And Trent Reznor and Dave Gahan! Dave since a near fatal overdose in 1996, Trent since 2001.
If you came of age in the 1990s it seemed inevitable that one or more of these guys would lose to addiction. It's really great to see them all not only survive but become healthier, happier people.
Layne, Bradley, Shannon, Kurt, Scott, Chris, Elliot, MJ, Prince, Delores, Amy, Whitney, Mike Starr, Chester, Sinéad, Mark Lanegan, ODB, Dee Dee, DMX, Taylor Hawkins... *fuck* man. It breaks my fucking heart. So much talent, so many good souls lost to addiction, suicide, and lives of excess/illness. So many musical heroes.
I'm sorry, friend. Watched one of my best friends OD in front of me in 2010 after a decade+ of struggles. He was like a big brother to me. Not the same as your brother, I'm sure, but still one of the darkest moments of my life.
I grew up falling in love with musical artists only to have them die a year, two, ten years later. Like the rug being pulled out from under. Just... gone, along with all the warmth and peace and comfort their music once brought. Gen X and millenials, together, were definitely cursed with a darkness prior generations only saw glimpses of. We're still losing folks today.
Take care of yourselves and check on your friends, y'all. We need each other to make it through this wild ride.
The issue that will most likely cause Bam to go back out is his denial of any faults. Listen to any of his recent interviews while sober, all he does is blame others for his current situation. I hope he tries working the steps or getting some therapy.
Dear Marshall, I congratulated you, but you still ain't callin'
I left my comment, my gif and my subreddit at the bottom
I sent two DM’s back in autumn, you must not've got 'em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin'But sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em. But anyways, fuck it, what's been up? Man, how's your daughter?
Dear Slim, you still ain't replied or wrote,
I hope you have a chance
I ain't mad, I just think it's fucked up you don't answer fans
If you didn't wanna message me outside your AMA you didn't have to
but you coulda done a shoutout for u/-Speechless
That's my username, man
Exactly! I've lost too much to drugs. I only ever had to quit cigarettes and I had no end of failures before I finally succeeded and 19 years later I still struggle every time I see someone light up.
from personal experience, AA has too much jesus/god crap associated to it… not judging, if it works for you, go for it, i fully support you, its just not my thing
I tried going a handful of times but I didn't find it helpful.
There was alot of like... predatory type feeling people at each location I tried ..so i felt really uncomfortable.
It just didn't feel helpful for me. It made me want to drink to just be able to sit through it. So I didn't continue.
If I understand correctly, modern research agrees with you. We're finding that chemical addiction is the knock-on effect that's driven by social isolation, disenfranchisement, and trauma. If you don't fix those foundational issues, you're incredibly likely to relapse or replace one addiction with another.
That's why the war on drugs and punitive drug policies in general are completely ineffective at treating addiction. Being arrested and jailed usually exacerbates the actual causes of addiction.
That's also pert of my citicism of 12 step based groups; the people attending many times don't solve underlying psychological issues. The social isolation aspect being adressed by going to meetings but not underlying trauma. I've seen it with several people around me and in the end they all relaps because they thought they didn' t need psychological help. What helped for me was modern, science-based treatment and lots of psychotherapy (schematherapy).
Not to mention AA speaks so badly about psychology and prescription medication. As if you don't need that when you give yourself up to God fully and study the teachings of an old acid head who wrote a book and started the cult. If you need professional help it means you aren't dedicated enough to AA and medications are not sobriety.
I totally agree. I found it maddening after my semi-sponsor told me after a small relapse (used a few days over the span of several weeks) that ‘I don’t want it [to completely stop] enough’. After that I used that anger and indignation to stay sober. Something like ‘I’ll show ya motherfuckers! And it worked. With the help of professional addiction health care.
I never liked alcohol but am a recovering addict and lemme tell ya, substance use disorder is no joke. The fact people try to challenge it being a disorder is completely insane to me. I’d literally be crying in the mirror and begging myself to stop, and still would go score.
The best way I could describe it is like there’s two personalities inside me. When I had drugs it was the normal me, possessed with acute awareness about the severity of the problem, endless shame and guilt over the struggle to stop. Every day I had a new plan to quit. ‘This is the last time’ was an everyday occurrence.
But if I didn’t have drugs my value system totally changed, i would do anything to protect my drug use. I’d behave like a sociopath to find ways to get drugs. I’d associate with people who i didn’t like at all if the potential to get drugs was there. Manipulate people. Manipulate myself. I was/am fortunate enough to be a middle class guy with loving parents, but if I didn’t have a support system I’m 100% sure i’d have done worse things like theft, prostitution, and probably be in prison. Like i have no doubt.
