First, I want to thank people for their feedback. I've gotten a couple of PMs too that have really, really helped.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
Twelve step programs are not supposed to be religious based. People who run these groups sometimes try to make it that way.
|
Well, for not being religious based, they sure do mention God a lot. And it's not so much that I am offended by people that do believe in God, but rather that at the first couple of meetings that I went to, I was made to feel like an outsider for NOT believing in a higher power.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
So, whats the addiction?
|
I don't think it pertinent to the conversation, so I didn't say. But if you search CP, it would be pretty evident.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superfraggle
The best thing you can do at this point is to reach out to the other people in the group you are in and get their ideas of how the steps work for them, because it is different for each person. Find someone you can talk to who has been through it. You don't need to pick the "rah rah thank god" poster boy - find someone you can relate to. If your group doesn't end up feeling like quite a fit, try another one.
|
I think that's going to be the key. Finding a group that I can relate to. Like I said, the meetings I attended I felt unwelcome. But maybe that's just because I hadn't found the right group. From listening to the organization's podcast, they recommend that you go to 6 *DIFFERENT* groups before deciding to join or not as you are able to find at least one where you think you can get the support you need. So stopping at 2 could be cheating myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
It worked for me as I tried to deal with my problems on my own and it wasn't working. Having other people express their views and insights gives one different ways of dealing with their problems.
.
|
The one thing I *did* get from the limited time I attended was a feeling that I was not alone. That there are others struggling out there with the same addiction that I have. And hearing others talk about how they are dealing with that struggle helped me realize that I'm not a strange freak... or at least not as strange as I thought. An addiction is something you try to hide from friends and family, so struggling with it on your own is such a lonely battle, that at least having others to confide in helped get things off my chest that were weighing me down. It was cathartic to just let it out.