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  11 1 This question is a beautiful fit with your previous Questionland query: "best method to remove bloodstains?" gloomy gus answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  20 13 AA is a religion. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/BA99S1AKQ.DTL There are many alternatives to AA: http://www.smartrecovery.org/ http://www.cfiwest.org/sos/index.htm This site has a searching a fearless moral inventory of AA. http://www.orange-papers.org/menu1.html Remember that AA has a very high rate of failure. After one year only about 5-10% of new members are still sober. About the same rate as people who quit drinking on their own. The 12 steps are faith healing. You do have the power to stop. Ignore the AA line that says you are powerless. One step is all you need, just stopping is enough. Abstinence equals sobriety. The term "dry drunk" is an oxymoron. Go Heather Lindstrom answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 8 comments by Heather Lindstrom, Heather Lindstrom, and Heather Lindstrom… 0 0 corrected link: AA is a religion http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/BA99S1AKQ.DTL Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 okay, try this link http://www.newrecovery.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-court-rules-that-aana-are.html Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 In fact some even think AA is a cult: http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/ofcourse.htm http://www.morerevealed.com/library/coc/ Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Listen to Heather! She makes a lot of sense. I'm not sober, but my boyfriend was in AA when we first met. I went to a couple meetings with him and was horrified by the self-defeating language they use. You are not powerless, you are a human being with a conscience and a free will. Believing this will take you a lot further in your sobriety (and life in general) than believing you are powerless. brandon commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 l absolutely agree with this, though l do think that apologizing to everyone you hurt along the way is a necessary one. But the 'abstinence equals sobriety' is right the fuck on. freikja commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Sobriety means more than just not having a drink in your system, if you are an Alcoholic. It's about being honest with your self. It's about recognizing all your disjointed, disowned parts that have fractured and separated you from your True Self. These parts are always out of order with the whole being, as they count them selves as separate from the whole and are always seeking balance by them selves, for them selves, and always outside of them selves. By claiming their independence and not allowing a synthesis to occur into one whole being, the individual follows blindly these isolated parts and sub parts, of the personality, where one is naturally divided, because these parts are never in agreement with one an other. It is only by the elimination of the dominance of these unbalanced parts (the ego) within ourselves that one can become whole and act as one without ego attachment. " Let the eye be single". "Single mindedness". These are all ancient sayings, which mean never being out of balance or turning against ones' Self. For the whole is more then the sum of it's parts. This whole (holy) state of being is never out of balance and always at one with itself. "A house divided can not stand" A self centered life is filled with many characters and parts that take your emotional and spiritual life, as well as, mind and body hostage, holding it with fear and resentment. Resentment is to relive or re feel what we are attached to. Whether we think it pleasurable or painful, this attachment to self is bound to what ever it desires. It is the cause which comes way before the symptom of drinking which can lead to the disease of Alcoholism or an unbalanced unmanageable life. Try stopping a symptom without the cause and it will keep reoccurring, making you truly powerless. Bryant F. 20 years a friend of Bill W Bryant Fraser commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 No, Bryant that is a bunch of bs. All that you said may apply to you, but for me abstinence is sobriety. Will power is the answer. I know why I used to drink. The only reason was that I enjoyed the temporary pleasure it gave me. Once I realized that it was getting out of hand I decided to stop. There is nothing involved here other than I wanted pleasure. Wanting pleasure is a good thing. I hope I never lose my desire for pleasure. I just decided that the negatives of drinking outweighted the positives. I decided that I will never drink again for the rest of my life. I don't go for the tentitave one day at a time approach. I quit one lifetime at a time. I have the power and I am 100% confident that I will never drink again. Self will is a good thing. Planting seeds of doubt as AA does in telling people they are powerless is the exact opposite of what people should be told. We don't need any more than one single step. You quit and that is all that is necessary. I am very proud that I have helped some other people see that AA is not the answer and helped them find the confidence to quit using SMART Recovery, Secular Organizations for Sobriety or Rational Recovery. Check out this link to see a searching and fearless moral inventory of AA. http://www.orange-papers.org/menu1.html I repeat again ABSTINENCE IS