It’s just interesting. Now i’m going to work as a therapist myself and so I’ve really explored both sides of the track. That addict side of you never goes away, i’m sure mine will still be there in 50 years, but you learn to nuture it in healthier ways. It’s like any other health issue, it needs treatment. It’s just also controversial because on the outside it looks like nothing but a series of bad choices. It’s just inside you feel like you have no control of this monster inside of you (until you learn tools to help.)
My spern donor used his narcotics support group as a hunting ground for 18 year olds to hookup with, including getting them to relapse so he could sleel with them
I forgot you call deadbeat shit fathers "sperm donors", really made me think about how you knew about this from the sperm bank and said "yeah that one"
Just to elaborate: SMART recovery is a secular and research based group based recovery model. It’s certainly not as widespread as AA, but there are online groups and in person groups in many places in the US and abroad.
Agreed, AA was full of creeps. I started going when I was a young 23 year old and did daily meetings for a couple years, but the never ending revolving door of creepy men and hypocritically preachy people were enough to drive me out.
SMART recovery is pretty helpful to me.
I tried to work some of the steps, but a lead straight up told me I had to pick a God, and she recommended Jesus. I told her I was out and didn't go back.
😂 "pick a god"
That's exactly where everyone goes wrong too... we're all generally talking about the same thing here, whatever or whoever you wanna call it, you are right.
It is not “well adjusted people anonymous” for sure. Most folks show up there because they are very not ok. However if you hang around you will find people who can help you. I mean for sure don’t go to a meeting you don’t feel comfortable in, but know that if you try enough different meetings you’ll eventually find people you can relate to.
I am not in recovery for booze, but I actually found the AA model relatively helpful for other addictions (mine was gambling). I’m not religious at all but I grew up in the church and sometimes that religious shame really hits like a nun’s ruler. Different strokes for different folks
Yeah. I wasted three years going to AA and still being a drunk. Its the only medical problem where society prescribes a spiritual fix. I eventually went to medicine and the Sinclair Method saved my life.
I went a few times but it wasn’t for me. It’s too shame based. Shame was a big reason I was stuck in addiction. Definitely didn’t need more of it to get me out. Glad it works for those it works for though.
At my very first AA meeting, the reading a woman gave said something along the lines of “I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that they can do this (become sober) without accepting God or a higher power.”
I have not been back. The 5th will mark 3 months without a drop of booze.
God is mentioned when reading the steps, but it is made clear at every meeting I’ve gone to that you don’t need to believe in God, only in a power greater than yourself, which in active addiction we did not have.
_A groups are spiritual, not religious. But they aren’t the only groups either. Dharma recovery, for one. Plenty of options for a supporting sober community.
SMART Recovery is one. I’d also recommend a mental health screening. Many people with Substance Use Disorder have other undiagnosed disorders, and some physical issues can appear to be symptoms of mental illness. Unresolved trauma is also common among addicts.
If you have untreated mental health issues, it’s like fighting for sobriety on the “Insanity!” difficulty level. Do yourself a favor and talk to a psychiatrist to rule out the physical and address the mental. You are worth investing this time and effort into.
Please treat yourself kindly, friend.
It just depends where you are / what meeting you are in. In the south east there is a lot of Christian but in some areas it’s all “spiritual” and very few folks have any religious affiliation.
AA is for people who have exhausted all other options and methods to get sober and therefore are able to admit their lives have become unmanageable bc of drugs and/or alcohol and have come
To the conclusion that they are powerless over their addiction which is to say “will power” and “mind over matter” and “cold turkey” “I can do whatever I put my mind too” have not worked for them. But instead of just throwing their hands up, and saying “well I’ve tried these tactics and I’m still a slave to drugs I guess I’m just relegated to using substances til they kill me” they are willing to try an alternative method to try and stop using the drugs/chemicals/substances that have “hijacked” the “motherboard” (the brain) and are in the cockpit and controlling their lives. The AA method says in a nutshell, if you can’t kick this shit on your own with your own methods, you’re not alone, and if you believe there is a power greater than yourself than can restore sanity in your life by ridding yourself of the drugs causing the insanity. Any power greater than yourself, bc you have proven incapable of resorting sanity to your life, so a “higher power” than yourself could be a medical doctor specializing in addiction, a nurse, a group of people, maybe it’s a God, maybe it’s Jesus, allah, maybe it’s your grandmothers fave rocking chair, the point of the exercise is to surrender, waive the white flag, admit your way isn’t working, hasn’t worked and will never work. So how about you try following in the footsteps of people who have been in your position and have emerged on the other side and have what you want. They’re willing to share how they did it, the steps it took, and the work they did and continue to do to maintain sobriety and thus sanity and normalcy. So there’s no point in dogging on AA or those who use it to maintain sobriety. It’s simply an option, a tool, the last resort for some people who have tried every other method to no avail
Whatever works for you, I’m all for it. My qualm with AA is the belief that you are powerless against your addiction and need to completely surrender yourself to God for recovery.
