I sought help from psychiatrists, psychologists, MDs and a thousand medical tests, anti-anxiety / anti-depressants, through diet, through working out, massage therapy, religion, meditation, supplements, sex, spending money buying shit....I tried it all.  Nothing made me feel better for long enough that a drink wouldn't finally become a good idea at some point, and then the cycle would start. 

Someone finally told me how they felt the same way, and then diligently worked the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.   They told me going to meetings would help me on the fringes day to day, but that the lasting relief was through working the steps.  They also pointed out that not only did I have nothing to lose and it wouldn't cost me anything.  If I did it and didn't get something out of it then I was no worse off than I was when I started.

I did just that and have continued to do just that and I got not only the relief that I was seeking, but a better life than I'd imagined was possible when I was staring at the thought of life with or without drinking.  That was 10 years ago and counting.

You might consider adding the work of the PROGRAM of Alcoholics Anonymous to your repertoire....not just attending meetings...but doing the work and see what happens.

Just one guy's experience.  

Godspeed,

Reagan

 

 

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Posted

I need one with a really rad cover so that people know I'm not a stodgy old AA guy. I may sit in chairs backwards and wear my hat backwards, but I'm going to give it to you straight.

81db7xyAiML._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

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Posted

HELP PLEASE!

Am I about to get scammed?  I stumbled upon this service: https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/

They have a great advertising campaign that really sucked me in.  I don't normally watch tiktok or reels, but someone in my FFL group chat sent me a link to something funny. Then I scrolled through the typical bikini chicks and construction stuff that it thinks I will like.

Then this well crafted video/reels add comes up, and it was just really speaking to me with all of the words and thoughts that describe my drinking and my drinking problems.  I filled out a form with personal information (name, address, drinking questions, and my salary range).  That led to a 20 minute intro phone call today.  It is a kind of interview to see if I am a good fit for their services and vice versa.  I wound up sharing personal information about my life and my drinking like I would in an AA meeting.  The service is some sort of "executive coaching" that has a 90 day curriculum for quitting drinking completely or possibly controlling it.  Next up, I have a 45 minute call scheduled for Monday to learn more and I'm sure that's when they will try to sell me their services.  I am definitely interested in this type of service, and I'm willing to pay for it.  The lady on the call today Chelsie Jamison explained that is mainly online and zoom accountability meetings.  She said there is a network and a community.  They had some sort of retreat for spring break where a bunch of their clients went somewhere nice; I don't remember where she said they went.

Then it just struck me tonight that this would be a great way to steal someone's identity.  They already know a lot about my personal life, but soon they could know a lot more about my finances and probably my billing information and CC number.  I haven't looked into any HIIPA compliance with them yet either.  This has me worried.

Has anyone had experience with these folks?  Are they legit?

Just a little background, I went to rehab for 30 days back in October and I have been trying AA since then.  I'm doing a lot better, but AA just doesn't feel like "IT" for me.  I don't mind getting "sold" on a service if they are a good provider, but I now see it could be a very effective scam.  

 

Please let me know if anyone has experience with these guys.  I have a couple of names from emails they have sent me: Scott Fury, Chelsea Jamison, James Swanwick.

 

Thank you!

 

https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/project-90/

 

https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/clients/

Posted

I have no experience with that.

Give it a shot! What could possibly go wrong?

My cult of choice only requests a few dollars to cover the cost of coffee and whatever the Methodists charge us for the meeting space.

Posted
17 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Oh, that's much better than Big Book for Dummies.

Put me in the camp of .....whatever gets a hopeless alcoholic sober is good for me.  It may be heresy to some, but if we need plain language books or pop-up picture pages.....I don't care.  I want those that seek the solution to get the solution.

I'm all for starting with the big book as written, but if that language is the obstacle, who am I to say that a translation isn't worthwhile.

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Posted
6 hours ago, Elvis said:

HELP PLEASE!