SOBRIETY Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Bryant, while l agree that for many, an examination of the self (and one's reasons for abuse or overuse of any substance) is important, l also agree with Heather that this depends on the individual. Some just have a zest for life (so to speak) that includes excess. lt may not be healthy, but it doesn't necessarily mean there are a bunch of deep-seated demons lurking under the surface either. freikja commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  7 0 I'm not in recovery, but I have read about a group called Rational Recovery that is secular. Additionally, the many, many, many addicts I know and love tell me that inpatient and outpatient treatment centers tend to be secular. Gitai Ben-Ammi answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Ken Ragge… 0 0 95% of inpatient alcoholism and drug treatment is 12 Step. The rest is mostly a mix of Scientology, and various Fundamentalist Christian groups. Saying that "treatment" (or AA) is secular because "you don't have to believe in God" or "you can have any higher power you want" really doesn't mean anything, although it sounds like it does. One doesn't need to believe in God and can even be an atheist and still attend a Billy Graham Crusade. Of course the Billy Graham Crusades are religious. It would be rather pointless to have an event for the purpose of conversion and insist that anyone who attends is already converted. One can't have 12-Step treatment and not have 12 Steps. The 12 Steps are about "finding God." One can't find God (and have "conscious contact with God", for that matter) and not be religious. Ken Ragge commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  7 0 I always pass this office on my way to my massage therapist - they look interesting. They're called A Positive Alternative and don't use a 12 step model. http://www.apositivealternative.com/index.html dream time answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  12 6 Are you ready to turn your will and your life over to the care of Cliches as we understood them? I don't have any recommendations but I'm going to risk a flame war and say: Don't believe the "Take what you want and leave the rest" BS. It's religion. It's old timey cult religion with a dark past. IMHO - stay the hell away. Or "Keep Coming Back (you'll cave eventually)" Sheree Pennah answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by freikja… 0 0 lndeed. l quit doing coke and speed cold turkey (and surprisingly, with little to withdrawal) back when l was 21 or so. About three months into it, and feeling the backlash from all my friends who were still doing them, l decided to try AA/NA (which were the same at this specific place), simply to be around people who understood where l was at. lt was like a freaking cult. They were so big on the not consorting with anyone who drank or did drugs thing that half of the members had alienated themselves from their families, even family members who were simply casual drinkers. l found an old friend there who had been shooting heroin last l saw her, so it was a bit of a blessing to see her doing so well. l lost touch with her again after l left the group, but when l called her sister about a year later, she wasn't speaking to anyone in her immediate family, and had simply cut them off, with no explanation and no interest in speaking to them ever again. l certainly didn't find that helpful, since she and her sister had been best friends for the entirety of their lives until that point. Anyway, while l was in the group, l took a couple of them to a rave. lt was my belief that completely sequestering oneself from a world that continues to indulge around you was counterproductive, versus learning how to rely on yourself to stay strong amidst temptation. We all made a vow before going in to stay sober, we did, we partied until noon the next day, and all had a great time. The people running the group publicly reprimanded all of us, and threatened to kick me out if l did it again, since l was the 'perpetrator'. The rest of the group pretty much shunned me, and l left shortly thereafter. l did coke a couple of times after that, didn't enjoy it, and came out of it remembering why l quit in the first place, and have been fine since. lt helps that it was more of a habit than an actual addiction, but l'm glad l wasn't relying on that group to keep me sane and sober, because l would have to give them a pretty serious fucking 'FAIL' on that one. As l said elsewhere, each AA experience is unique based on its location and the people running it, so l'm sure not all have the fascism that this one did, nor that the fascism had anything to do with religion per se, but the general backwardness adopted by most seems to be prevalent. freikja commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  4 2 the only requirement for membership of aa is a desire to stop drinking. their words exactly. god or no god, meetings are a great place to find people who know what you're going through and provide a sober support network. yeah, some people will force their spirituality down your throat but most won't. most just want to live a life free from the obsession to drink. aa is certainly not a monopoly. the basic aa text encourages alcoholics to try other options, do some research, and if all else fails, come back to aa and perhaps it will work for you. there are a few atheist meetings in the area. one i remember in particular is in ballard on thursdays... check out seattleaa.org, there is a