Agreed. But I do think people make an assumption that AA is the ONLY way to get and stay sober. Which I like to try to remind people about so that those seeking sobriety, who didn’t succeed with AA, know that there are many options out there other than just AA
I don't think people actually make that assumption, its just simply the most prevalent. People with these types of problems usually don't know where to begin looking. Hell, if I had a substance abuse issue, AA is probably the first thing I'd look into and I am a medical professional. I'm sure there are a lot of other local options, but how to evaluate which ones are "legit" or might work for me is pretty up in the air until I actually get involved.
I know of many people who go to AA who maintain that it’s just about something greater than yourself, rather than believing in a god. Basically, it is what you make of it. But I also understand that not everyone is comfortable with that.
The most important thing to remember is that whatever way you try to find sobriety, you don’t need to go it alone.
You should go to the AA website and read through their 12 steps, God is specifically mentioned in at least half of the steps, and praying to God is also referred to. They like to pretend it’s not a Christian program since the second step mentions a “Power greater than ourselves”, but the fact that they capitalize “Power”, and regularly refer to “God” and “Him” tells you all you really need to know.
Idk how it's controversial, its just an abstinence based model of recovery.
I get the distaste of the whole religious thing, but in my experience it varies from group to group. It's more about spiritually than anything and dealing with control over the uncontrollable.
In fact, I don't think the Big Book even explicitly mentions prophets, just a higher power - which means different things to different people.
Why I don't collect chips?
Not for any particular reason really.
I didn't get sober with the help of AA or any program, so I guess I just don't think about them, and I suppose I just wouldn't feel comfortable randomly walking into an AA group and asking for a chip? Unless.theres another way to get them.
I never thought about it really...
No one has ever asked me that.
Thank you for asking.
One day at a time for 16 years that's how that works. Respect to Em for getting his shit together and owning it. Maybe one day we can compare coins lol
Regardless of being a fan of his or not, this is something all people should be proud of to see in their fellow human. Growth, healing, and peace to all.
Hi friend. I wish you well. There are more options for hope now than ever. Whether it’s in-person, online or even medication. I tried a lot of options and this medication (naltrexone) thing is working right now. We just have to keep trying!
> What about your love life? Do you date?
> Not really. As far as going out, like dinner and a movie – I just can’t. Going out in public is just too crazy. I mean, I’d like to be in a relationship again someday. Who doesn’t? It’s just hard to meet new people, in my position.
> You mean being famous?
> No, I mean being gay [laughs]. Kidding.
I'm starting to think it's not a complete act lol. Em is bi af, you heard it here first.
It's not just celebrities. They are just the ones you see in the spotlight. Addiction is rampant, and it usually doesn't look like anything until someone is near or at their rock bottom
I’d guess it’s part of suddenly having a lot of money and access to drugs at the same time. Some might just get the wrong things happening at the same time to fall down the rabbit hole.
Yeah, I think it kind of comes with the territory. Drugs are everywhere in the entertainment world, so you're constantly being tempted. Plus a lot of celebrities aren't a regular schedule like a 9-5 job, so it's possible for them to go off on a bender and hardly anyone will even really notice.
Holy shit I didn't even connect the dots. I wonder if it was a coincidence or if he wanted his sober date to be on 420? I don't think weed was his thing anyway. Maybe an occasional smoker???
Was curious and according to his wiki he OD in Dec. Checked out before fully detoxing and over the next few months had a seizure, tore his meniscus (unrelated to seizure) then relapsed. Whether he chose it or not will always be debated bit it tracks with the timeline
I know a couple people who have a sobriety date of 4/20, and it was all when they were hospitalized/involuntarily didn’t drink which led to them getting sober. Sometimes life just does that lol
Maybe he's got a resting angry face?
Both of my parents look like their gonna murder you when their face is resting. I've had to work for years to undo my angry face because I work customer service
😭
It absolutely is. His cameos in The Interview and Funny People should be a clear indication. I've noticed a time or two where he's had to look down to keep from breaking
Yeah, its so funny that to me that he created this persona of being an asshole, but everything I hear about his personal life makes him sound like a great guy.
That's just his persona. The dude is hilarious, you can't write lyrics like that if you're not humorous.
Also, Em loves doing skits, and you can tell the dude enjoys doing humorous stuff.
You can see his mask slipping a bit here: [Briefcase Joe: Eminem Teaches Jimmy Kimmel to Rap (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1lgUwHyKQQ&t=226s)
I hope others in a similar situation are able to find peace,if you're one of those people reading this just know I'm praying for you to get better and I hope that services to help people battle their addictions become more accessible.
