Addiction Help and Helping Alcoholics to Stop Drinking

There are a lot of alcoholics and addicts who keep screwing up in recovery and then return to their AA meetings, completely confused about how they can not “get it.” They believe that they are missing out on the secret to staying clean and sober, when in fact they are just screwing up whatever program it is they are trying to work in their lives. It is not a lack of knowledge that defeats them but a lack of action.

Addiction help comes to those who seek it. If  you want to know how to stop drinking it is not going to happen if you are sitting at home on the couch and trying to wish your problem away. There are several choices when it comes to pursuing a recovery program but the most common choice is a 12 step fellowship group such as AA. In spite of whatever program you are using to recover with, the important thing is in the consistent action you take.

None of the recovery programs out there are special or have the secret sauce that the other programs are lacking–it doesn’t work that way. If you are wondering how to help an alcoholic or addict then the key is in applying a program; not in choosing one. The secret is in the follow through. You must make a supreme effort if you expect to get awesome results.

One of the key components in early recovery is to network with a peer group that can offer you strength and support. Many alcoholics will do so and still end up failing, but the fellowship that you get from others in recovery is still very powerful and should not be overlooked. If you want to do well in recovery then you should understand the importance of peer support from others who are trying to accomplish the same basic goal as you are. Whether or not you believe in the 12 step program is irrelevant because anyone can benefit from the peer support you can get from that fellowship.

So this process of making friends in recovery is crucial for new people in early recovery but as you go further along then a change needs to happen. This is because the strategies and tactics that you used in early recovery will become less useful as you stay sober for longer. The strategies you employ for early recovery are only useful up to a point and then you will have to make a change to pushing yourself for holistic growth. If you can do this then eventually you will transition to a creative life of recovery in which you are no longer dependent on meetings.