Please share your recovery plan!
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,444
I think that recovery is a personal journey and a life-long journey.
I have a few books that have helped me immensely.
I work on myself every day - physically, mentally and spiritually.
I believe that balance is key and I try to stay focused on that.
And, I come here every day and have for years. This place is my lifeline.
I have a few books that have helped me immensely.
I work on myself every day - physically, mentally and spiritually.
I believe that balance is key and I try to stay focused on that.
And, I come here every day and have for years. This place is my lifeline.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 4,451
I plan to wake up tomorrow, be really grateful I didn't drink today, and want to feel the same way the day after that.
I plan to catch myself every time I start to romanticize alcohol, and remind myself how miserable it made me, and what it did to all my friends here at SR.
And then I plan to feel really grateful all over again, because as hopeless as it once seemed, I took a deep breath and gave it another try.
I plan to catch myself every time I start to romanticize alcohol, and remind myself how miserable it made me, and what it did to all my friends here at SR.
And then I plan to feel really grateful all over again, because as hopeless as it once seemed, I took a deep breath and gave it another try.
Guest
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 609
I'd start by looking at the support and resources around you. People's personal beliefs can influence which recovery mode they choose. It's always good if you can work with a doctor, to formulate a recovery plan and look at what other assessments may be necessary. I think having a good structure improves chances of recovery, but you get out of it what you put in. Welcome and maybe check out the recovery stories section of the site, that can help give you a good idea of the different types of recovery.
There is the initial phase of withdrawal from alcohol/drugs, once the physical symptoms abate it is a mental and emotional challenge, that's when the support around you is vital.
There is the initial phase of withdrawal from alcohol/drugs, once the physical symptoms abate it is a mental and emotional challenge, that's when the support around you is vital.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,745
I see my addiction counselor once a week and she's a great help. I come here every day and that helps a lot too.
Last but not least, I make a point to be grateful for my blessings every day. And that makes me want to stay sober.
Last but not least, I make a point to be grateful for my blessings every day. And that makes me want to stay sober. 
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
Originally Posted by GodsHolyWill 
How have you stayed sober? Thank you!!!
I've been to two AA meetings so far and am in a 6 week rehab program -then after care when I'm done.
Everyone's emotions, feelings and thoughts are so different that we could all be doing the same thing but we would all get something different out of it. You have to follow your own heart...follow your own plan, make your own journey. Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
It is not easy...but step by step works best.
As far as getting the habit out of your schedule, do something different, start something new. Get a dog or cat if you don't have one. Having to think about the welfare of something else helps me b/c this way its not all about me.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,860
Psychological therapies like CBT and REBT along with a Zen Buddhist philosophy make not only a good addiction treatment plan but also make for a great guide for better all around living.
I found out through a very painful process of trial and error that not
every recovery program will work for everybody. What I did find is having a program that fits my personal needs works great.
I found out through a very painful process of trial and error that not
every recovery program will work for everybody. What I did find is having a program that fits my personal needs works great.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Allen, TX
Posts: 12
Be Deliberate about the plan whatever it becomes
Be the change you want to see in the world! Budda
It begins with you, revolves around your support, yet will be maintained throughout your life by your hourly and daily decisions. I feel the reason I drank was to deny the change I didn't have the courage to try. Mark the day, count them carefully, and keep coming back here! You'll be proud of yourself. I am only on Day 5, and it starts tomorrow...
You can do it!
It begins with you, revolves around your support, yet will be maintained throughout your life by your hourly and daily decisions. I feel the reason I drank was to deny the change I didn't have the courage to try. Mark the day, count them carefully, and keep coming back here! You'll be proud of yourself. I am only on Day 5, and it starts tomorrow...
You can do it!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal CA
Posts: 1,319
My initial plan was based on a visualization technique I learned.
I had a very bad experience with my second to last withdrawal when I decided to quit. I was at my sons All Star baseball game, and I hadn't medicated enough after a huge 2 day bender, and I thoiught I was having a stroke or a heart attack. The thought of dieing at my kids big game scared the hell out of me.
The next day I found this site, and started internalizing the feeling that I had at the ball game. Everytime I thought about drinking I would try to experience that sick feeling I was going through and the feeling I had about embarrassing my son.
While I continued to practice and imagine that daily I started to do these things on a regular basis:
*I worked out for an hour or more a day 6 days a week.
* I did nightly research on this board and on other websites finding out as much as I could about why I drank like I did. I found that brain chemicals, genetics, and past experiences all played a major role.
* I came to this website 20 times a day to read and to post and to learn.
* I started a healthy diet plan and started researching and taking supplements.
* I stopped drinking.
* I got organized.
After about 100 days of being happily sober, and feeling great and losing weight I got tired of coming to this site so much so I took some time off. I also had to stop my workout program for a couple of weeks because my wife wanted me to paint the interior of our home.
On day 118 I decided I wanted to see what a couple beers would do to me. I drank 4 and didn't get a buzz and didn't drink anymore. A week later I drink a 6 pack with similar effects...basically nothing happened. About 2 weeks after that I had 8 beers and stopped still no euphoric feelings.
In late November I played in an all day golf tournament with free booze, and I drank moderately throughout the day, then came home and went to bed and woke up without a hangover. The following week I hand another golf tournament and I drank hard, and I continued to drink into the night and the following day. I eventually stopped. But I was back on the cycle. Over the next couple of weeks I let it escalate to where I decided I had to quit completely again, and on my final detox I ended up in the ER.