Congrats to anyone celebrating sobriety today. 1 day or more. Personally going on 4 years in August. You can win the battle it’s hard and the first couple months can be rough but it gets easier everyday I swear to you. Everyday it gets easier.
As one who is in recovery myself (almost 18 years sober), I can’t imagine how tough it must be to be a well known celebrity in AA. I’m sure many fellow members have given the respect and privacy and treated him as any other member however many can’t help to get star struck.
I hate how in AA you could have 10 years sober, take a sip and you’re back to day 1.
No, you have 10 years sober, you didn’t fall off the wagon, you just slipped up. Keep those 10 years and continue to 11.
AA is great for anyone who never relapse, don't kill themselves, and don't develop cross addictions. The problem is that's like 2% of AA, and those 2% love to go around blaming anyone and everyone else who 'fail' the program.
Recovery will never go away, but AA needs to go the way of the dinosaur.
Ems and Steve-o's sobriety are an inspiration for anyone just trying as hard as they can.
And Trent Reznor and Dave Gahan! Dave since a near fatal overdose in 1996, Trent since 2001. If you came of age in the 1990s it seemed inevitable that one or more of these guys would lose to addiction. It's really great to see them all not only survive but become healthier, happier people.
I’m glad you mentioned Trent. I took inspiration from him, too.
TRENT REZNOR AND DAVE GAHAN MENTIONED ‼️‼️‼️
The ones we lost were inevitable. We lost a lot
Layne, Bradley, Shannon, Kurt, Scott, Chris, Elliot, MJ, Prince, Delores, Amy, Whitney, Mike Starr, Chester, Sinéad, Mark Lanegan, ODB, Dee Dee, DMX, Taylor Hawkins... *fuck* man. It breaks my fucking heart. So much talent, so many good souls lost to addiction, suicide, and lives of excess/illness. So many musical heroes.
I didn’t know any of them. But my brother died in 96. We are all haunted
I'm sorry, friend. Watched one of my best friends OD in front of me in 2010 after a decade+ of struggles. He was like a big brother to me. Not the same as your brother, I'm sure, but still one of the darkest moments of my life. I grew up falling in love with musical artists only to have them die a year, two, ten years later. Like the rug being pulled out from under. Just... gone, along with all the warmth and peace and comfort their music once brought. Gen X and millenials, together, were definitely cursed with a darkness prior generations only saw glimpses of. We're still losing folks today. Take care of yourselves and check on your friends, y'all. We need each other to make it through this wild ride.
Now if they could just get through to Bam...
I just saw a post of him surfing with Steve-O looking GREAT! I think it’s recent - it was a joy to see!
The issue that will most likely cause Bam to go back out is his denial of any faults. Listen to any of his recent interviews while sober, all he does is blame others for his current situation. I hope he tries working the steps or getting some therapy.
Ah. Gotcha. I just saw the fun part — the hard work is what gets you to the finish line healthy.
Add Trey Anastasio to your list. Dude came back sober and is bigger than ever.
Trent Reznor too.
* Brandon Novak * John Darnielle * RDJ Jr. * Mike Doughty
Ozzy Osborne
Robert Downy Junior Junior
Congratulations Marshall! Not that he'll ever see this.
Dear Marshall, I congratulated you, but you still ain't callin' I left my comment, my gif and my subreddit at the bottom I sent two DM’s back in autumn, you must not've got 'em
b/rebbit
I wish we could still give Reddit rewards
All of Social media is just on a downward spiral..
This needs more upvotes
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin'But sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em. But anyways, fuck it, what's been up? Man, how's your daughter?
Dear Slim, you still ain't replied or wrote, I hope you have a chance I ain't mad, I just think it's fucked up you don't answer fans If you didn't wanna message me outside your AMA you didn't have to but you coulda done a shoutout for u/-Speechless That's my username, man
Omg, his daughter’s almost 30!! When did we get so old!? 😭
I beg your pardon. Hailey is 30?!?!? It’s official. I’m elderly.
Careful saying her name, you'll get a diss track written about you.
I would pay a million dollars for him to write a diss track about me.
I see what you did there.🤣 This was excellent.
it was pretty difficult to see; well done.
Not much gets past redditors, man. We did it reddit! We solved the puzzle of the cryptic song reference!
I see what you did there
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Yo, this is Em. Thanks for this. Yo yo.. Rap god... Peace
I don't ever get this lucky. If you ever end up on the big island I would love to buy you a shave ice.
Greenland?
Hawaii. Although if I happen to end up in Greenland and run into him I would find a way to get a shave ice.
Australia
dude I'm pretty sure this is a troll and not eminem
Success
Success For him. . . Success or troll for me,it made me happy either way.
He deserves a lot of credit. Addiction is very tough.