phone line (number on that website) you can call and the volunteers will help find the group you are looking for. good luck! freedum answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Jenn Kanze-Eaton… 0 0 You are right all they ask is that you have a desire to quit drinking, but my brother who is an alcoholic went and he said the giving over to a high power stuff (which is a tenet of the program) doesn't bother him it's inclusive, but they would recite The Lord's Prayer at the top of each meeting, that was where he was made to feel other. Jenn Kanze-Eaton commented 2 days ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 There are four meetings that I know of that are specifically atheist/agnostic .. three are @ CHAC, but I promise you all meetings, particularly AAAA are wide open to anyone. Mondays 6p AAAA @ CHAC - straight-up Atheist/Agnostic Tuesdays 530 XA @ CHAC - insert addiction of choice into 'X' .. takes God out of the 12 steps Thursdays 615 Freethinkers in Ballard - 'nuff said Saturdays 6p AAA @ CHAC - All Addicts Anonymous .. similar to XA, removing specificity of addiction Speaking from experience, I can guarantee if you seek with an open mind, you will find a meeting or a few, that are your cup of tea. True, there are a bunch of religious freaks out there that scream 'god god god', but there are just as many broad-minded dudes and divas who will help you float your boat once again. I love my recovery more than words can say, and I do what it takes to find peeps I jive with. zimbz answered in Health & Fitness about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 I am a freelance writer, a non-theist, and have been in recovery for 25 years this month. I have an entire Website on Reovery, which you can find when you go to http://www.arecoveryjourney.com/ebooklets/ Hope this helps John T. Marohn John T. Marohn answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 www.lifering.org is the fastest growing secular recovery group around. Jack answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  7 7 If you really want to quit drinking for good, go to meetings and tune out the God stuff. It's rarely the main focus, especially in West Coast meetings. Then find a sponsor who shares your atheism. AA is chock full of atheists who politely ignore the protestant trappings of the group. HCB answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 1 Don't let too much preconceived thinking get in the way. The perception of one reality containing many, allows for diversity to show us all a way toward a better tomorrow, which doesn't include a drink for the Alcoholic today. AA philosophy is based on a spiritual awakening of the individual. Who gradually through honesty of seeking to know himself (in truth), can come to a realization which transforms his daily life, allowing him to see himself within that one reality which he would other wise miss, due to egoic separation of "the self". Call this sense of inclusion what you may. But, by not picking up a drink today, one day at a time can save your life. And it is this one life that is the only measuring stick we have by which to know a power greater then ourselves, that is not powerless under any circumstances. Bryant F Friend of Bill W Bryant Fraser answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by Heather Lindstrom and Heather Lindstrom… 0 0 AA claims they are spiritual and not religious. According to a recent court decision AA is a religion. http://www.newrecovery.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-court-rules-that-aana-are.html The 12 steps when boiled down is a form of faith healing. The truth is you do not need a spiritual program in order to stop doing something that is causing you harm. The first thing you need is to accept that you have the power within your self to stop. Use your confidence. Embrace your self will. Ignore any message that says you are powerless. If you believe you are powerless it will lead to drinking again. If you believe you do have the power it will be eaiser to stay dry. Once you quit drinking problems related to and caused by drinking become eaiser to solve. Do nit beat yourself up about your past drinking. Stop using and move on with your life. You do not need to attend meetings in order to achieve sobriety. Abstinence equals sobriety. Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Disease theory questioned http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/447/1/Alcoholism-is-not-a-Disease/Page1.html Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 1 There's a Saturday women's group called Saturday Promises in Seattle, very light on God talk and prayer. If you get in a group that's open-minded, it will lead you to where all the other non-believers are located too. Sonya Lea answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 3 I just want to support you in your question to find an AA group that "fits". But do go, even if at first it doesn't feel quite right... there may be a referal that can help down the road.... O my captain answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  4 6 It might help you to know that so far, at least ten total strangers have commented on your situation. Whatever we have said, we all want to help you to live more happily, and free of your drinking problem. So, if you're thinking no one cares, you're wrong. (I add this because I have been a person trying to quit while thinking that nobody cares.) IMHO, some of the people on this board are full of shit and some are right on. I'll keep my