Answered questions(5)
Buddhist recovery?
My sister has had drug and alcohol problems for a very long time. Now she is working with a Buddhist meditation teacher instead of going to NA and AA meetings like she has done in the past. Is this reasonable? I have no great expectations that she will manage to stay clean forever, relapse is part of the disease, but I do want her to work at her recovery responsibly so that she can avoid relapse for as long as possible. Is Buddhist meditation as good as AA/NA for maintaining recovery?
Read answer →Alternatives to AA
The cult thing of AA kind of weirds me out. I know there are some different options and I’m in NYC so I’ve got the pick of pretty much anything. Can you recommend a non ‘higher power’ and ‘powerlessness’ driven support group like AA that works well. Some I have seen are moderation management, rational recovery, SOS and a few others…I have a problem with alcohol. Is any better than any other?
Read answer →Recovery
I am 33 and I am done with a 12 year heroin addiction. I missed my youth. All my old friends are getting married and having kids and theres no way I am ready for that. I feel like I am 20 inside an old body. Do I just forget about that part of my life and pretend like I am middle aged or should I go back and live like a college student now?
Read answer →Is there any rule about ending relationships in early recovery?
Is there any rule about ending relationships in early recovery? I know that people in recovery aren’t really advised to start romantic relationships but I was just wondering if the same thing held true about not ending them. The thing for me is I am 5 weeks clean from a very long and very heavy marijuana habit. It was very tough but it is getting easier and honestly I am feeling better now than I have for a long time. I think now that I am looking at my life through less clouded eyes I am seeing that a lot of what I thought was good for me was just stuff that I had built around me that wouldn’t interfere too much with my getting high every day; like my hot but not very challenging girlfriend. I thought we had a great relationship but now that I actually want get out of the house and do things I am finding that she is kind of limiting. She was great for someone to keep me company while I was high and to have sex with but I am not sure that there is much more to us than that; which is very sad since we have been living together for more than 4 years. I feel like there is nothing I can’t do right now and I just want to make up for all the time I have been wasting. I realize I sound like kind of a jerk and she was really helpful in helping me kick but is it ever a good reason to stay with someone just because they have been nice to you in the past if it is not working in the present? IS there any reason why my recently quitting pot would be clouding my judgment here?
Read answer →Triggers
I am one month sober from alcohol. I have always been a huge NFL fan but watching football games is something I would always do with beer and now even the thought of a game gets me craving. My sponsor says I just have to stop thinking about it and that it will be a while before I am ready to put myself in front of that kind of temptation again. It’s killing me to be missing the season. Is there any way I can learn to watch again a little quicker without having it become a relapse trigger for me?
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