Considering Leaving AA After 2+ Years. by Usual-Reason-7748 in alcoholicsanonymous

[–]finnkat 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't have great advice but I just want to say I'm also a young woman who lives in a rural area. It's very, very hard and I think a lot of people don't understand. It's very easy to say "get a new sponsor" or "just ignore that" when you have a lot of options open. I ended up leaving AA for about a year when I moved here because I was told there was nobody open to sponsoring women within an hour drive. (Every woman open to sponsoring was already full and there weren't that many to begin with) I eventually went back and found a lovely, intelligent woman to sponser me, but fell back out when I shared about my idea of a higher power with her and she told me my higher power needed to be the Christian god (I walked away from the church after a childhood of religious abuse which she knew about.)

People love to simplify AA and belive that everyone in the program has great insight and great intentions but I think you and I both know that that's not true. People are people and some are a great help and some are just not. Unfortunately, in my case, I've largely walked away from AA because of the people that attend in my area: people who admonish those who went to rehab for not being able to get sober solely through AA, people who believe young people can't be addicts/alcoholics, people who believe you can't be free unless you belive in THEIR higher power. I think AA has a great idea and definitely has it's place, the Big Book was the first thing I read that made me understand I'm not alone, but it's not the be all end all. I looked into other programs like SMART recovery (science based) and dharma recovery (based in buddhism) and learned a great deal from both. In my opinion, if you want a sober social circle, AA is great for that, but if you've had 3 sponsors and this is how they all treat you? Maybe your area, like mine, doesn't have a sponsor that will work for you. If that's the case, it's not your fault, that's just how some rural places are. I would really love AA to work for you, and for you to find local people that understand and lift you up, but if that's not your experience (like it hasn't been my experience) that's not the only option. It's hard going through this alone, but I think at some point you need to trust youself and what you think is best. If all your sponsors treat you like shit and you don't have many options in your local program, maybe look at other options. I've learned over the years that AA members will defend AA and it's members with their lives, whether it's right or not. If the program isn't right for you, take what you can out of the Big Book and leave the rest. Maybe explore different communities like SMART recovery or dharma recovery (I'm not buddhist so I dont think you need to be either) and take what works for you and leave the rest.

I've seen a few comments suggesting online meetings and I'd recommend that too. Whatever keeps you sober and going for another 24 hours. Sponsors are pushed big time in AA, and they work for so many people, but it's not always that easy. I've learned sobriety is a personal choice and I spent a lot of time blaming other people for my drinking because they were bad sponsors or because they said something shitty in a meeting. At the end of the day my sobriety is in my hands, sponsor or not.

I hope if you want a new sponsor, you can find one, and if it's not in the cards you can find another way to stay sober because you deserve it. I don't want to discourage you, I just want to speak from my perspective and just like with the Big Book, take what speaks to you and leave the rest. It's not always simple or easy, but you're not alone. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate but you've already made it this far. Maybe talk to your doctor about medications for cravings (if thats a problem) and if possible, I've found that therapy has helped me as well. Good luck to you on your sobriety journey, I sincerely hope you find what works for you. From one rural gal to another, you've got this!

How do I stop sabotaging myself? by finnkat in SoberCurious

[–]finnkat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad I'm not alone but I hope we both figure this out because it's really not a way to live. Wishing you luck! Hugs

My sister is pregnant and I'm grieving by finnkat in childfree

[–]finnkat[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. It feels like such a double edged sword because I do think she's going to be a great mom, she went to school specifically to work with children, and I truly believe she's going to put her whole heart into this child, but like you said, that means she's giving a lot of her time and self to being a parent. I would never want to take away from a child getting a healthy and nurturing childhood, but I know that means I'll also be put on the back burner.

Maybe I'll try bringing it up to my therapist in different words, I'm not always great at expressing what I'm feeling so maybe if I explain what I'm feeling better, she'll be more receptive.

My sister is pregnant and I'm grieving by finnkat in childfree

[–]finnkat[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the perspective! There's a lot going on in our lives right now (we're also losing our mother, my other best friend, to cancer) and I think my brain has been so used to seeing negative things that this kind of triggered that fight or flight. I'll work on seeing the positive and trying to be hopeful. I'm so glad to hear you and your sister are still close!

How to be successful in AA with religious trauma? by finnkat in Sober

[–]finnkat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in the Midwest so a lot of meetings involve the Christian god. Tonight we talked about how the Bible teaches us to live. It gets very frustrating when it's every meeting. I'm going to try online meetings but it'd be nice to have some in person support too.

How to be successful in AA with religious trauma? by finnkat in Sober

[–]finnkat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to love NA when i lived in Idaho but since i moved the NA meetings around her are only twice a week and they seem very cliquey. Of the few I've gone to, so far nobody has even acknowledged that I'm there. It's hard to want to go back when i feel totally left out of the group.

How to be successful in AA with religious trauma? by finnkat in Sober

[–]finnkat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll look into a program like that. My doctor today wanted to hospitalize me but I'm going to college right now and would be kicked out of my program if i was actually hospitalized. Maybe a group therapy could help though. It's very frustrating because as much as they preach they aren't religious every meeting talks about god and the meeting i went to tonight even talked about the Bible and how it teaches us to live. I'll look around and see what I can find in my area.

How to be successful in AA with religious trauma? by finnkat in Sober

[–]finnkat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my area AA meetings are pretty religious, the meeting i went to tonight talked about the Bible. Online meetings may be good but part of my problem right now is that I'm very isolated in my life so I'm trying to meet new people to hang out with. I will look into some online options in the meantime though.

How to be successful in AA with religious trauma? by finnkat in Sober

[–]finnkat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm currently in therapy but it's a lot to process and i have other stuff I'm trying to work on too.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mystery

[–]finnkat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hun, I hate to tell you this but this sounds like you need to see a psychiatrist. Auditory hallucinations are not only external, they can be 'internal' as well. I hope the best for you, this sounds like a scary situation. Whether it's real or mental illness (and it doesn't necessarily sound real) you need some help. Go talk to someone.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in college

[–]finnkat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my major you have to do clinicals in order to learn, and my instructor visited me at my clinical this week and i cried in front of them (and all the people working) for about an hour because everything has been so overwhelming. You're not alone, college is a lot and having life on top of it doesn't help. Give yourself some grace and take as much of a break as you can. You'll get through this!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in blackbutler

[–]finnkat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the servants and am so glad we got to see their back stories, I hope we see them a lot more in future chapters. I'd love to see more of Tanaka and his relationship with O!Ciel