|
SOS is an alternative recovery method for those alcoholics or
drug addicts who are uncomfortable with the spiritual content of
widely available 12-Step programs. SOS takes a reasonable,
secular approach to recovery and maintains that sobriety is a
separate issue from religion or spirituality. SOS credits the
individual for achieving and maintaining his or her own
sobriety, without reliance on any "Higher Power." SOS respects
recovery in any form regardless of the path by which it is
achieved. It is not opposed to or in competition with any other
recovery programs.
SOS supports healthy skepticism and encourages the use of the
scientific method to understand alcoholism.
SOS is a non-profit network of autonomous, non-professional
local groups dedicated solely to helping individuals achieve and
maintain sobriety. There are groups meeting in many cities
throughout the country.
All those who sincerely seek sobriety are welcome as members
in any SOS Group. SOS is not a spin-off of any religious group.
There is no hidden agenda, as SOS is concerned with sobriety,
not religiosity. SOS seeks only to promote sobriety amongst
those who suffer from alcoholism or other drug addictions. As a
group, SOS has no opinion on outside matters and does not wish
to become entangled in outside controversy.
Although sobriety is an individual responsibility, life does
not have to be faced alone. The support of other alcoholics and
addicts is a vital adjunct to recovery. In SOS, members share
experiences, insights, information, strength, and encouragement
in friendly, honest, anonymous, and supportive group meetings.
To avoid unnecessary entanglements, each SOS group is
self-supporting through contributions from its members and
refuses outside support.
Sobriety is the number one priority in an alcoholic's or
addict's life. As such, he or she must abstain from all drugs or
alcohol. Honest, clear, and direct communication of feelings,
thoughts, and knowledge aids in recovery and in choosing
non-destructive, non-delusional, and rational approaches to
living sober and rewarding lives. As knowledge of drinking or
addiction might cause a person harm or embarrassment in the
outside world, SOS guards the anonymity of its membership and
the contents of its discussions from those not within the group.
SOS encourages the scientific study of alcoholism and
addiction in all their aspects. SOS does not limit its outlook
to one area of knowledge or theory of alcoholism and addiction.
To break the cycle of denial and achieve sobriety, we first
acknowledge that we are alcoholics or addicts. We reaffirm this
truth daily and accept without reservation the fact that, as
clean and sober individuals, we can not and do not drink or use,
no matter what. Since drinking or using is not an option for us,
we take whatever steps are necessary to continue our Sobriety
Priority lifelong.
A quality of life - "the good life" - can be achieved.
However, life is also filled with uncertainties. Therefore, we
do not drink or use regardless of feelings, circumstances, or
conflicts. We share in confidence with each other our thoughts
and feelings as sober, clean individuals. Sobriety is our
Priority, and we are each responsible for our lives and our
sobriety.
In James Christopher's book, How to Stay Sober: Recovery
Without Religion, Christopher, founder of SOS, describes his own
"recovery without religion." He focuses on the practical aspects
of his triumph over alcoholism and includes guidelines for the
formation of secular support groups. In Unhooked: Staying Sober
and Drug Free, Christopher recounts the evolution of SOS,
invites the reader to sit in on a fictionalized SOS meeting and
offers further strategies for achieving and maintaining sobriety
and self-respect. In his most recent book, SOS Sobriety: The
Proven Alternative To 12-Step Programs, James Christopher
describes the proven methods of alcohol and drug abstention
advocated by Secular Organizations for Sobriety (also known as
"Save Our Selves"), the world's largest non-12-Step addiction
recovery program.
The SOS movement began with an article in the Summer 1985
issue of Free Inquiry magazine, the leading secular humanist
journal in the country. James Christopher, the son of an
alcoholic and a sober alcoholic himself, wrote "Sobriety Without
Superstition," an account of the path he took to sobriety. This
path has led Christopher from seventeen years of a fearful and
guilty alcoholism to a fearful and guilty sobriety with
Alcoholics Anonymous. Christopher felt that there must be other
alcoholics who wanted to achieve and maintain sobriety through
personal responsibility and self-reliance. He also felt that
turning one's life over to a "higher power" was not compatible
with current research that indicated that addiction is the
result of physiology, not psychology. As a result of the
tremendous response to the article from alcoholics and addicts
who wanted to maintain sobriety as a separate issue from
religion, Jim Christopher founded the Secular Organizations for
Sobriety.
Today there are SOS groups meeting in every state, as well as
in other countries. SOS has gained recognition from
rehabilitation professionals and the nation's court systems. In
November of 1987, the California courts recognized SOS as an
alternative to AA in sentencing offenders to mandatory
participation in a rehabilitation program. Also, the Veterans
Administration has adopted a policy which prohibits mandatory
participation in programs of a religious nature.
The SOS National Clearinghouse publishes a quarterly
newsletter that is filled with items of interest to all
recovering substance abusers, to professionals, and to the
families and friends of alcoholics and addicts. The SOS
International Newsletter serves as an information source for
group convenors and as a forum for newsletter subscribers.
Subscriptions are $18 per year.
For information about a group in your area, information on
book purchases or newsletter subscriptions, or if you would like
to start a group, contact:
SOS National Clearinghouse
The Center for Inquiry - West
Save Our Selves (SOS)
4773 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90027 USA
Phone # 323-666-4295
E-mail:
sos@cfiwest.org
(Place "ATTN Clearinghouse" in the subject line.)
SOS is a subcommittee of the
Council for Secular
Humanism,
a nonprofit corporation. Gifts to SOS are fully tax-deductible
and should be made payable to "SOS/Council for Secular
Humanism".
Thank You at CFI West for this web page. To
see all of this web sit go to
 |