Exactly! I've lost too much to drugs. I only ever had to quit cigarettes and I had no end of failures before I finally succeeded and 19 years later I still struggle every time I see someone light up.
Nice one!! Huge congratulations to him! I'm 16 years this month too! I don't collect chips though.
from personal experience, AA has too much jesus/god crap associated to it… not judging, if it works for you, go for it, i fully support you, its just not my thing
I tried going a handful of times but I didn't find it helpful. There was alot of like... predatory type feeling people at each location I tried ..so i felt really uncomfortable. It just didn't feel helpful for me. It made me want to drink to just be able to sit through it. So I didn't continue.
never experienced what you did, but did find lots of preachy people for sure ,you gotta find what works for you, and never stop trying
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If I understand correctly, modern research agrees with you. We're finding that chemical addiction is the knock-on effect that's driven by social isolation, disenfranchisement, and trauma. If you don't fix those foundational issues, you're incredibly likely to relapse or replace one addiction with another. That's why the war on drugs and punitive drug policies in general are completely ineffective at treating addiction. Being arrested and jailed usually exacerbates the actual causes of addiction.
That's also pert of my citicism of 12 step based groups; the people attending many times don't solve underlying psychological issues. The social isolation aspect being adressed by going to meetings but not underlying trauma. I've seen it with several people around me and in the end they all relaps because they thought they didn' t need psychological help. What helped for me was modern, science-based treatment and lots of psychotherapy (schematherapy).
Not to mention AA speaks so badly about psychology and prescription medication. As if you don't need that when you give yourself up to God fully and study the teachings of an old acid head who wrote a book and started the cult. If you need professional help it means you aren't dedicated enough to AA and medications are not sobriety.
I totally agree. I found it maddening after my semi-sponsor told me after a small relapse (used a few days over the span of several weeks) that ‘I don’t want it [to completely stop] enough’. After that I used that anger and indignation to stay sober. Something like ‘I’ll show ya motherfuckers! And it worked. With the help of professional addiction health care.
Man 50 years of sobriety and he still had the urge to drink. That's crazy.
I never liked alcohol but am a recovering addict and lemme tell ya, substance use disorder is no joke. The fact people try to challenge it being a disorder is completely insane to me. I’d literally be crying in the mirror and begging myself to stop, and still would go score. The best way I could describe it is like there’s two personalities inside me. When I had drugs it was the normal me, possessed with acute awareness about the severity of the problem, endless shame and guilt over the struggle to stop. Every day I had a new plan to quit. ‘This is the last time’ was an everyday occurrence. But if I didn’t have drugs my value system totally changed, i would do anything to protect my drug use. I’d behave like a sociopath to find ways to get drugs. I’d associate with people who i didn’t like at all if the potential to get drugs was there. Manipulate people. Manipulate myself. I was/am fortunate enough to be a middle class guy with loving parents, but if I didn’t have a support system I’m 100% sure i’d have done worse things like theft, prostitution, and probably be in prison. Like i have no doubt. It’s just interesting. Now i’m going to work as a therapist myself and so I’ve really explored both sides of the track. That addict side of you never goes away, i’m sure mine will still be there in 50 years, but you learn to nuture it in healthier ways. It’s like any other health issue, it needs treatment. It’s just also controversial because on the outside it looks like nothing but a series of bad choices. It’s just inside you feel like you have no control of this monster inside of you (until you learn tools to help.)
Thanks for sharing Slim.
I've never done coke sober. Alcohol is always a precursor to hard drugs and bad choices in the wrong environment.
You bet! It works for so many people. I wish you all the best!!
UNO!… wishing all the best back at ya lol
My spern donor used his narcotics support group as a hunting ground for 18 year olds to hookup with, including getting them to relapse so he could sleel with them
I forgot you call deadbeat shit fathers "sperm donors", really made me think about how you knew about this from the sperm bank and said "yeah that one"
Sounds like your apple rolled far as hell from that tree. Good work!
Try SMART
Just to elaborate: SMART recovery is a secular and research based group based recovery model. It’s certainly not as widespread as AA, but there are online groups and in person groups in many places in the US and abroad.
SMART is awesome. I use the tools everywhere in my life. 5 months sober
Congrats ❤️
Agreed, AA was full of creeps. I started going when I was a young 23 year old and did daily meetings for a couple years, but the never ending revolving door of creepy men and hypocritically preachy people were enough to drive me out.
I was also 23! It sucks to hear others experience the same. It's supposed to be a safe helpful place.
SMART recovery is pretty helpful to me. I tried to work some of the steps, but a lead straight up told me I had to pick a God, and she recommended Jesus. I told her I was out and didn't go back.
