Posted by Reggie BoStar on November 6, 2005, at 14:36:39
In reply to Re: Non-12 Step » Reggie BoStar, posted by verne on November 5, 2005, at 19:14:12
Verne,
When you say "AA Meetings and church are simply beyond my ability right now; or at least way out of my comfort zone", it sounds as though you might be battling social phobia/anxiety on top of alcoholism. If that's the case, it might be time to pull out the big guns and get into some one-on-one therapy.Bear in mind that I'm not a doctor or psychologist, so take this with a huge grain of salt. It's just that in my experiences going to all these different types of meetings, most of the folks in AA aren't troubled by social anxieties. The folks who ARE troubled by social anxieties on top of substance abuse are always at the dual-diagnosis therapy groups, and they almost always report seeing a therapist and/or psychiatrist for one-on-one sessions. Nearly everyone is also taking medication to ease their symptoms of social phobia.
Anyway, that's what I see. It might be different in your area. But I think the main thing you need to do is find out whether or not you do have some sort of social phobia that's preventing you from getting out and trying new things - especially if those things involve some sort of interaction with one or more persons.
Here's the disclaimer again: I'm not a doctor or psychologist. I'm just an old, alcoholic, depressed f*rt who goes to a lot of different kinds of group and one-on-one meetings. This sort of activity helps me. It may help you, too. Who knows?
Good luck, Vern !!!
Reggie BoStar
> In your search of alternatives did you try meditation? I noticed that when I did TM or centering prayer twice a day for six months, with a little yoga thrown in, I couldn't drink 2 beers.
>
> I discovered that I couldn't do both - meditate and drink. Eventually, I found my way back to drinking and gave up meditation. Now I'm trying to meditate again but it's really hard to settle down.
>
> I'm not in any sort of program. I'm so isolated I sometimes have difficulty even speaking on the phone - I mean, I don't talk to anyone for a week at a time and forget how to make the sounds. AA Meetings and church are simply beyond my ability right now; or at least way out of my comfort zone - which seems to be expanding.
>
> Tom Hanks in the movie "Castaway" had more conversations with his soccer ball.
>
> Verne
poster:Reggie BoStar
thread:573995
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20051106/msgs/576019.html