Get to know our Gratitude forums!
bona fido dog-lover
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,790
Get to know our Gratitude forums!
The best piece of advice I ever got about shoring up my sobriety was to practice gratitude every day. 
I found that a hard task at first, as I was early in recovery (about 3 months in) and not 'feeling it'. I had wreckage to clean up from my drinking career. I was in debt and had no other source of income, what was there to feel grateful for?
But I started anyway, every day. I was grateful that I woke up sober, and that I woke up at all. I would be grateful for the smallest of things, like the clerk smiling at me in the store or the person who said they thought my dog was cute.
After a while it became easier to feel grateful. And my attitude slowly changed from negative to positive. I felt happier day by day. I still had my bad days, but could always find something to be grateful for, like staying sober.
Here's an article about how being grateful can make you happier.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
Check out the Gratitude List. I find that reading others' grats gives me ideas of other things I'm grateful for. And the more I am grateful, the more I find to be grateful for.
I found that a hard task at first, as I was early in recovery (about 3 months in) and not 'feeling it'. I had wreckage to clean up from my drinking career. I was in debt and had no other source of income, what was there to feel grateful for?But I started anyway, every day. I was grateful that I woke up sober, and that I woke up at all.
I would be grateful for the smallest of things, like the clerk smiling at me in the store or the person who said they thought my dog was cute. After a while it became easier to feel grateful. And my attitude slowly changed from negative to positive.
I felt happier day by day. I still had my bad days, but could always find something to be grateful for, like staying sober. Here's an article about how being grateful can make you happier.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
Check out the Gratitude List. I find that reading others' grats gives me ideas of other things I'm grateful for.
And the more I am grateful, the more I find to be grateful for. 
Mr
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: FRANCE
Posts: 5,230
Hello Least,
Thanks for this post.
I have been considering gratitude and posting in the gratitude list for months.
I received a "little" book on gratitude for xmas. I will have a read (of both) now.
Hi rosegoldrose
Thanks for this post.
I have been considering gratitude and posting in the gratitude list for months.
I received a "little" book on gratitude for xmas. I will have a read (of both) now.
Hi rosegoldrose
sober style
Join Date: May 2016
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2,388
I'm extremely grateful for gratitude and the power it can wield helping me to stay sober every day! Don't take the good things all around you for granted. This is a miracle what is going on here, being alive and conscious, never forget that.
Also huge props to my friend least for being such a fierce advocate of gratitude. SR is lucky to have her around!
Also huge props to my friend least for being such a fierce advocate of gratitude. SR is lucky to have her around!
Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Canada
Posts: 6,873
Originally Posted by rosegoldrose 
Thank you! Especially for us new to this sober thing! 
Nice post Least, so true.
I have a lot of gratitude for SR every day ☼
As read in the NY Times article “He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has.”
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 3,748
Yes, I can truly understand the power of Gratitude now. It has been part of my practice in the mornings and throughout my days.
Least, your perspective and promotion of GRATITUDE is such a blessing. You are helping people and giving them a "TOOL" that is so necessary for life and recovery. You have made a deep impression on me. I truly THANK YOU!
Least, your perspective and promotion of GRATITUDE is such a blessing. You are helping people and giving them a "TOOL" that is so necessary for life and recovery. You have made a deep impression on me. I truly THANK YOU!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: United States
Posts: 2,547
Thank you for this! I couldn't agree more. Posting and reading in the SR Morning Gratitude thread (Morning Gratitude ~ Part 104) is one of the highlights of my day.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,293
It's so easy to just focus on the negative things that we have to deal with, but much harder to notice all the positive things that go on around us. It takes work to train our brain to pay more attention to all the small little positive things go on around us all the time. That's something I need to work on. John
Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: England
Posts: 520
Expressing gratitude is so so important to me and has really helped with my fight against addiction. Such a simple thing to do, but it really focuses your mind on all the positives in life, both inside and outside of yourself ❤❤❤
bona fido dog-lover
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,790
I have noticed lately in my gratitude journey that every time I feel grateful, I get a flash of joy. I remember almost 5 yrs ago when my sweet old man was lost for 20 days. When I found him I felt a flash of joy in my heart, an overwhelming lightness of spirit, like I was capable of anything.
Now I get that flash of joy when I look at my dog, or pet her, or pet my cats. The simplest of things can kick off a great joy.
Gratitude is everywhere, and the more you look for it, the more of it you'll find.
I remember almost 5 yrs ago when my sweet old man was lost for 20 days. When I found him I felt a flash of joy in my heart, an overwhelming lightness of spirit, like I was capable of anything. Now I get that flash of joy when I look at my dog, or pet her, or pet my cats.
The simplest of things can kick off a great joy. Gratitude is everywhere, and the more you look for it, the more of it you'll find.
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