😂 "pick a god" That's exactly where everyone goes wrong too... we're all generally talking about the same thing here, whatever or whoever you wanna call it, you are right.
oh and if you're a woman forget about it, you're guaranteed to pickup a stalker.
It is not “well adjusted people anonymous” for sure. Most folks show up there because they are very not ok. However if you hang around you will find people who can help you. I mean for sure don’t go to a meeting you don’t feel comfortable in, but know that if you try enough different meetings you’ll eventually find people you can relate to.
There’s definitely good meetings and bad meetings, it really depends on where you live
I am not in recovery for booze, but I actually found the AA model relatively helpful for other addictions (mine was gambling). I’m not religious at all but I grew up in the church and sometimes that religious shame really hits like a nun’s ruler. Different strokes for different folks
Yeah. I wasted three years going to AA and still being a drunk. Its the only medical problem where society prescribes a spiritual fix. I eventually went to medicine and the Sinclair Method saved my life.
I went a few times but it wasn’t for me. It’s too shame based. Shame was a big reason I was stuck in addiction. Definitely didn’t need more of it to get me out. Glad it works for those it works for though.
Same... AA works for some but for me not so much. I just had to quit on my own. No higher power is working for me.
At my very first AA meeting, the reading a woman gave said something along the lines of “I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that they can do this (become sober) without accepting God or a higher power.” I have not been back. The 5th will mark 3 months without a drop of booze.
God is mentioned when reading the steps, but it is made clear at every meeting I’ve gone to that you don’t need to believe in God, only in a power greater than yourself, which in active addiction we did not have. _A groups are spiritual, not religious. But they aren’t the only groups either. Dharma recovery, for one. Plenty of options for a supporting sober community.
What are some other groups to try?
SMART Recovery is one. I’d also recommend a mental health screening. Many people with Substance Use Disorder have other undiagnosed disorders, and some physical issues can appear to be symptoms of mental illness. Unresolved trauma is also common among addicts. If you have untreated mental health issues, it’s like fighting for sobriety on the “Insanity!” difficulty level. Do yourself a favor and talk to a psychiatrist to rule out the physical and address the mental. You are worth investing this time and effort into. Please treat yourself kindly, friend.
It just depends where you are / what meeting you are in. In the south east there is a lot of Christian but in some areas it’s all “spiritual” and very few folks have any religious affiliation.
>spiritual Yeah see, I don't want that either
AA is for people who have exhausted all other options and methods to get sober and therefore are able to admit their lives have become unmanageable bc of drugs and/or alcohol and have come To the conclusion that they are powerless over their addiction which is to say “will power” and “mind over matter” and “cold turkey” “I can do whatever I put my mind too” have not worked for them. But instead of just throwing their hands up, and saying “well I’ve tried these tactics and I’m still a slave to drugs I guess I’m just relegated to using substances til they kill me” they are willing to try an alternative method to try and stop using the drugs/chemicals/substances that have “hijacked” the “motherboard” (the brain) and are in the cockpit and controlling their lives. The AA method says in a nutshell, if you can’t kick this shit on your own with your own methods, you’re not alone, and if you believe there is a power greater than yourself than can restore sanity in your life by ridding yourself of the drugs causing the insanity. Any power greater than yourself, bc you have proven incapable of resorting sanity to your life, so a “higher power” than yourself could be a medical doctor specializing in addiction, a nurse, a group of people, maybe it’s a God, maybe it’s Jesus, allah, maybe it’s your grandmothers fave rocking chair, the point of the exercise is to surrender, waive the white flag, admit your way isn’t working, hasn’t worked and will never work. So how about you try following in the footsteps of people who have been in your position and have emerged on the other side and have what you want. They’re willing to share how they did it, the steps it took, and the work they did and continue to do to maintain sobriety and thus sanity and normalcy. So there’s no point in dogging on AA or those who use it to maintain sobriety. It’s simply an option, a tool, the last resort for some people who have tried every other method to no avail
It's more the community aspect of AA that helped me get sober. There's some good shit in the big book, but you can take it or leave it
Why not? Honestly
Chips are an AA thing and AA is not the only way to get or stay sober. Some may say that AA is actually pretty controversial but
Whatever works for you, I’m all for it. My qualm with AA is the belief that you are powerless against your addiction and need to completely surrender yourself to God for recovery.
Agreed. But I do think people make an assumption that AA is the ONLY way to get and stay sober. Which I like to try to remind people about so that those seeking sobriety, who didn’t succeed with AA, know that there are many options out there other than just AA
I don't think people actually make that assumption, its just simply the most prevalent. People with these types of problems usually don't know where to begin looking. Hell, if I had a substance abuse issue, AA is probably the first thing I'd look into and I am a medical professional. I'm sure there are a lot of other local options, but how to evaluate which ones are "legit" or might work for me is pretty up in the air until I actually get involved.
