my first sponsor told me that anything i put before my recovery will be the first thing i lose. that doesn't mean that recovery is the only thing in my life, but it has to be the focal point. and by recovery i don't just mean meetings. putting recovery first means that my priority activities each day are those that enrich my physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. this includes good sleep, good nutrition, exercise, meetings, step work, prayer and meditation. I *try* to do these things every single day. I make myself pray and meditate every day and after a few months it just became a routine. I have some cheat days as far as diet and exercise and sometimes stay up too late. I committed to a 90n90 at first and made myself do it. Now i make myself attend my two homegroup meetings weekly and a minimum of one more of my choosing. Often times it's more. I make myself read the just for day and reflections daily meditations in the mornings before i pray and meditate. But if i allow too much slipping for more than 48 consecutive hours i will start sliding very quickly. Then i start feeling sick, isolated, low self esteem...all those old patterns emerge and a drink or a drug will enter my mind and become a possibility. Plus i just don't like feeling "off".
So it's really as simple as discipline for me. I fail more than i would like, but the intent is always there and i never allow myself to retreat back into a day where i'm not attending to most of these needs. Doing this stuff with some zeal in the beginning reaps benefits quickly and makes it much easier to continue even when i don't really want to.