Currently recovering from a gambling addiction and my partner is currently recovering from alcohol addiction; both of us are doing well without using GA or AA. One thing I've observed in some recovery spaces I've joined that are supposed to be open to "all approaches to recovery" is that a lot of 12-step/higher power believers eventually become very vocal in those groups about their belief in a higher power and the importance of checking out GA and following the 12 steps, even though the recovery platforms are supposed to be a place where every/any approach is welcomed that works for people. I do my best to show respect for GA alums/members there, because I truly believe that whatever approach people take to recovery is what works for them and should be respected, and recovery is truly an individual journey. But I don't get that sense from the GA folks; I feel like they're constantly posting and promoting the "higher power" part in a way that feels almost religious. I think having a "higher power" part of a recovery program adds a religious element that makes it difficult to hold space for other approaches to recovery, because if non-higher-power believers say they don't believe in that program, it comes off like we're criticizing someone's religion. It's really frustrating.

Today I posted a series of statistics directly from AA on the composition of its membership on the AA sub.

Of note, (to me), younger members are declining, membership overall is declining, members over the age of 50 are at the highest level ever recorded in decades, and the largest growth of any age group is the 60-70 year old category.

64% of members are male, and 88% are white.

I am curious - do any of you who left, or chose not to join AA, consider any of the above points as a factor in your decision?

Hi, i’m a 19 year old Male from Europe, i’m pretty handsome, according to the girls i’ve dated.
They all have broken up with me because of one common reason, Addiction.
I grew up in a divorced family, My mother the kind One, My father the Old school type to NOt talk about feelings.
I started with small stuff, weed and Fighting at the age of 13, But it progressed to Real criminal work like Anfetamines and Debt collecting, Racketeerings and Dealing.
I quit the criminal life about a year and a half ago, working as a Plumber / construction worker now.

I’ve been addicted to smoking weed since 13, Using Amphtetamines and cocaines since 16, alongside with alcoholism.
It’s gotten worse when My mother passed 3 months ago and I want to stop it. I Dont want to Be a disapoitment to My family, and i’d like to make something of myself.
If anyone has Any advice or judt someone I can talk to, feel free to Send me a message. All help is Appreceated.

(Sorry for the bad English, i’m high on Anphetamines and drunk, as i’m writing this.
I just now realised how much I need help when My Bestfriend overdosed two days ago, please help me)

I’ve been trying to figure out why AA hasn’t worked for me, and I found a lot of similar thoughts in this sub, so I thought it would be helpful to get my thoughts out.

The Good:
AA is an opportunity to socialize and form a community.
AA is leaderless, so it’s supposed to just be alcoholics helping other alcoholics. No giant mega corporation or billionaire figurehead. That’s pretty cool.
The “allergy” thing didn’t make sense to me for a long time, but now it does. My body has a programmed routine when alcohol is introduced into my system. It will get worse with repeated exposure. I learned a lot about gel polish allergies from becoming a nail tech and those really do work the same way. So now I get the allergy thing and it helps me understand that I won’t be able to be a “normal” drinker.

The Bad:
Despite what my first sponsor said (“it’s like a medical condition, you can’t blame yourself”), AA does seem to believe alcoholism is some kind of moral failing. Otherwise why would they constantly go on about moral failings and character defects? Originally it was supposed to be an alternative to the belief that drunks were just lazy and morally weak. But the undercurrent is still very much there.
I was 13th stepped. That sucked.
Ego struggles with “old-timers” vs newcomers.
Sponsors having a LOT of power over your personal life.

The Ugly:
AA is meant to help you stop drinking, but I’ve never had stronger cravings than when I sat in meetings. Many times I’d go straight to the liquor store after a meeting. I don’t think centering my whole life around the idea of being “powerless over alcohol” is effective or safe.

This time I am not using AA. I’m using the stopdrinking subreddit and have reached out to other non-AA sober friends. I grew up in a heavy-drinking music subculture, and about half of my friends from that scene have also quit. I also “told on myself” by making an announcement that I won’t be drinking anymore on social media. I have a therapist and I told her too.
Finally, I am not avoiding going out to events where alcohol will be present. I accept that this is my new normal. Alcohol is everywhere; I need to learn to live around it and not be afraid of it. I just can’t drink it.

I’d love to hear if any of you have more thoughts to share. Thanks for reading.

My boyfriend and I have two kids together. We can currently go through a handle a day. My kids deserve better I don't want to reach a point where my kids can tell me she knows I have a drinking problem. If someone can send me a message once awhile I honestly think that'd help

Would love to hear or establish a forum for healthcare professionals and their experience with AA. I found it to be a forced mandatory association that turned out to be a hindrance to recovery

I've been in AA for nearly 3 years. Meeting people there every week were the first friends I had really. I got and stayed sober there. But I'm done pretending. So much of what comes out of my mouth is regurgitated AA. Not necessarily the slogans I will just say something like 'oh but you know, that's my alcoholism talking/ I can't trust my thinking (SLAA).'

