Addiction Recovery For Atheists

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BAACKJD's picture
Addiction Recovery For Atheists

So I've wanted to discuss this with the forum for a long time but it's obviously very personal so I've held off until now.

I've struggled with alcohol addiction for years now and it's recently been catching up with me. AA seems to be the only viable option out there that I have real access to. The clear problem is the requirement that you accept a higher power. An old sponsor of mine said it can be anything, the group, the sun even the door handle. This poses some clear intellectual problems. The odds of me praying to a fucking door handle are not great.

I've searched for local atheist recovery groups and I just can't seem to find anything. The one I did find was made up of almost 100% lunatics.

I'm really starting to accumulate the consequences of this behavior in a number of ways. Any advice on this would be very much appreciated.

I'm just now recognizing the juxtaposition of a weighty topic like this next to an avatar of John Travolta cast as Turl in the film Battlefield Earth. Hilarious.

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CyberLN's picture
Have you googled "AA for

Have you googled "AA for atheists"? I did and found some interesting stuff...you might find some of it helpful.

ThePragmatic's picture
Right. I would suggest trying

Right. I would suggest trying "secular" instead of atheist as well.
I've seen headlines about several success stories in the last couple of years for secular AA in the US. But I guess it depends greatly depending on where you live.

Edit:
"Agnostic" and "nonreligious" may also be good words to try searching.

Pitar's picture
"I've searched for local

"I've searched for local atheist recovery groups and I just can't seem to find anything. The one I did find was made up of almost % lunatics."

That's unfortunate but I find it to be unsurprising. Most atheists I've met are a hair's breadth away from it. Conversely, most theists I've met are similarly juxtaposed and probably will pray to a door handle with little prompting from their spiritual leader (after passing him a sawbuck).

I wish you success in finding an organization to settle into.

ZeffD's picture
Humanism too....
Truett's picture
Hi, JB God's Country. Wow,

Hi, JB God's Country. Wow, am I ever rooting for you. I'm impressed by your bravery and earnest humanity in revealing a bit about yourself in a genuine effort to change something about your life.

CyberLN mentioned searching on Google. Here is one of the first things that popped up that looks interesting:
https://aaagnostica.org/2012/08/12/an-atheists-guide-to-12-step-recovery/

There are a number of pharmaceuticals that can be employed; WebMD has a short review of what's available. Addictions are largely chemical in nature, perhaps entirely chemical. Even the psychological drivers that compel us are chemical in nature. I think this is a fact of our biology; each of us are walking examples of physics/chemistry. I wouldn't write off the potential advantages of using what medical science has developed in an effort to improve your well being without looking into it.

Finally, consider 'mindfulness techniques'. Something similar was key for me. Good luck, JB. I'm rooting for you.

Alembé's picture
Hi JB,

Hi JB,

With the disclaimer that I am not a therapist/counsellor, but am assisting a person going through a similar process, I have a word of warning/advice. All addictions, drugs, gambling, alcohol, food, etc. seem to reward us with a release of dopamine in the brain. If one addiction is contained, there may be a transfer of the addiction to another behavior to get that desired dopamine rush.

Quit smoking, get the dopamine shot from food. Cure overeating, become a gambling addict, etc. I have a close family member who is dealing with food addiction and losing weight, and one of the major discussions we all have at support groups is preventing transfer of the food addiction to another addiction.

It seems the “least-worse” transfer addiction is to exercise and several people in the group work out/run a lot now.

I wish you success.

BAACKJD's picture
Thanks for all of your

Thanks for all of your suggestions and support everybody.

Alembe, I can tell you that the potential for moving from one addiction to another is very real. Exercise has become a huge part of my life. Not an addiction per say, but it certainly borders on it from time to time. Alcohol it turns out, lowers your testosterone level pretty dramatically. So removing that from the equation along with the natural testosterone boost gained from exercise has created a bit of a change in my personality. I'm not going to get into the weeds too much on this, but lets just say I have a new found love of internet dating. I appreciate your advice. It's certainly something to be conscious of.

Again, thanks for all of your support. It's nice to have a place I can go with something like this and not be told to "pray about it". I'll absolutely look into all of the suggestions provided.

SecularSonOfABiscuitEater's picture
Damn JB it sucks that you

Damn JB it sucks that you have to deal with this. I want you to pull through. Prag beat me to the punch. Agreeing with Prag, I would say search for things more along the lines of the word secular. By the way..

"I'm just now recognizing the juxtaposition of a weighty topic like this next to an avatar of John Travolta cast as Turl in the film Battlefield Earth. Hilarious."

Please don't ever change that avatar. I do take you seriously of course, but reading your forum replies as turl is very enjoyable lol.

BAACKJD's picture
"Please don't ever change

"Please don't ever change that avatar. I do take you seriously of course, but reading your forum replies as turl is very enjoyable lol."

Thanks SSOB. Don't worry, Turl is here to stay!

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