All I Have To Loose - Photo Album

[CarrieSueBee]

All I Have To Loose - photo album

I made a pact with myself and my higher power that to drink again would be the same as throwing away everything I care about.

I put together a small photo album for my purse (about 10 pages or so) and I put in there pictures of all the things I have to loose (job, son, car, home) if I don't stay clean and sober. I even found pictures of things that symbolize my relationship with God (my HP) and my freedom.

My pact is that if I decide to take a drink, I have to look through that photo album and then go throw that photo album in the trash. It would be the equivalent, after all. If I take one drink, I risk loosing all of that.

It si a positive thing too. I can also look through it every now and then to remind myself of all the good things I have in my life. I can remember all the reasons I have to stay sober and all of the things I can be thankful for.

Now 10 pages is a lot, so some are blank, but those blank pages mean a lot too. There are good things coming my way (by staying sober) that I haven't even learned about yet, so even the blank pages have meaning.

If you run out of ideas about what pictures to put in your album, think of all the things you like to do (take walks, make cookies, sleep in, shop at the Dollar Store, buy a new lipstick, etc., whatever...) and think which of those you couldn't do in jail. For example, I have a picture of my son's daycare to remind me, "Who would pick him up after school?" If I drink and go to jail, I loose that privilege. But right now, I'm thankful I still have the right to be the one to pick him up.
I found it a powerful tool, making it, looking at it, and the pact. Thanks for letting me share.

[namommy]

That is such an original and cool idea. Thanks for sharing that with us.

[Paulie]

Carrie -

That is a really good idea. For the first few years of my recovery I carried around the writing of my 1st step in my purse. I opened that envelope several times to read about the powerlessness and unmangability of the disease that I have, it saved my butt a few times.
I truly believe that to stay sober we need to learn and use tools, whatever tools that work we should continue to use. This makes me question why I don't carry that step work around with me anymore, I think I need to find it and put it back in my purse.

Thank you for sharing that with us.

I also really like the part about the blank pages....what is yet to come.

[51anna]

Carrie,

That is a great idea. I remember when I was trying to stop drinking and it seemed like in a split second, I'd decide that 'yes' I'd go to the liquor store. Using a tool like you are would have helped to slow down for just a moment and rethink the decision.

Love, Anna