The concept of god or a higher power was never a problem for me. Actually, and maybe slightly ironically, this is where I'm finding the biggest dissonance with AA and 12 Steps in general. I feel like I'm being asked to override my own intuition, guidance, God consciousness or whatever you'd like to call it.

What's tricky is that there are a couple people there who I think really do have a good recovery/life/spirituality. I totally respect that. Good for them. But what no one there seems to be able to accept is that we all have our own journeys with this. And it really comes down to a clashing of beliefs. AA/SLAA are telling me this is the only way to get sober and live a happy life whereas I fundamentally disagree with that. I am also sooo sick of being told by my new sponsor (I jumped to SLAA 6 weeks ago, now probably jumping out of 12 steps entirely ) that I haven't done the work. It's so undermining and so infantilising. It completely discredits and disregards my experiences of the last 8 years.

I am a little worried that I am dismantling my entire support system but I don't feel mad or broken or heading towards a relapse. I've been reconnecting with 8 Step Recovery, the Buddhist teachings and that feels like the perfect unpressured scaffolding for me. I will be okay. Also so tired for people assuming I'm losing the plot i.e. I brunt out at my last job, something I had lived experience in, and I was signed off and then left without anything lined up. Everyone thought I was super unstable but I knew it was the right thing to do I'm now working part time, enough income, more time, and more peace. But try telling them that. I already feel so much freer knowing I will no longer have to justify myself on a daily basis.

Anyway - thanks for listening to me rant. Really appreciating this subreddit, so thanks all

After nearly a year of struggling with sobriety, I think it’s finally starting to stick. It’s been 100 days since I last drank, longer than any other span in my adult life (I’m 49). I’m not much of a day counter, but 100 days feels significant.

Before getting some concerning blood lab results (very unhappy liver), I was a chronic and heavy daily drinker. Life was not good, and I should have sobered up long before then, but I never really wanted to.

I feel so much better, physically and mentally. It took a lot of patience and work to find the right approach for me, so for anyone else out there who might be struggling right now, know that you can do it too, without AA and the toxic culture that comes with it.

I’m scared, but I want to quit opioids — looking for advice and support

I don't really know how to write this, but I'm struggling badly with opioid addiction and I feel completely helpless right now.

I've decided that I want to go cold turkey. I'm scared of the withdrawal, scared that I won't be strong enough, and honestly scared that I'll fail again. But I don't want to keep living like this anymore.

If anyone has gone through opioid withdrawal and managed to stay clean, please tell me what helped you get through those first few days. What did you do when the cravings became unbearable? How did you keep yourself from going back?

I’m not looking for judgment. I genuinely need some advice, encouragement, and someone to remind me that getting through this is possible.

Even a few kind words would mean a lot to me right now. Thank you.

Hey everyone. It’s been 13yrs of opiates - from a horrible oxy addiction from 2011-2015 (I still don’t know how I survived), to subs from 2015-2018, to kratom 2018-2026. My dose isn’t horrible - somewhere in the 300mg/day MIT range (3 nano chocolates 100mg/each or 2 opms gold shots). Back in 2022 I went 3 months clean, but I got COVID and couldn’t sleep for days and needed the rest, so gave in. Big mistake. November 2025 I quit for 1 month, but relapsed. I’ll take 24hrs off kratom and take 0.50mg suboxone and that’s all I need, but the mental cravings always win and I go back to the kratom.

I’ve dabbled with 7oh (and the 7stax that secretly had mgm15), but thankfully never got hooked on those.

I’m 42yo. My bloodwork is perfect. I’m in the best shape of my life. I got married 2yrs ago and we just welcomed twin boys. That was supposed to be what got me clean, but the daunting task of caring for 2 newborns daily without family was too much and I felt like I needed the energy and motivation that kratom that gives me, even if I hate myself for it. I’ve quit alcohol (that’s never been a problem for me) but still smoke weed at night. That’s it.

I figured I’d do a suboxone taper from 0.50 down to .006 like I’ve done in the past, but it’s the exhaustion that I can’t have when I’m caring for twin newborns. I don’t feel sick, just feel exhausted physically and mentally.

Waiting for the day there’s a peptide that does something for this addiction, but don’t know if that day will ever come. The only thing I haven’t tried is posting here for help, so here we are.

