Briar

I hear this term a lot, but I don't know exactly what it means or what such a plan should include. Should I actually write out an "if this, then this" kind of list? I think I will anyway since that seems like a good idea, but I'd like to hear if anyone has experience or advice on drafting a recovery plan. Thanks and happy new year to all!

KateL

There are many options. There are support groups everywhere, counselling services, doctors etc. I made my own plan so it is doable, but you may need additional support. xxx

jazzfish

There is a common saying that nothing changes if nothing changes. Sobriety brings many changes and if you want to maintain it you will need a plan. The plan is essentially spelling out what kind of support you need, identifying the approach you will use, learning sober living skills, and clearly identifying your commitment. Some plans are very simple, while other are complex. Almost everyone's plan changes over time as they identifying what they need and don't need to stay sober.

As a minimum, I would start with identifying activities that you will pursue instead of drinking. I would decide upon a plan of action for how you will handle cravings when they arise. Finally, I would read posts by other people here to learn what challenges they face and how they handle them.

Viperidae

Replacing drinking with other things is big. Exercise is by far the biggest recommendation by everyone on this web site. Cooking, gardening, good healthy stuff.

You will need a plan of some kind, I'm just getting mine going with a new Psychologist, an addiction group, a doctor etc, all starting next week. They can then guide me as to further planning. I've been struggling with quitting since April and enough is enough. Time to implement a plan.

Taking5

I made a list of things I would NOT do in order to maintain my sobriety because I am very likely to drink at these places. These included:

* Going to college football games
* Casinos
* Bars/Pubs
* Mardi Gras parades/events