opinion of them to myself. Find out for yourself what program or group or set of groups fits you. Keep an open mind and stop being such a pussy. Just going to a meeting, whatever program it is, can at worst be an unbearable waste of time. Walk out if you don't like it. How valutable could your time be if you're on the internet asking strangers how to quit drinking? (Unless this is life-and-death for you, in which case, you might want to consult a physician.) And GLBT-wise, well...I've been to some meetings and have yet to come across anyone, gay or straight, having sex while in the meeting. Before the meeting, after the meeting, in the bathroom or the parking lot, maybe, but not in the meeting itself. My point is that going to a GLBT meeting ain't going to turn you queer. (Don't quote me on that, because I honestly do not know that that is the truth.) You know what open-mindedness is? NOT ruling out religion. Lots of churches (including non-church churches like Unitarian Universalist and Center for Spiritual Living), synagogues, temples, and other houses of faith have support groups for people getting over drinking. Atheism can get pretty dogmatic, and dogma is in direct confrontation with the open mind. Oh yeah, I think there are Masons, Eagles, Kiwanis, and various other clubs that might have info on support. Good luck, and don't let the bastards grind you down. Notus answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 4 comments by Lee, Heather Lindstrom, and Heather Lindstrom… 0 0 Part of being successfully open-minded, though, is having the ability to filter out the obvious bullshit pretty efficiently. And that does mean ruling out religion. My atheism isn't dogmatic, it just isn't swayed by arguments from logical fallacies, so it may seem that way to people who are more gullible. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 My issue with aa and religion is about religion per sey it is AA's claim that they are "spiritual and not religious." That is a bunch of hair splitting nonsense. Programs like SMART recovery allow the individual to use religion or not. They make it clear that atheists can become sober and so can believers. No spirituality is necessary. AA can deny they are religious all they want, but the fact remains that several courts have ruled that they are religious. Because of their religious nature people can no more be ordered to attend AA than they can be ordered to go to mass. People can and do achieve sobriety without ever having to acknowledge a "higher power." Make no mistake about it AA is religious. Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I meant to say "My issue with AA is NOT about religion per sey" Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 i thought it was pretty clear here that i had every intention of going to a meeting and figuring it out, and was just looking for information on a particular concept *in addition to that*. i might concede that i didn't do a particularly stellar job of communicating that point, but i think that, based on the nature of those responses that seemed to have missed this, perhaps that wasn't the problem at all, and some people just felt compelled to project their frustrations with -- i don't know -- themselves? (past? present?) others they might have known in similar situations? and ignore that point. i don't think it's unreasonable to assume that you were probably going for one of those "tough love"-type speeches, and beyond that concept itself being inherently presumptuous when directed at a stranger on an internet message board, your points were exceedingly so, individually. that GLBT rant you went off on there is a prime example, and pretty much obviates the need to explicitly point out the rest. all that said, i do appreciate the effort nonetheless -- i believe you meant well. cakes commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  7 14 AA is not about "religion". I had a lot of issues with this when I started going to AA meetings more than 20 years ago because they talked about God in their steps. There are many longtime AA members who are agnostic and atheist, including myself. The books and literature of AA are very clear about finding what the concept of "higher power" means to you. I've heard people talk about their higher power being gravity or some other force. It's your own interpretation. For myself, it took a while before I figured out what that meant to me, but basically, it has to do with believing that my own intellect and willpower is limited and there are forces in the world (nature - or diarrhea - or the way my mind reacts when I drink or do drugs, for example) that are beyond my own control. AA has given me a different perspective on how to deal with these and other issues. It hasn't required that I do anything. It doesn't even require that I stop drinking. They just ask that I have a desire to stop drinking. They definitely don't ask you to believe in Jesus or Buddah, gravity or any other particular entity. That's up to you. Don't let the God stuff keep you away from AA. Give it a chance - there's a lot of good, helpful information and people there who have similar or the same thoughts and beliefs as you. It's not the only way to stop drinking - but it has been documented as the most successful way. AmyGeek answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by Lee and Heather Lindstrom… 0 0 I'd love to see the documentation that says this is the most successful way. Anyway, the diarrhea example isn't particularly apt. I understand that you're