What is your plan to stay sober
A Day at a Time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Grand Rapids MI
Posts: 6,435
What is your plan to stay sober
Just curious what plans everyone has in place that is keeping them sober. There is a line, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
What is working for you?
What is working for you?
A Day at a Time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Grand Rapids MI
Posts: 6,435
Originally Posted by 2granddaughters 
I committed to AA in 1989 and I'm still sober today .... sounds like a plan.
All the best.
Bob R
All the best.
Bob R
Guest
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,452
Upon Awakening Seek God
Follow the outline in the book Alcoholics Anonymous on pages 86-88
Prayer and Meditation
Be in service to others
SR
~ This is what I did this morning to build my defense against the power of alcohol :
"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.
In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. we relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.
We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.
If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
It works--it really does.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.
But this is not all. There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” The next chapter is entirely devoted to Step Twelve."
Follow the outline in the book Alcoholics Anonymous on pages 86-88
Prayer and Meditation
Be in service to others
SR
~ This is what I did this morning to build my defense against the power of alcohol :
"On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.
In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. we relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.
We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.
If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
It works--it really does.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.
But this is not all. There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” The next chapter is entirely devoted to Step Twelve."
Into Action, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 86-88
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South East England
Posts: 8,009
Going to meetings, working the steps with a sponsor, prayer, logging onto SR every day, reaching out for support when I need it, offering support for others, listening to people who have long term sobriety tell me how they achieve it, listening and empathising with newcomers....
I will do anything I can to stay sober because I never want my old life back x
I will do anything I can to stay sober because I never want my old life back x
A Day at a Time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Grand Rapids MI
Posts: 6,435
I tried AVRT and it is definitely a great tool to have in your bag of tricks. Old Jack T is about as anti-AA as they come but AVRT kept me sober for 6 months once. I think if AVRT had been around it might have been incorported into the big big in some way. Maybe I am sicker than most but it took AA to keep me sober. How you get to sobriety is immaterial but for any alcoholic it is a mater of life and death
That bell or bike person
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: london
Posts: 4,978
Every child knows alcoholics shouldn't drink, i'm an alcoholic, i don't drink.
With my sober life i try to find out how to make it as satisfying and of as best quality i can make it .
Bestwishes, M
With my sober life i try to find out how to make it as satisfying and of as best quality i can make it .
Bestwishes, M
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,416
SR changed my world for me. I realised I wasn't alone and I realised I could do this.
I plugged myself into the community, I made myself accountable to my new friends, I did the work I needed to do...and 50 whatever thousand posts later I'm still here and in recovery
D
I plugged myself into the community, I made myself accountable to my new friends, I did the work I needed to do...and 50 whatever thousand posts later I'm still here and in recovery
D
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Getting there
Posts: 216
First part of my plan was to stop drinking
Second part of my plan is to´stay stopped'
First part of plan took 2 or 3 days, really had (and still do) accept I am an alcoholic.
Second part of plan is ongoing, but accepting and remembering that I am an alcoholic really helps me to ´stay stopped´ because I really don't want to go back there again.
Second part of my plan is to´stay stopped'
First part of plan took 2 or 3 days, really had (and still do) accept I am an alcoholic.
Second part of plan is ongoing, but accepting and remembering that I am an alcoholic really helps me to ´stay stopped´ because I really don't want to go back there again.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 184
Going to be careful not to let myself get the BLUES (Bored, Lonely, Uneasy, Exhausted, Stuffed). This weekend, this will translate into "finish unpacking," "visit grandmother," "exercise," "go to bed on time," and "eat sensibly."
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
These days part of my plan is being more mindful of what I put into my mind. As far as reading material, media, music, etc. I need to surround myself in an atmosphere that is healing, uplifting, positive, etc.
30 minutes of the wrong talk radio program can undo oodles of serenity.
Daily I am learning just how sensitive I am to these things.
30 minutes of the wrong talk radio program can undo oodles of serenity.
Daily I am learning just how sensitive I am to these things.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