Am I about to get scammed?  I stumbled upon this service: https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/

They have a great advertising campaign that really sucked me in.  I don't normally watch tiktok or reels, but someone in my FFL group chat sent me a link to something funny. Then I scrolled through the typical bikini chicks and construction stuff that it thinks I will like.

Then this well crafted video/reels add comes up, and it was just really speaking to me with all of the words and thoughts that describe my drinking and my drinking problems.  I filled out a form with personal information (name, address, drinking questions, and my salary range).  That led to a 20 minute intro phone call today.  It is a kind of interview to see if I am a good fit for their services and vice versa.  I wound up sharing personal information about my life and my drinking like I would in an AA meeting.  The service is some sort of "executive coaching" that has a 90 day curriculum for quitting drinking completely or possibly controlling it.  Next up, I have a 45 minute call scheduled for Monday to learn more and I'm sure that's when they will try to sell me their services.  I am definitely interested in this type of service, and I'm willing to pay for it.  The lady on the call today Chelsie Jamison explained that is mainly online and zoom accountability meetings.  She said there is a network and a community.  They had some sort of retreat for spring break where a bunch of their clients went somewhere nice; I don't remember where she said they went.

Then it just struck me tonight that this would be a great way to steal someone's identity.  They already know a lot about my personal life, but soon they could know a lot more about my finances and probably my billing information and CC number.  I haven't looked into any HIIPA compliance with them yet either.  This has me worried.

Has anyone had experience with these folks?  Are they legit?

Just a little background, I went to rehab for 30 days back in October and I have been trying AA since then.  I'm doing a lot better, but AA just doesn't feel like "IT" for me.  I don't mind getting "sold" on a service if they are a good provider, but I now see it could be a very effective scam.  

 

Please let me know if anyone has experience with these guys.  I have a couple of names from emails they have sent me: Scott Fury, Chelsea Jamison, James Swanwick.

 

Thank you!

 

https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/project-90/

 

https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/clients/

A lot of money is made in the recovery business.  Are they still offering something potentially useful for the alcoholic/heavy drinker, yes.

For all of the things said about AA, it is free, and not very many have profited from it.

With that, though, I spy some things that probably make it dubious.

First, it's targeted at "high performers."  I think that means people who perceive themselves as smart and busy, and don't have time for rehab or daily meetings and step work.

To me, that is antithetical to recovery because you must have the humility to accept that recovery takes a pretty serious investment, of time at minimum and mental energy.

Another thing "high performers" have is a lack of humility.  They go into meetings and see people that have been destroyed by their addictions and think they're above that somehow, rather than seeing the commonality, and that something akin to that near-bum is probably in your future too if you don't get a handle on it.

Finally, most of the for-profit recovery "systems," with the possible exception of Sinclair Method, teach most of the same stuff as AA for free.

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Posted

The moment they asked for your "salary range" alarm bells would be going off for me.  I'm not sure how that's germane to your sobriety, but it is to how much they can extract from you.

Posted
58 minutes ago, Not a cat said:

The moment they asked for your "salary range" alarm bells would be going off for me.  I'm not sure how that's germane to your sobriety, but it is to how much they can extract from you.

That seems a little too transparent.

Stated more succinctly, every alcoholic/addict suffers from "terminal uniqueness."  Uniqueness because "I'm special, I'm not like everyone else;" terminal because this attitude can be fatal.

Relatedly, almost every alcoholic/addict has an outsized view of their place in the world.  What they control, what they can't; how different they are from everyone else.  In some cases, that means "I'm super-important and blameless," in others, it's "I'm super-insignificant and it's all my fault."

One of the things that AA, "done right," accomplishes is "right-sizing" the alcoholic/addict.

It seems a lot of these "AA-alternatives" cater to terminal uniqueness.

Posted

Twice said it better than I'd be able but I think there's a lot of money made off of people who are bottomed enough to be desperate but not bottomed enough to accept that they're the same as everyone else in the rooms. I know nothing about that organization or what they offer but that's sure what it smells like.

 

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