Since that stint I got back on my program, and work it happily daily. I have no more urges to drink, I let my immediate family know that I can never drink again, infact my father who would never accept the fact that I might be an alcoholic now accepts it after watching me in the ER withdrawaling. I think I made it a little harder than it needed to be, but something clicked while sitting in the ER and thinking about my son, and my wife and my Dad and the rest of my family that it was real clear to me that I didn't want to drink ever again.
That doesn't mean I feel I can get lazy working my program, and I still check in here a couple times a day, but I just don't want to drink, my life is too damn good to not enjoy it sober.
So that is how I quit and my basic program that I use daily.
I had a very bad experience with my second to last withdrawal when I decided to quit. I was at my sons All Star baseball game, and I hadn't medicated enough after a huge 2 day bender, and I thoiught I was having a stroke or a heart attack. The thought of dieing at my kids big game scared the hell out of me.
The next day I found this site, and started internalizing the feeling that I had at the ball game. Everytime I thought about drinking I would try to experience that sick feeling I was going through and the feeling I had about embarrassing my son.
While I continued to practice and imagine that daily I started to do these things on a regular basis:
*I worked out for an hour or more a day 6 days a week.
* I did nightly research on this board and on other websites finding out as much as I could about why I drank like I did. I found that brain chemicals, genetics, and past experiences all played a major role.
* I came to this website 20 times a day to read and to post and to learn.
* I started a healthy diet plan and started researching and taking supplements.
* I stopped drinking.
* I got organized.
After about 100 days of being happily sober, and feeling great and losing weight I got tired of coming to this site so much so I took some time off. I also had to stop my workout program for a couple of weeks because my wife wanted me to paint the interior of our home.
On day 118 I decided I wanted to see what a couple beers would do to me. I drank 4 and didn't get a buzz and didn't drink anymore. A week later I drink a 6 pack with similar effects...basically nothing happened. About 2 weeks after that I had 8 beers and stopped still no euphoric feelings.
In late November I played in an all day golf tournament with free booze, and I drank moderately throughout the day, then came home and went to bed and woke up without a hangover. The following week I hand another golf tournament and I drank hard, and I continued to drink into the night and the following day. I eventually stopped. But I was back on the cycle. Over the next couple of weeks I let it escalate to where I decided I had to quit completely again, and on my final detox I ended up in the ER.
Since that stint I got back on my program, and work it happily daily. I have no more urges to drink, I let my immediate family know that I can never drink again, infact my father who would never accept the fact that I might be an alcoholic now accepts it after watching me in the ER withdrawaling. I think I made it a little harder than it needed to be, but something clicked while sitting in the ER and thinking about my son, and my wife and my Dad and the rest of my family that it was real clear to me that I didn't want to drink ever again.
That doesn't mean I feel I can get lazy working my program, and I still check in here a couple times a day, but I just don't want to drink, my life is too damn good to not enjoy it sober.
So that is how I quit and my basic program that I use daily.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 873
Up until now, mine has included:
Lots of things to keep my mind occupied, like books, movies and games.
Reading about the basic tenets and history of Buddhism.
Tea all day and especially when I get a craving.
This forum.
And recently I've decided to dedicate a piece of each day to the following:
Life assessment or spirituality (in my case it's simply reading and contemplating Buddhist philosophy for 15-20 minutes).
Exercise for 30-45 minutes.
Money management/future planning for 15 minutes.
Working around the house for 30-45 minutes.
By covering these fundamentals I should be able to address my worries and preoccupations and get to living the life I want to be living. We'll see how it goes but that's the plan for the immediate future.
Lots of things to keep my mind occupied, like books, movies and games.
Reading about the basic tenets and history of Buddhism.
Tea all day and especially when I get a craving.
This forum.
And recently I've decided to dedicate a piece of each day to the following:
Life assessment or spirituality (in my case it's simply reading and contemplating Buddhist philosophy for 15-20 minutes).
Exercise for 30-45 minutes.
Money management/future planning for 15 minutes.
Working around the house for 30-45 minutes.
By covering these fundamentals I should be able to address my worries and preoccupations and get to living the life I want to be living. We'll see how it goes but that's the plan for the immediate future.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Island of Misfit Toys
Posts: 102
Originally Posted by Anna
I have a few books that have helped me immensely.
Supercrew, I really loved your post, that's much the same way I deal with not drinking. I've been reading a lot, learning, keeping busy and coming here. I've had a couple of drinks the whole week instead of a couple every night! I feel good about that, I'm less intimidated to let the booze go. I also took 10 steps back from all my hard drinking friends, gotta stay away from the self destructive people!
This site has been so helpful to me, thank you all for sharing so much insight!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 267
I really can't tell you all how grateful I am that you shared with me(and all the others who might be helped by reading this!) your own recovery plans. You've shared so many treasures and much to consider! Thank you!
is really trying!
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: On the road to serenity via soberville
Posts: 236
GHW, you know I'm a total newb too & relapsed last week, BUT something really useful happened. I wrote down in a journal how I felt WHILE I was sobbingly, sickeningly drunk, & what I can read of it isn't pretty. I also made myself write an honest appraisal the next morning of the fear, the guilt, the sweats, the sheer toecurling SHAME etc etc I felt. Haven't needed to look at it 'cos feeling no urge to drink at all at the moment, but I'm glad I have it. As others have noted I think what will keep me straight is avoiding romanticzing my drinking. Scribble with vomit spots should help....
NOT suggesting you try this!!! But maybe a written list of why its important to be sober. Also have the Steps prayers 1-3 & morning/evening so far in the back for easy reference & will add as I go.
Peace to all
NOT suggesting you try this!!! But maybe a written list of why its important to be sober. Also have the Steps prayers 1-3 & morning/evening so far in the back for easy reference & will add as I go.
Peace to all
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