hanging around other recovering addicts here and at NA meetings has helped give me the strength. It also keeps me busy, less time to think about using when I am reading literature, writing on steps, going to meetings or trying to offer support to people here.
And the accountability factor helps too, not like anyone is policing me, but still. I want to do better because I have this posse of peers now, who are doing the right thing..staying clean, and I want to fit in, and I don't want to let them down. Every day of MY clean time...helps them want to stay clean too.
I have these two imaginary ( I think) guardian angels that tap me on the shoulder and say "do you really want to do that?" when I start getting stupid. Silly I know, but YOU asked what gave me strength...
that's where I am right now.