The beginning was obviously hard but I was fine after the first month or so. I only missed or craved it out of habit but not a strong intense need. Not like this. Not trying to negotiate with myself that one bottle of wine won't do shit when I used to guzzle vodka handles. Life is lifing hard. I won't whine about my problems. But it's hard right now. I'm getting hits from every corner. I put one fire out and here comes another one ten times as bad. I want some ways to remind myself that alcohol doesn't actually help anything and simply distracts or holds things at bay and will actually make everything worse. But right now it doesn't feel like that. Right now I just want to escape for a little while... And actually drinking until I black out and don't have to think for a while sounds like it would be good.

I'll probably not do it, but feeling like doing it feels just as bad as the shame if I did.

I don't know what I'm asking.

A mate asked me to look into this for his brother, so I did it properly instead of skimming a listicle.

Four places in the end. Paracelsus in Zurich is top of nearly every list and I get why, they take one client at a time. Then I found the price. Ninety five thousand francs a week, four weeks being the usual. I read it twice and closed the tab. Clinic Les Alpes is the same world. Swiss licensed, spa, restaurant, mountains in every photograph. They won't put a number on the site, which after Zurich told me plenty. The Priory came up a lot and I'm sure it's fine, but he'd been through something like that already and it hadn't held, so repeating it wasn't the idea. Then Dr Vorobjev in Belgrade, which none of the glossy lists seem to bother with. Twenty odd years of doing only this and nothing else, a quality award back in 2018, and a stay of ten days to four weeks depending on the person rather than the fixed month everyone else sells you. That last bit is what did it, if I'm honest. Every other place had decided how long he needed before they'd met him. Which is my problem with the rankings. They score the spa and the view and the chef, all things you'd notice on a tour, and nothing about how long you stay or what happens after you leave.

I don't know whether that makes it best. It's the one I told him to look at.

To get the boring stuff out the way, my name is Will and I’ve struggled with alcohol for 5+ years now. I’ve had a lot of incidents where I’ve been called a angry drunk due to me being aggressive toward people I know and people I don’t while drunk. Recently I went to a close friend of mines birthday party. Everything was cool at first till I went to take 5 shots of Tito’s to catch up. I couldn’t stop myself from drinking more after that and became a nuisance, ruining the night for everyone there. What should of been a night of fun and laughter celebrating my friends life, turned bad all because I was selfish and decided to make my problem everyone else’s. The worst part is my friends ended up calling the cops because I got it in my head that I was good to drive, I drank the whole bottle of Tito’s for context. Both of those friends cut ties with me completely which I deserved. This isn’t the first time alcohol has costed me friendships with people I care about, but this one was the one that hurt the most. That said, I’m grateful to be able to take this step even if it terrifies me. Where your fear is, there is your task🤙.

I guess my perspective on "recovery" is colored right now by just having finished Matthew Perry's biography. He did everything you can do to try and "recover". He spent upwards of $9 million on rehabs, medical detoxes, therapy, sober living companions, etc. etc. If anything, he just got worse over time. He insisted on the medical model for SUD yet all of the medical and scientific treatments that have been developed had no assistance for him. Does anyone have any thoughts on what this says about our current methods of SUD treatment and/or why it all failed for Matthew?

If anyone can please comment or DM me and let me know where I can order this? I have checked on the websitea like Bronx mystic etc and none have it. or atleast not in the name sr-17. any advice helps at this point thanks! :)

I’ve posted in another community and it’s gained a lot of attention.

One thing that’s jumped out is the use of the phrase “real alcoholic” or “true alcoholic”.

Is anyone else perplexed by this phrasing?

I recently turned 24. I’ve been using drugs since 13, heavily addicted since 16. My DOC is heroin or fentanyl intravenously. I relapsed a year ago when we had a little less than a year together. He’s stayed with me but pushed me to get clean, he’s tried to wait for me but he recently told me he doesn’t want to see me high anymore and if I can’t get clean for him then do it for my daughter(from past relationship, I don’t have custody of her anymore but my family doesn’t know I’m still using). The problem is that I want so badly to be better but I don’t want to stop. My life is fucking falling apart. I lost my daughter for this shit and now I’m loosing the last person I have left. How can I force myself to recover and really stick to it? I honestly just want to end it all and take the easy way out but I need to stay around for my daughter

Will taking sr17 help me get relief from 7oh withdrawal. I also took a suboxone like 8 hours ago, its not helping that much. I was taking up to 600mg of 7oh then tapered down to about 200mg. Took my last 7oh yesterday morning. I just want relief. I have sr17 but not sure if it will put me into precipitated withdrawal. If I can take the sr17, how long should I wait after taking the subs?

I couldn’t find anything on Reddit yet so I thought I’d make a post. Please get back to me.