What Is SOS?
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:
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SOS
Meetings Around The World
