A sober routine. Anyone else?
 

One thing that seems to be making a real difference to me this time around is having my sobriety routine. It has become vitally important to me. Maybe it's because I'm a creature of habit, but taking a few little actions is helping me keep my recovery first and foremost in my mind.

Some of these are as a result of living in the steps of AA. Some of them are just little things I've found helped.

When I wake up every morning I take a few minutes to think ahead and pray to be shown the right things to do or say that day. A 30 second prayer as I'm rushing around getting organised. That little prayer is often repeated during the day if things get a little complicated.

I check into SR and post on the 24 hour thread. It helps keep things in the day for me.

After breakfast , I spend 15 minutes or so in meditation. I quietly listen to music on YouTube and try and empty my mind of all the chatter.

During the day at some point I message a couple of good friends I met here on SR. We are such a good and diverse mix we three, and it helps me feel grounded. We are all alcoholics just helping each other along the way.

I e-mail my sponsor at the end of every day to review what has happened. I look out for any signs where I've been selfish, or dishonest, or fearful. She rarely responds but it helps me evaluate what I'm doing and why. Then I give thanks for all the things I am blessed to have in my life.

On a Saturday morning I go to my home group. It's an early meeting, at 7.30, and I love it. I'm the literature secretary there and the folks there have strong and solid sobriety and are full of wisdom.

These are such simple things to do.

Anyone else got a little sobriety routine they follow?

Sort of. My evening plans are where I need to be kept busy. Routine is certainly important to my sobriety!

Jeni -COFEEE (and a fag), then check e/m (AA daily reading), then SR. Domestic stuff. Always eat good meals. I do not prescribe say- 0800-0830 every day to journal writing. I mix up the day so as to keep it interesting. I do list priorities for each day- appointments, bills, shopping. Also regular exercise and meetings. I do art and study (trying to start a new career).

I am big on my recovery routine.

Every morning, I have six things (up from five) that I write down and cross off in my day planner: daily devotional from Keep It Simple: Daily Meditations for 12 Step Beginnings and Renewals (a Hazelden pub); the daily meditation from Friar Richard Rohr of the CAC (email subscription); I read pp 85-88 and 417/418 of the BB; HALT; SR. In the past few months, my boyfriend (also in recovery) and I have done shared reading plans on a Bible app; we often comment on the devo of the day, make pic images (we share icloud photo albums with different subject headings- one is "Recovery" and one is "In God We Trust").

I do 4-6 meetings in a typical week- at 10 mo this is my sweet spot. I have a home group MWF that I make at least once bc work often means I cannot do all; I have other meetings I do on other days, including a 730 once, maybe twice, a Sat morning and a Sun morning.

I usually have some kind of recovery book on deck and in progress- right now I am reading Walk the Talk with Step 12 by Gary K.

My sponsor and I usually communicate by text during the day and sometimes talk. She's in my home group so I see her at least once a week and most weeks we try to do breakfast or lunch. I am actively on steps 6-7 though since her focus is on "how to live our best lives sober, and applying the 12 steps)," we pretty much incorporate all into our "work" together. My foundation was laid with my first sponsor about BB study and progress.

I pray a lot and since I read the BB randomly as well as the same parts every day, my knowledge keeps growing and my familiarity is decent.

I put a lot of work in because this is the most important thing in my life - this is my normal!

Jeni26...U are really doing a good job with your sobriety routine. everything youre doing, sounds like the correct things to do for longlasting sobriety!

I should add that sleep is a huge deal for me, and I have a med regimen that works well for different things I need addressed.Running again on top of having an active job are also good.

Sleep is huge for me too. I have suffered from insomnia in the past, and now I follow a strict routine at bedtime which really helps.

Exhaustion leads to very poor mental health for me

Jeni- my focus is really on emotional sobriety (physical sobriety being the "norm" and the rest following from that) and I still use naps and what I call the "put myself to bed" technique often. It helps me process things, take a step back from something upsetting or worrying, and get a little perspective.

Great post Jeni! ❤️

Excellent thread Jeni

That's a great routine, Jeni!

Especially the sober friend thing, that's fantastic. I bet they're super cool....lol

Lol....yeah....they're ok :c033:

Sobriety routine? Oh yeah, big time. 100%. You can damn near set your watch by what I will be doing on a given day. And I get grumpy when it gets out of order. Stupid huh? But it works for me.

i had to get a routine to manage my anxiety basicly which in turn keeps my sobriety in check. for example i eat at certain times excercise at certain times do this on wedsdays etc.. and try to get to bed a the same time. I knwo that if any of this is messed with either by drinking or skipping a day i'll be out of sorts. It works for me. and I was never a routine person really.

But here is the kicker. I'm also a victom of my routine at times if something pops up and throws my routine off i go into a mental frenzy. I'm still working on that aspect of it.

No not stupid at all. Some of us are just wired that way. I know I am. Having a lot of anxiety it helps me to plan and stick to that plan. Folks that aren't this way see it as 'rigid' or whatever. For me its survival.

Yes I can adjust my sails and I can be spontaneous if I need to be. But I try to keep that at a minimum. Yeah, control. But it is my schedule so I suppose its ok to control it. I'm not trying to control anyone else ;)

Isn't it interesting how the control and structure "relaxes" us to a certain degree? I feel much calmer when things are planned. Spontaneity is no my strong suit. haha.

spontaneity is not so bad on one hand for me. i mean its exciting and such. But i dunno how to put it in words but things have just be a certain way for me. I always say the stars gotta be aligned before my daily run etc.. I feel strainge and wierd but things have to be just so. Spontaneity can be like a NUKE going off in the middle of all this stuff needing to be just so.

But now and then I like to get upa nd be spontaneious it can be fun.