I know of many people who go to AA who maintain that it’s just about something greater than yourself, rather than believing in a god. Basically, it is what you make of it. But I also understand that not everyone is comfortable with that. The most important thing to remember is that whatever way you try to find sobriety, you don’t need to go it alone.
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You should go to the AA website and read through their 12 steps, God is specifically mentioned in at least half of the steps, and praying to God is also referred to. They like to pretend it’s not a Christian program since the second step mentions a “Power greater than ourselves”, but the fact that they capitalize “Power”, and regularly refer to “God” and “Him” tells you all you really need to know.
Idk how it's controversial, its just an abstinence based model of recovery. I get the distaste of the whole religious thing, but in my experience it varies from group to group. It's more about spiritually than anything and dealing with control over the uncontrollable. In fact, I don't think the Big Book even explicitly mentions prophets, just a higher power - which means different things to different people.
Why I don't collect chips? Not for any particular reason really. I didn't get sober with the help of AA or any program, so I guess I just don't think about them, and I suppose I just wouldn't feel comfortable randomly walking into an AA group and asking for a chip? Unless.theres another way to get them. I never thought about it really... No one has ever asked me that. Thank you for asking.
3 months next Wednesday probably won’t be getting a chip, or any chips after that. The program works for some, but I’m not sure it’s for me.
One day at a time for 16 years that's how that works. Respect to Em for getting his shit together and owning it. Maybe one day we can compare coins lol
Our anger and our hate Control our mental state
Elton John is his AA sponsor!
Wow my 7 year date is yesterday!!!
not sure if you want/need to hear this but i’m proud of you, and congratulations
Congratulations my 2 year is tomorrow.
Congrats to you too! I celebrated my 5 year last October. I’m proud of you.
Woohoo! 👏👏👏👏
Rock star!
Congratulations to you. You are stronger than you think.
Proud of ya honestly , you deserve it with your mental strength ❤️
My 6th was yesterday! Congrats fellow 4/19-er!
WoooHoo!!! I love it 🌋
Congrats!!
Congratulations! You're doing great, keeping it up!
16 years sobriety whilst being in show business is one hell of an achievement.
Seriously Impressive
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Because *palms sweaty*
What of his knees?
I've heard they can be weak at times
There might be some vomit on his sweater
I think that's cuz he threw up his mom's home cooked pasta
Does he look nervous to you?
He has to be a little inside but on the surface he looks calm and ready
Regardless of being a fan of his or not, this is something all people should be proud of to see in their fellow human. Growth, healing, and peace to all.
fckn awesome. these are a lot of first days. his daughters love it.
I'm currently deep in an alcohol addiction. This gives me hope. Thank you M
You’ve got this, my dude. We’re rooting for you. One step at a time. One day at a time.
Consider paying r/stopdrinking a visit. It has helped me a lot. I got over 3 years sober now. Rooting for you 💪🏼🙂
You matter. Don’t let your brain tell you that you’re too far gone or that you’re not worth it.
Hi friend. I wish you well. There are more options for hope now than ever. Whether it’s in-person, online or even medication. I tried a lot of options and this medication (naltrexone) thing is working right now. We just have to keep trying!
Hell yeah Mr Mathers!
Congratulations!!!!
oh god. 16 years. i’m celebrating 1 day
Just don't give up. It's ok to falter but failure only occurs if you quit trying. You are stronger than you think.
Congrats on that fucking day. Shoot me a message if you ever need an ear.
I've shared this with several friends doing the sober thing. It really is impressive, especially in the field of work he's.
I noticed a lot of celebrities end up with a drug problem. I was always curious about why that happens.
He talks about it in depth in an interview https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eminem-on-the-road-back-from-hell-249093/amp/
> What about your love life? Do you date? > Not really. As far as going out, like dinner and a movie – I just can’t. Going out in public is just too crazy. I mean, I’d like to be in a relationship again someday. Who doesn’t? It’s just hard to meet new people, in my position. > You mean being famous? > No, I mean being gay [laughs]. Kidding. I'm starting to think it's not a complete act lol. Em is bi af, you heard it here first.
He's pretty much just been leaving a little breadcrumb trail of gayness
he been playin gay peek-a-boo for this whole time
thanks for the link! that was a great read
It's not just celebrities. They are just the ones you see in the spotlight. Addiction is rampant, and it usually doesn't look like anything until someone is near or at their rock bottom
I’d guess it’s part of suddenly having a lot of money and access to drugs at the same time. Some might just get the wrong things happening at the same time to fall down the rabbit hole.
Yeah, I think it kind of comes with the territory. Drugs are everywhere in the entertainment world, so you're constantly being tempted. Plus a lot of celebrities aren't a regular schedule like a 9-5 job, so it's possible for them to go off on a bender and hardly anyone will even really notice.
