I'm missing my screwdriver
 

And I don't mean the drink.

My toolbox is pathetic. I reach for a hammer and pull out pliers. Many of the tools are old and rusty. Some are broken.

I want a brand spankin' new toolbox with Craftsman tools. I want to be fully ready when my cravings hit and my attitude needs a tune-up.

But for now, I remain tool poor.

Any idea where I can get some good tools besides Ebay?

We get our tools from Pawn Shops. They may seem expensive at first but some tools go down in price as you go back and keep a relationship with the pawn shop owners/operators.

We have a Harbor Freight store that
many contractors go to buy their tools
from instead of spending a fortune on
everyday tools.

A new or used Recovery Tool Box would
be awesome. Then you can think of each
tool as something useful towards hammering,
sawing, etc. issues that bug you in recovery.

Or use your tools to make some recovery
to hang around your home as a constant
reminder of your journey in recovery. :)

Sorry if I wasn't clear... I am speaking of recovery tools.

OMG, I thought I followed that correctly and obviously didn't It is kind of funny though. Good grief.

I'm going pawn shopping with you! Sounds like fun. Free therapy with every purchase. Not to make light of needing recovery tools but this just gave me a much needed laugh.

What has been going on lately, ArtFriend? Are you struggling?

Yeah, Verte, I am. I am in therapy and starting to discuss some ugly stuff. I kind of dwell on it and then I start to feel anxious. Issues come up and then... I am on Neurontin and it was helping for a bit but now my anxiety is up again.

Need a tool when anxiety and memories come up.

Let's see...wrench? nah... saw? nope... I know! A level!

Meditation/Mindfulness? It has really been helping with my anxiety as of late. Meditation is deceptively hard, but it really does allow me to remain more "in the moment" throughout the day at times.

Exercise can help burn up some of that extra adrenaline that anxiety builds up too.

deep breathing. Anxiety causes a vicious cycle in our bodies. When anxious our breathing becomes more shallow so we get less oxygen, when we get less oxygen our bodies panic and thinks we are suffocating so we breathe more quickly and shallow. Which ups the feeling of anxiety. Just sit someplace quietly and practice slow deep breathes in and out.

You can find all the tools you need by attending an IOP (intensive out patient) therapy group. I am in one right now and collecting a lot of tools. Just google it and find out if one is near you. My insurance is covering it....I attend night sessions, but they also have day sessions. My group is about 20 strong and we lay out all our issues and help one another. I'm pleasantly surprised with this program. They also put me on Naltrexone and it definitely suppresses cravings and urges w/ no side effects. Give it a try...Best wishes.

In AA the old timers stocked my tool kit with everything I wanted plus a ton of stuff I had no idea what it was until I needed it. They told me they were giving away what had been so freely given to them.

It only cost me about 6 hours a week

I will be assessed on Tuesday for the IOP program at the clinic where my current therapist is. So in addition to regular once a week therapy, I will probably being doing IOP too as well as medication.

You can shop around for those tools here on SR :) Many good threads about cravings. Just make sure you choose the right ones and not get hammered.

I am familiar with dwelling on stuff that come up in therapy, very much. Did you ask the therapist for recommendations how to deal with this? Especially when the thinking triggers cravings. My current therapist told me when we were in the beginning that I should not attempt a lot of analysis on my own... until he got to know me better and it soon became clear that is impossible for someone like me. So he recommended some reading for me some of which I was already familiar with, about self analysis. One thing I really like to do is write about these things that come up, about the therapy sessions, and whatever thoughts and feelings are associated with it. I have been doing this from the very beginning, when I just started therapy a couple months sober, with another guy. I started doing this because I often have delayed emotional reactions, and I'm no longer in the session when it gets most intense. I wanted to make sure the information is not lost, but also sometimes writing about it was a good distraction and something to focus on when I had cravings in response to the thoughts and feelings. It was actually quite creepy for a while with my first therapist, because meeting with him was sometimes a massive trigger, and not even because of negative feelings about him or our sessions, the opposite. We discussed it and luckily that phase did not last long. My suggestion is that next time you see your therapist, bring up what you shared with us here.

That is great that you are going to do IOP! Also maybe try other kinds of f2f recovery meetings before that even if you feel the need. I went to AA periodically in the beginning, and also around the time when I was ~one year sober and had all sorts of crazy thoughts.

Before even looking into your thread here Art, I knew what kind of screwdriver you were looking for. Oh yes, a man and his tools. Several years ago we had a big fire here in southern California that destroyed my tool shed. I had forty something years of tools in there. Recovery has been slow.

They got cheap ones out there (Harbor Freight) and they got good ones (Sears). Guess it depends on how much we will use them. I still prefer Craftsman.

Forgot -- Home Depot carries some good tools.

MM

LOL Latte---I shared your thinking. Was wondering WTH new tools had to do with ANYTHING on an alcoholism forum!

Although perhaps a good drill bit to the brain would straighten me right out. (By the way I got a shiny new Drill set last weekend
and I am in Heaven).

If you are into home improvement it can be as therapeutic as recouping a healthy state of mind....just saying !

TrixMixer

having a hard time staying on the job here good thing I'm sober or I really be clueless thanks art

And I always mention the

Sober Tool Belt

Gezz

Hi ArtFriend,

I hope I did not offend you by my post on Drill Bits. Just have a tendency to take things literally, and that can get me into trouble.

Dark thoughts and tough stuff is what you need to face in order to heal. Why do you think we drank---we never wanted to face those thoughts. Now is a cleansing, use it that way. Let it come out then wash it away ---nothing you can do about where you have been only where you are going.

Good Luck <AF. The Drill is always a possibility.

TrixMixer

No offence taken Trix! And MMBob... my OP was kind of obscure.

Oh, and I am female type person. ;)

Hey, im female too, lady all the way and I
absolutely luv tools or anything that has
to do with tools of any kind. :)

Goin to Lowes, Home Depote, Harbor Freight,
Tractor Supply, Ace Hardware......that's where
all that testosterone is flowin and my husband
loves it when we both go and I want to go just
to get our daily dose of good ol testosterone. lol

Nothing like being strong in all areas
of our recovery life. Physical, emotional,
spiritual, and lots of good tools to get the
job done each day we stay sober. :)