using it as an example of something that you can't stop simply through force-of-will and diligence, and that part of the analogy is fine. The problem is that diarrhea is also unresponsive to all the other things that AAers do, including admitting the problem, apologizing to those you've hurt (don't think about that one too much), and spiritual awakening. The point that a lot of people here are making is that AA is engaged in the same kind of doubletalk as the alcoholic's excuses. All of their steps are essentially about willpower and decision-making, insofar as they result in the desired outcome, but stop short of taking any kind of responsibility for failure. In other words: AA wants you to stop making excuses and choose to get better, but you are ultimately powerless and therefore unable to get better without faith. Blech. The basic religious gambit: if your prayer didn't work, it's because you didn't believe hard enough. Fuck that shit. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 http://www.newrecovery.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-court-rules-that-aana-are.html AA is a religion. Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  9 19 Dude. Quit making excuses. Just go. If you don't like one group, try another. MyrnaMinkoff answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 4 comments by cakes, Heather Lindstrom, and freikja… 0 0 that's the plan -- please re-read the posting. i'm gathering further info from people that might know off-hand about these things. cakes commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I found that I used the lie of being powerless as an excuse. Once I accepted that I was not powerless it became eaiser to remain sober. I found this was true for others who quit AA and found a better way. I also disposed of the "one day at a time" approach and have decided to never drink again. There are also too many mutually exclusive messages in AA. They preach "rigorous honesty," but if you do not understand a concept you are told "fake it untill you make it." It is difficult enough to quit without being told you are powerless. Self will is a very important part of sobriety. You need not turn it over to anybody except yourself. Your self confidence should be encouraged and not denied. You can do it. Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 l don't see any excuses being made here. ln fact, l would suggest the generally obvious notion that asking about going is pretty proactive on its own. freikja commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Telling someone to try a different meeting is like telling someone who doesn't like the food at one McDonalds to try another. Ray Smith commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  8 21 AA has nothing to do with religion. If the god stuff is scary, give it listen, but you don't need to do anything. A higher power is a way to let go of the things you cannot change. And to have the power to change the things you can (i.e. to stop drinking). But AA does not work for everyone, but it provides a different view to handle situations that use to baffle us alcoholics. Don't go to the Alano club, but try broadway group (mondays 7:30pm at St. Marks, in the basement) and pilgrims on broadway and republican, at pilgrims church on friday nights at 7:30. God (or a higher power) is spoken a lot, but come with an open mind and you can see it is not a religion, but spiritual. Just go and you will learn a lot about yourself. Disclaimer, I'm agnostic and I've been sober for 3.5 years. janie answered in Health & Fitness over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by freikja and Heather Lindstrom… 0 0 You left out the part of the Serenity Prayer that does, in fact, include religion. lt's a great prayer, and has always been a favorite of mine, but it does say, "*God* grant me the serenity to accept the things l cannot change, the courage to change the things l can, and the wisdom to know the difference." This is an inclusion of religion, and it's pretty well known fact that while some AA groups are less religious than others (depending on where they are and who's running that particular show), religion plays a part. And as you point out here, is often held in churches, which can be a turnoff for some in and of itself. freikja commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 The truth is that you can recover without any involvement of spitituality. If you have a spiritual practice you can use it as you see fit. If you happen to be an atheist and follow no spiritual path you can become fully sober. Just look at the number of steps of AA that involve a "higher power" and ask how that is not religious. You can become sober with or without spirituality. Quote from SMART Recovery link: Q. How is SMART Recovery® different from traditional Twelve Step programs? A. SMART Recovery® has a scientific foundation, not a spiritual one. SMART Recovery® teaches increasing self-reliance, rather than powerlessness. SMART Recovery® views addictive behavior as a maladaptive habit, rather than as a disease. SMART Recovery® meetings are discussion meetings in which individuals talk with one another, rather than to one another. SMART Recovery® encourages attendance for months to years, but probably not a lifetime. There are no sponsors in SMART Recovery®. SMART Recovery® discourages use of labels such as "alcoholic" or "addict". Heather Lindstrom commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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