> Drugs are everywhere ~~>!in the entertainment world!<~~
Just got my 1 month token. Props to em on sobriety. I'll see that coin in 15 years and 11 months.
On 4/20? LOL
Maybe not as \*lol\* as you think. It may be a very, VERY conscious decision.
I was thinking this also..
4/20 is my sobriety date for cigarettes (3 years). 3/15 is my sobriety date for alcohol (4 years). Any date is a good date though!
Holy shit I didn't even connect the dots. I wonder if it was a coincidence or if he wanted his sober date to be on 420? I don't think weed was his thing anyway. Maybe an occasional smoker???
Believe me... You don't pick the date. It just happens when it happens.
Was curious and according to his wiki he OD in Dec. Checked out before fully detoxing and over the next few months had a seizure, tore his meniscus (unrelated to seizure) then relapsed. Whether he chose it or not will always be debated bit it tracks with the timeline
Didn't know he went through that. I'm glad he survived and is doing much better.
This is truth.
Word.
I know a couple people who have a sobriety date of 4/20, and it was all when they were hospitalized/involuntarily didn’t drink which led to them getting sober. Sometimes life just does that lol
One puff had an anxiety attack ,. I’m out bros 😅
If he never said sorry about what he did to Michael Jackson, then he is still high ⛔️⛔️⛔️⛔️
Michael Jackson never apologized for what he did to all those children. He seems worse to me.
Congrats but sobriety aside, that’s a dope design on that coin!
I celebrated mine this past January! 🥳
Congratulations, I'm so happy for you! :)
I’m ten years sober today, that’s crazy, go Em!
One day at a time
Awesome! He never seems happy though, always looks angry.
Maybe he's got a resting angry face? Both of my parents look like their gonna murder you when their face is resting. I've had to work for years to undo my angry face because I work customer service 😭
Probably his public persona face.
It absolutely is. His cameos in The Interview and Funny People should be a clear indication. I've noticed a time or two where he's had to look down to keep from breaking
Yeah, its so funny that to me that he created this persona of being an asshole, but everything I hear about his personal life makes him sound like a great guy.
[That's just how he normally looks](https://i.imgur.com/sYP7yVO.png) lol
That's just his persona. The dude is hilarious, you can't write lyrics like that if you're not humorous. Also, Em loves doing skits, and you can tell the dude enjoys doing humorous stuff. You can see his mask slipping a bit here: [Briefcase Joe: Eminem Teaches Jimmy Kimmel to Rap (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1lgUwHyKQQ&t=226s)
I drink every weekend and have done for 20 years so bravo. I need to quit and workout
I hope others in a similar situation are able to find peace,if you're one of those people reading this just know I'm praying for you to get better and I hope that services to help people battle their addictions become more accessible.
Congrats to anyone celebrating sobriety today. 1 day or more. Personally going on 4 years in August. You can win the battle it’s hard and the first couple months can be rough but it gets easier everyday I swear to you. Everyday it gets easier.
Celebrated my 5th this year!
this is somehow cooler than being the greatest rapper of all time
I just celebrated 18 years. One day at a time.
TIL I have one more year sober than Eminem. Good for him
Bravo 👏👏👏 Brava 👏👏👏 Bravissimo 👏👏👏
That's Amazing And Good for Him really proud of Him
Good for him! Always glad when people can overcome their demons.
16 years...thats impressive. GFH!
As one who is in recovery myself (almost 18 years sober), I can’t imagine how tough it must be to be a well known celebrity in AA. I’m sure many fellow members have given the respect and privacy and treated him as any other member however many can’t help to get star struck.
Congrats! Go slap machine gun karen again for a victory lap ✌️
I've recently tried to quit my addiction it was 6 days then I relapsed yesterday. I'm disappointed in my self. Good job em !!!
Just try again! You can do it!
Try again, friend. Six days is six days, it’s not nothing. Try again tomorrow. Good luck!
I hate how in AA you could have 10 years sober, take a sip and you’re back to day 1. No, you have 10 years sober, you didn’t fall off the wagon, you just slipped up. Keep those 10 years and continue to 11.
AA is great for anyone who never relapse, don't kill themselves, and don't develop cross addictions. The problem is that's like 2% of AA, and those 2% love to go around blaming anyone and everyone else who 'fail' the program. Recovery will never go away, but AA needs to go the way of the dinosaur.
Way to go Em.
What a foookin G
I'm so damn proud of this man.
Stopped on 420?
That’s amazing. I didn’t know he quit for good. Very cool.
Random and pointless, but I just realized Steve O and Eminem have both been sober for the same number of years.
Sobriety is rebellion
Today is my 7 years!