Alcoholics Anonymous & Cruisers

[Svsilvergirl]

I have never been anywhere that ya couldn't find a meeting . Will be 17 years for me on july 22 & my lovely wife celebrated 26 january 10 . It does seem that there is a bottle of wine at an awful lot of boater gatherings.....though no one has ever even asked why I don't drink wine. Can't imagine it being a problem with people . Infact when I was drinking , I'd be happy to notice somebody who wasn't drinking their share , more for me , right? If you get to the astoria oregon area , pm me , and we can hit the best aa meeting in the world , went to some great meetings in florida when we were there this year , triangle club in west palm was a really nice club .

[Graywolf77]

After my first year, I up and did the geographic thing to Key West. For the next 4 years I went to the Anchors Aweigh Club whenever I was not at sea. Love the island and have a few close friends there.

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by anjinsan

Most boaters that I know are not alcoholics. I don't know a one that goes to meetings, but they all drink. I admit I'm not an alcoholic, I'm a drunk. So, if you go to meetings your an alcoholic..if you don't, your a drunk. The boaters I know are also drunks. Simple

I realize that this is an old thread that has not had a post for a long time........

Just have to say that it really is not that simple. And after all of this time my guess is that it would be unanimous that all would wish you well.

[SSgtPitt]

That’s an old “saying”. Kind of like “ I don’t have a problem with alcohol, until I run out.” I think he’s making light of a difficult situation, not intending offense.

We distill our own alcohol on the boat, it’s actually really good and can be used for many other things in addition to drinking it. We don’t drink alcohol on passage but really look forward to a nice one when it’s over. We also never begrudge anyone that doesn’t want to consume alcohol. If I know you’re struggling with it, then we can have a Coke instead.

Smoking on the other hand..... lord that’s gonna be hard to quit. Got any meetings for that? ;-)

[Shrew]

I doubt you're going to find many meetings amongst the cruiser community, they are just too transient. However, ashore, just about anywhere there is a community, there is a group.

You won't have an issue with cruisers if you don't drink. most affairs are BYOB, and while I've never met anyone who doesn't trip over themselves to share, I've never seen anyone push it on anyone. New people will offer if they see your hand is empty.

The honest truth..If you say "No thank you", you will probably get asked several times. If you say "I don't drink" that is usually the last you'll hear of it.

I know plenty of folks who don't drink. I've found more often than not, drinkers don't care if you don't drink, while the opposite is not always true.

[bobnlesley]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

Smoking on the other hand..... lord that’s gonna be hard to quit. Got any meetings for that? ;-)

S'easy, just sail to the Pacific and once your 50 cents/pack Panamanian ones are finished, you either give up or pay $12-14/pack in French Polynesia. If you keep smoking, then stock up in French Poly as the further west you go, it just gets worse - $25-30/pack in Austalia!

[JPA Cate]

SSgtPitt:

Nicotine addiction is real....AND it can be treated. Talk to the VA, they can help. We have a friend, lifelong smoker, used the timed release patches to slowly detox. For him, it worked. Another quit smoking while she had pneumonia, and decided to not start up again....after 55+ years! You can do it too. You just gotta want it, and not mistake early withdrawal symptoms of anxiety for anything but withdrawal.



Ann

[Tetepare]

There are AA and Al Anon groups worldwide. Samoa and Bangkok for example. And Tahiti. Do a search to find local chapters.

[sausalitosailor]

Hi all - I'm so glad to have found this thread. My wife and I are both in recovery and want to not only stay connected to our fellowship back home; we also want to become a part of a fellowship of cruisers in recovery.

We are planning on purchasing a burgee with the AA symbol to fly when we are hanging out for a while.

If you pulled into a cove to drop the hook, or a marina, etc and saw an AA flag flying on one of the boats, would you go over and say hi?

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by sausalitosailor

If you pulled into a cove to drop the hook, or a marina, etc and saw an AA flag flying on one of the boats, would you go over and say hi?

Probably, after we got a good buzz going first!

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by sausalitosailor

Hi all - I'm so glad to have found this thread. My wife and I are both in recovery and want to not only stay connected to our fellowship back home; we also want to become a part of a fellowship of cruisers in recovery.

We are planning on purchasing a burgee with the AA symbol to fly when we are hanging out for a while.

If you pulled into a cove to drop the hook, or a marina, etc and saw an AA flag flying on one of the boats, would you go over and say hi?

Why not? What difference would it make? Personally I’d be more wary of a boat hailing from PRK than an AA flag, but neither would dissuade me from saying hello!

I think your plan is a good one to connect with other sailors who understand the experiences and decisions often associated with AA.

[belizesailor]

Something about life on tropical coasts nurtures alcohol consumption. So yes, plenty of cruisers/expats who have alcohol issues. Also plenty of AA groups Ive noticed in popular cruiser/expat venues.

The issue seems less accute in the tropical highlands. More active/diverse lifestyle and, anecdotally at least, drug/alcohol abuse seems to me to be less of an issue, Whereas in many popular cruiser meccas in the coastal tropics, drinking seems to be the primary non-sailing activity. Ive had two friends drink themselves to death in recent years. One in Placencia, Belize and one in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Another in Rio Dulce, Guatemala who has been trying hard for a surprising number of years, but has yet to succeed. Many others who have acute drug/alcohol problems.

I have a few expat/cruisers friends who are abstaining alcoholics. They still show up for expat/cruiser events. Ive never heard anyone give them any grief.

[sausalitosailor]

We've been in recovery long enough to be able to take care of ourselves no matter what things are others are doing. We are just as happy socializing as we soloing, even when those we are socializing with are consuming different things than we are.

Our goal with this is to be able to connect with others that may be in recovery as well.

Safe sailing.

[CSY Man]

I am curious, and it with all respect: what goes on at the AA meetings? If somebody have been sober for a few years, is there still a craving?

As for quitting smoking, it is like having the flu for 5-6 days, feels uncomfortable, I chewed asprin, it seemed to help, I guess.
Got over nicotine in a week, then almost forgot about it after a couple of weeks.

[sausalitosailor]

I was never a smoker so I can't compare the two experiences.

For me, recovery (AA) is about much more than the physical cravings. I have not had cravings for alcohol in a very very long time. What goes on in the meetings for me is a group of people coming together to share their experience, strength, and hope with each other.
It is a place where people who are sober gather to help people who want to get sober. There is something beneficial for people who are in recovery to connect with others who are in recovery. If you are someone who can "just put it down" then there are parts of me that just won't make sense to you. If you are someone in recovery you will know and understand things about me before you even meet me.

This is usually hard for "normies" to comprehend, and that's totally ok.

Hope this helps.