Alcoholism – What Happens When You Stay Stuck in a Recovery Group?

Alcoholism seems difficult to overcome by yourself. So you might have started attending an AA or 12 Step group in an effort to get help. You might have even gone through rehab and are now in a support group to maintain your sobriety. Many times people are mandated to attend an AA group by the court as part of their sentencing for a criminal act.

It’s great when you first go to the groups because you find out that you’re not alone in your problem. You find others who have the same struggles as you. You get some relief knowing you’re not alone in your efforts to win the battle against alcohol.

However, have you noticed that you’ve only grown to a certain point? You may have even stopped drinking. Or perhaps you’ve stayed on the relapse cycle. Isn’t the purpose of your life to get completely away from your alcohol problem?

How can you get to the point of even forgetting about this problem if it’s “in your face” every time you go to a support group? Now, if you’re required by law to attend, I understand that. But most people get sucked into believing the lie that your alcoholism is a disease and that since you’ll never get over it, you have to “manage it” by attending a support group for the rest of your life.

When you stay stuck in a recovery group, you’re trading one addiction for another. Plus, you’re having temptation in front of you all the time – both in your thought life and in hanging around people who continue to drink. Yes, I don’t have to tell you that support groups are full of people who continue to abuse alcohol or their drug of choice.

So if you find yourself stuck in your recovery group, what are you to do instead?

First, recognize that you need to take responsibility for your life. Trying to get away from a problem, while maintaining contact with people who are also stuck in their problem, isn’t the way out.

You should find something to replace all the time you “think” about your alcoholism and the time you spend attending support groups. What do you replace it with?

What do you want to do with your life? What are you passionate about in life? Can you take your passion, form it into a life-long vision of using it to reach out to love and serve others? Can you volunteer someplace to do this, starting this week?

You see, what got me out of my ten-year struggle with an addiction was when I took my passion and started using it to reach out to love and serve others. Then, as a byproduct of doing that, my desire for my addiction went away. I’ve been free from my addiction for over 20 years!

There was a shift in my thinking that took place. Instead of thinking about “not” doing my addiction, I focused more on planning my future, setting daily goals, and putting action to my goals.

So what can you start doing today? I invite you to listen to my free mp3 audio on “8 Immediate Action Steps!” You can download it at http://www.OvercomeAnyAddiction.org.