Jillian2563

I'm on day 2. I was wondering if any of you can share how you started your plan to sobriety and what type of things it involved? I'm having a hard time brainstorming a sobriety plan. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Anna

The first thing I did was change my routine. The hours right after supper were by far the hardest for me to get through. So, I went out and walked, and walked and was amazed by how much it helped me on so many levels.

I knew I had to reconnect spiritually. I was very low and I needed to find a purpose in my life or recovery wasn't going to work for me. I read 'The Seat of the Soul' by Gary Zukav and I began to be able to listen to my soul and to find my life's purpose. I also read 'A New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle, which is a blueprint for how to live in the moment and a most inspiring book.

I started to say 'No', knowing I had to give up my 'people-pleasing' habit which was going to kill me.

Nonsensical

The next time I feel like drinking I will ____________ instead.

Fill in the blank. You can even develop a pick list of options. Just commit yourself NOW to doing one of them.

Congrats on your decision to pursue a sober life.

I am a big fan of plans. Feels more like playing offense than defense. Instead of sitting around hoping the urge to drink doesn't come I found it helpful to be able to know It's coming, but I am ready for it.

You can do this.

jryan19982

List reasons to stay sober
List reasons not to drink
List people you hurt by drinking
List people who are happy you are not drinking
List your triggers
List how to avoid your triggers
List things you can do besides drink
List people you can talk to when you feel the need to drink

That should give you a basis of your plan, that will need to be tweaked and revised every so often.

serenityfreedom

Have you tried A.A? It was the only thing that worked for me after 30 years of trying it my way,

SDH73

I wasn't sure what "make a plan" meant when people here kept telling me to do so. So, I did some simple things like getting back into an exercise regimen and eating better. Started making "to do" lists for the next day before going to bed, which helps give me some focus when I get up in the morning.

The biggest thing I did was I went to a bookstore and bought some books about addiction and recovery. Rather than just googling something to get a general idea about it, I actually bought some books and read them. Rational Recovery was the first one I read and it was a game changer for me. I've seen many other books suggested here at SR that posters swear by. This kind of reading can help you formulate a plan that is right for you.

I also started a junk food stash. I've read a lot of posts about eating this or that (usually ice cream) when a desire to drink hits, so I thought I should have some readily available "quick fix" food around. It's basically a bunch of candy bars and salty chips and stuff. As I said, I'm trying to eat better so it's just been sitting in a corner of the cabinet, untouched. Last night I finally broke into it, not because I wanted to drink but because I was just feeling down. It actually did help me to feel a little better.

I guess you just need to search around some. Really read up on different methods of recovery and glean what you can from them. Maybe one or a couple of them will resonate with you.

SDH73

Oh, and back to the reading thing. I now read more and watch tv less. I find that television can be pretty boring. Watching reruns or just some mindless show to pass time. Books are a more active and engaging way to spend free time. I would often find myself staring at the tv and being bored, which is what I would do when I was drinking. I'm never bored when I'm reading a good book.

MyTime86

Understand that there will be hard times. Push through,
everyday you get stronger, you will find peace in sobriety. Just don't give up on it.

jryan19982

Bingo especially when winding down books are so much better than TV!

SoberLeigh

Great list. I would add:

Do something positive and proactive to your sobriety every day - help another alcoholic, in real life or here at SR; read an article or a chapter in a book on addiction and recovery; examine your plan to identify weaknesses or shore-up any holes.

You can do this, Jillian.

Soberwolf

This might help http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-recovery.html

Jillian2563

Thanks everyone! Every single one of you were helpful!

I started a notebook a couple weeks back and started with "benefits from not drinking" and never continued. So I just picked it back up and continued writing. I will keep it with me and refer to it and add to it. Of course, along with other things.

I definitely agree TV can be boring. My "thing to do" when drinking is typically watching mindless tv. I tried to watch last night but only made it 30 minutes then went to bed. It wasn't that exciting, lol.

In my notebook, I made a "books to read" section that you all suggest. I will add as I see more suggestions.

Thanks for everyone's help. I was going to quit smoking first but realized it would be harder whe drinking. So I'm flip flopping, and quitting alcohol first. I don't smoke as much when I don't drink do that's a plus. I figured I could tackle smoking after I've gained some sobriety.

Ruby2

I'm still smoking after quitting drinking. I figure that will come.

Great work on picking up the journal again.

For me, the first part of my plan was commitment to not drinking. Under no circumstances would I cave. I knew that I would need to negotiate life's ups and downs without alcohol to either numb me or to celebrate. That is where the other suggestions are so helpful.

I also came to learn that with each new activity and with each change of season and associated activities (back yard barbeque, thunder storms, cold, snowy nights) that I used to associate with drinking, would still happen whether I was drinking or not. So what was I going to do instead of drink? I tweaked my responses as I went but always referring to number one. I will not drink. No matter what. You can do this, day by day. Hour by hour if you need to. I did in the beginning. Well done on day two. This was an excellent question.