atheist alcoholic?

Question

is there a way to beat alcoholism without "turning to god"?
any atheists who have done this? how did they do it?
counceling? treatment centers? what actually works?

Answer 1

I'd guess replacing it with some other addiction/obsession..like exercising or shopping..or socializing or working..or studying..or yahoo answers :)
IMO...*turning to god* is just switching highs...ones from a substance..the other from plain irrationality

Answer 2

Stop drinking alcohol. One drink is never enough, unfortunately one is also too many.

Easy to say, harder to do.

Get them to see a therapist. Join a support group. These people have been though this a lot more than most people on a Q&A board and can give much better advice. It should be pretty easy to find an atheist therapist if that is important. Most support groups I would guess would be areligious.


Not being an alcoholic, I can only guess at some suggestions:

Other than the physiological addiction, why does the alcoholic drink? Working that out may be key to working out how to solve the root problem.

Get them to think about what they could do if they did not drink. - Improved health, improved relationships, extra money.

Find something to do with the time that they would have spent drinking.


Finding God may be an answer for some. It is not an answer for many. There are plenty of Christian alcoholics out there. I would claim that 'finding God' is just another way of saying that they found the strength to quit inside themselves.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I am not atheist, I am pagan, but when in AA I was Christian and had as much problem with AA's spirituality as the atheists did.

I quit drinking without AA and have been sober 15 years now. I firmly believe the powerless doctrine of AA to be very dangerous.

People do not want to admit it, but everyone quits drinking using will power.

It is the individual that keeps themselves sober, not god.
BB

Answer 4

I did.

I kept trying to force myself into AA and it didn't work for almost 20 years.

I explored other groups online:

LifeRing Secular Recovery
http://www.unhooked.com/

Smart Recovery
http://www.smartrecovery.org/


Rational Recovery
http://www.rational.org/


S.O.S. (Save OurSelves)
http://www.sossobriety.org/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sossaveourselves/

Moderation Management
http://www.moderation.org/

I never did find one that fit quite right, but the search kept me busy and one day I realized that I had been sober for almost a year. That was 5 years ago.

It's my belief that if you haven't been exposed to AA, you haven't had the idea that it's impossible to quit without a group drilled into your head. 80% of people who quit for a year or more do so without the help of any program.

Support can help, I co-own the Yahoo group "without_aa":
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/without_aa/

Answer 5

I'm not an alcoholic, and don't intend on drinking. I do think there are other options though.... Buddha anyone?

Answer 6

support groups work best

But I have always felt that if something can re-enforce ones own personal willpower then a person can do anything.

but the real goal should not to be stop drinking and fight the urge everyday because then all you have done is caused you weakness to continue to control your life. This time out of fear instead of need. The goal should be to learn to control it.

Answer 7

They have a program called "Rational Recovery" - I know there is another one as well. Let me check for the link for "Rational Recovery"

http://www.rational.org/

Answer 8

Whether you believe a god is he;ping you or not it all boils down to willpower. When you truly want to stop, you will. Try to get support at a treatment center

Answer 9

the go to AA--being a christian is not a requirement