There is little doubt about the fact that recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction problem is a very difficult process. It involves a lot of honest hard work on the part of an addiction sufferer. They have to start by being honest enough with themselves to realize that the only path to recovery goes through the front door of a top addiction treatment center like ours. Once recovery is underway, they have to also be honest with themselves about how difficult it’s going to be to stay sober.
There is a world of temptation waiting out there. That is especially true for someone who is living with the disease of addiction within themselves. That’s why 12 Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can play such a significant role in helping people in recovery stay sober. Hopefully, you will include AA in your plans after treatment. It’s difficult to find solid support resources outside of rehab. While AA might not be the optimum support resource, it’s certainly a good one.
What Happens in AA Meetings
If you have never attended an AA meeting, you might not be aware of what the program has to offer. AA has been around since the 1930s. It was the brainchild of a man named Bill Wilson. Wilson struggled with a significant drinking problem. He found value in talking to other people who had the same problem. That’s when it hit him that addicts could help one another by simply meeting and sharing their stories. Over time, the program developed and grew.
Today, there are thousands of meetings taking place all over the world every day. AA is a highly organized group with a very specific charter: to help the alcoholic who is out there suffering. In general topic AA meetings, people take turns sharing. While sharing is not mandatory, everyone is given the opportunity to do so. The truth is there is value in sharing one’s feelings, emotions, and experiences with like-minded people.
Of course, AA members try not to judge others. After all, these are meetings of people who all have flaws, one particular flaw that they all have in common. With that in mind, everyone assumes that people who share are being truthful. To introduce themselves during a meeting when it’s their turn to share, people start by giving their first name and admitting they are an alcoholic. In a lot of meetings, people follow that up by stating how many days, months, or years of sobriety they have since their last drink. Most people are honest about their time.
Unfortunately, some people have difficulty being honest about their addiction. For the most part, being dishonest about sobriety is only going to be harmful to the individual who is lying. However, there are other AA members who invest time in helping others, hoping they can at least get honest answers in return. The reality is one member lying about their sobriety tends to impact all concerned parties. Why do people lie about their sobriety?
1. Shame and Guilt
Most alcoholics are very insecure. They don’t value themselves, yet long for acceptance from the AA group. When they fall off the wagon, they usually feel a great sense of guilt and shame. They feel as though they let the AA group down and should be vanquished for doing so. The reality is very different. AA groups can be very supportive. When one of them falls, it reminds the other how fragile recovery really is each day. That’s why there is a tendency for everyone to rally around fallen members.
2. Denial
Denial is very plausible for some addiction sufferers. They have difficulty facing their problems. When they fall off the wagon, there is a part of them that can’t accept their powerlessness against alcohol. They will deny their actions in the hopes that everything will be fine. Of course, things are seldom okay for people in denial. Denial is one of the major roadblocks people will encounter when it comes time to get help. In AA, members are taught to take their own inventory and not the inventory of others. Your job right now is to get treatment and beat your addiction. If you will give us the opportunity, we can do the things that are necessary to get you started down the road of recovery. If you want to know more about how we can help you, all you need to do is call us at 833-285-1315.
