How to Stay Sober

by James Christopher

Until now, virtually all therapy for alcoholics and other chemical-dependent individuals has been religious in nature. Traditional support groups imply that recovery is simply not possible without reliance on a supernatural "Higher Power."The need for a secular alternative to recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction is answered in How To Stay Sober. This book can help non-religious alcoholics maintain philosophical integrity while achieving the goal of lifelong sobriety.James Christopher, a longtime sober alcoholic, offers new insights and suggestions for developing coping skills and regaining self-esteem through self-reliance. He notes that current research indicates that there is no such thing as an "alcoholic personality" - that addiction is the result of physiology, not psychology. It is only by making sobriety the number one priority in life, Christopher states, that an alcoholic or addict can achieve recovery.Christopher has spearheaded a large grassroots secular sobriety movement across the United States, and this book offers concrete guidelines for forming these groups in any community. The book also provides an important weekly diary for the recovering alcoholic to use in the crucial first year of sobriety.Sobriety must be prioritized daily - no matter what - to remain under personal control. It is only through this conscious choice, Christopher states, that an alcoholic can get back on track and begin anew the creative, fulfilling learning process of life.Recommending self-reliance and self-respect without substituting dependence on religious dogma or a "higher power" for countering an addiction to alcohol or drugs, Christopher focuses on the practical aspects of his triumph and includes guidelines for forming a secular support group.

194 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1988

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author founded SOS, http://www.secularsobriety.org/ , an organization for recovering from drug/alcohol dependency without relying on AA, god(s), higher power(s) &/or the 12 steps, so common to most recovery programs. Having similar reservations about ‘God’, I was curious to see what his take on it was. The web site provides better information on the SOS method than this book, so I find no reason to recommend the book to anyone.

I wanted to read what he had to say about sobriety without religion, not how he feels about AA. Unfortunately, the first third of the book is pretty much devoted to putting AA down. He claims a lot of 'facts' about AA that aren't true. He generalizes from a few experiences & interprets the AA Big Book in a narrow, poor way. Worse, he rants about it – constantly!

Christopher believes alcoholism is a cellular level addiction & the cure is simply avoiding alcohol. He also says his methods will cure other drug addiction, but I didn’t see anything reconciling his physical alcohol addiction theories to other drug addiction. He does believe there is a psychological component to all addictions, but the spiritual one is private & irrelevant. He takes exception to AA’s assertion that all three components are involved & need to be addressed. For instance, Christopher does not like the term ‘morally bankrupt’ that AA uses. If a person will do anything for the next drink/drug, aren’t they morally bankrupt? It’s another point where his animosity toward AA sends him into a rant, weakening his theory of recovery.

All alcoholics I’ve known share a common problem with huge egos & low self-esteem, at the minimum. AA’s answer to this is to acknowledge the existence of a higher power(s) to get & keep the ego under control & ease the spirit. Christopher feels that this is demeaning & it is his biggest issue with AA. He fails to see how an overblown ego contributes to addiction through the stress of trying to control the uncontrollable & how ‘turning it over’ helps ease the imbalance with the low self-esteem & guilt. His method seems to be ‘get over it’ & possibly to talk it out with another individual – I think. He never really addresses this particular issue directly.

I saw no distinction made between the ‘heavy drinker’ & an alcoholic. AA acknowledges the existence of the former & says they ‘may be cured’ while the latter can not be. While he seems to agree on the last, I don’t recall any mention the former. To him, you’re either an alcoholic or normal? I believe people have more range than that.

He believes in himself, his own ability to talk himself out of that first drink, even though every alcoholic I’ve met has the same belief while actively drinking & continually failed to do so. Unfortunately, from what I read in his book, he doesn’t even follow a basic self-help method to get or stay sober. The overall lack of structure weakens the method badly. He sees no reason to write a list of past harms the addiction has caused or personal issues/habits that need to be addressed through the discovery process of the list. While amends can be made, they are barely mentioned & he states in grandiose style that the past has no hold, yet offers no method of putting it to rest. Maintenance is comprised mostly of a daily mantra reminding oneself that you can’t drink/use – similar to a prayer, if not as flexible.

He continually raises issues with some AA slogans, yet uses others to support his program. He gives the impression that AA is completely wrong & then uses part of its program in his own, acknowledging that he does so sometimes. (For instance, SOS’s general principles share a lot of wording with the AA traditions.) He also picks apart psychology & some studies, but then ‘proves’ his point with other ones. I found his continual reversals bewildering & detrimental to his theory. In general, I felt he couldn’t make up his mind & needs to study logic.

I certainly wouldn’t trust someone who thinks & writes as poorly as he does with something as important as my sobriety & recovery. Considering the size of SOS, it looks as if most feel that way.

[Martine · Rating 2 out of 5]

alternative to 12 step