DigitalDreamz

Hi everyone, feeling good today, Another sober and clean day here in the Pacific Northwest!! anyway, I am currently in a outpatient program and my counselor asked me an interesting question last night.

"What do you believe you must do this recovery attempt to remain in recovery"

Well for me it is staying focused on my recovery, my recovery comes first, If I lose my sobriety I lose everything, If I relapse and start using again I will lose the trust and support that my family offers, they will lose all faith in me. and in the long run I will either end up in jail again, or possibly overdose.

So what must you do to remain in recovery?

Hope to hear some good replies!!

Take care everybody!!

Make it--Don't Fake it

adore79

Good question!

For me personally:

1. Dont pick up no matter what.



2. Work everyday on becoming more healthy spiritually, mentally, and physically.

This means praying throughout the day, meditating at least twice a day, reading the BB and other self help books, keeping my mind occupied, and getting exercise/eating right.

3. Keep going to aa meetings and IOP.

Ananda

yeah ditto that

Don't drink if your a$$ falls off

Also...everyday let go of who you were and move on to who yuo are today....

CrackQuack

What a good question. One I have heard the answer to many times. You must put your recovery first, otherwise everything else you are putting in its place risks being lost anyway when you relapse. The problem I find with this becomes my question. If I put my recovery first, like I put the dope first in active addiction, do I not risk losing things anyway? I hear about people, who don't use and don't understand addiction, being angry with the recovering addict for going to all those meetings, doing all that step work, etc. to be in recovery. Some leave the recovering addict. Some addicts cannot get gainfully employed (either because they are too busy putting recovery first or by legal consequences of their past using). Some don't want to become employed or hang out with regular friends because they are working on their recovery. I've seen cases where children STILL get left out because the addict is working on their recovery.
I wonder how the non-addicts could possibly SEE the benefits of putting recovery first.
Ideally I'd love to have recovery first, but the more I try, the more I notice that it upsets the balance of friends and family, just like active addiction. It also upsets the balance of being gainfully employed, and I foresee similar consequences for putting recovery completely first as I did in active addiction.
Which leads me to strive to put recovery first, yet still keep other priorities in the same place. It's a bit stressful, but after several attempts, I've learned what can actually stay 100% number one and what has to bump down a spot or two. Sometimes it IS recovery. Sometimes it is family or work. I understand, in my situation, I simply must make time for both. I cannot handle making three or more number one, but two works out and is more balanced. Recovery will always be ONE of them.
And I've found different ways to stay clean, than what NA would consider normal. I've not been attending many meetings. I make efforts to make at least one a week, but with SR, I have options to be online. Which makes my sponsor nervous. I say, if it works, it WORKS. Whatever you find that works for you, work it. I've still got a lot of things to "work" out and figure out. It's a journey not a destination.
So basically, what works for me, is balancing a couple things on top, getting to meetings when I can, trying to figure out my step work (I am in sort of a rut at the moment), going to SR, and still trying to build back a semblance of the life I once had before drugs.
I know people won't agree with me. Some may. I am only just shy of 90 days clean. But I've found something that works this time around. The last times I tried, I tried to go to far one way or the other and ended up relapsing. This time, it's harder to explain, is different. Whether anyone agrees with me or not is not my problem. My problem is just doing what works for me and sticking with it. Despite a few protests here and there. IF it does turn around and not work out, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

sailorjohn

welcome!!!

Assuming we've managed the acceptance part. If we can't fully accept our condition, we will eventually go back out again.

gravity

- Always remember what it was like when I woke up on December 16, 2007. Don't take my sobriety for granted.

- Keep working on that "psychic change." For me - AA, trying to live in accordance with spiritual principles. My old beliefs and outlook on life will take me back to drinking - 100% certain of this.

- Forgive myself. I am an imperfect human being. I will have my rough days. I will always make mistakes. It doesn't mean that I am not a good person.

- Just try to do the next right thing. Be good to others, be good to myself.

Acceptance and action!


Thanks for the thread. Something I needed to think about today.

Mary52

THIS time...........I will NOT stop going to meetings, like I did before.
THIS time...........I will NOT stop talking to my sponsor and other sober people.
THIS time...........I will NOT stop working on the 12 steps.

In other words....I WILL keep going to meetings, WILL talk to my sponsor and other recovering/sober people, WILL keep working on the 12 steps..........

That's for starters. Just keep doing the next right thing and lots of prayers.

Aysha

Number one for me is....Dont think I can get high just one time and thats it.
Dont get comfortable by any means.
Never think I got it licked.
Dont get too bored or curious about what I think I am missing in the street.
Always remember what it was like the last time..Because it really pushed me over the edge.
I tend to lose sight of that sometimes as time goes on.
And know that no matter how I stay clean...I cant do it all by myself.

And yes!!! Dont pick up no matter what.
As long as I dont do that.
None of that mess has to be thought about.

DigitalDreamz

Thanks CrackQuack what a great reply. I've got just over 90 days clean and it is still difficult. I have good days and bad days but I'm still clean and sober and proud of it. Just want to say thanks again for the great reply.

triniteec

I must not forget where I came from and not hang out with people who are drinking and using. I must be honest with myself and keep my motives in check. I now have 5 1/2 years,(clean/sober) just celebrated my 47th b-day yesterday. It was great being able to participate in my own life.

Believe808

Yep, ditto

Stopping meetings & not working the steps along with my forgetting Step I (thinking I was no longer powerless) sent me right back out. Step I & 2 are very important to my recovery today. I must not forget

jamdls

Like Gravity said I must always remember the horrors of waking up on August 27, 2007 then spending a week in the hospital having to take 17 doses of Mucamyst which smells like rotten eggs.
My mother died 5 months after I got sober and I honor her by remaining sober
Reminding myself of what a drunken **** I was

Latte

Don't drink or drug no matter what and put one foot in front of the other.

It's been working for a few 24 hours.

bohemianzen

make time to find things that make me feel good
or things that reinforce that i am a good person

try to recognize when other people are making me feel bad or why i am feeling bad about myself and try to stop my negative self talk. try to find others things beside alcohol to ease the pain of these things

exercise whenever i can or feel up to it. to do the best i can with exercise and not make it an enemy or something i have to do perfectly or every day. to try to remember exercise will help my depression

ldani

hey my name is Dani i am glad to see you are here asking for the experience hope and strength! i have 6months and 12days and all that really matters is today. i think for myself the only way this really worked was first taking out any reservations, to me it was like giving myself an ok to relapse. and i realised no matter what happens putting a needle in my arm won't solve any of it. so i just take things a day at a time, and when that didn't work i took things a minute at a time. now i also realised i use to spend a huge part of my day chasing after my dope so when i first started my recovery i did the same thing i went to meeting when ever i could and that was about twice a day i know not everyone can do that but i had to to save my life, i also got numbers it was hard at first but i just kept thinking if this was during active addiction and these women had drugs you better bet i was asking for there phone number so in recovery i realised they had what i wanted, clean time and the tools to get through the day. and when i found myself feeling overwhelmed with emotion i called every person on my phone list. i chased my recovery like i chased dope. if i called the first person on my list and she didn't answer i called the next person and the next till someone could talk. i mean seriously when i was using i didn't just call one person and if they didn't answer wait till they would i went through a huge list of people bugging them calling them i was going to get what i needed right then, and thats what i do with my recovery. i also work the steps i don't just run through them i honestly write everyday in my journal about how the step i am currently working on is effecting me and my day and if i see diffrences in my personality. once i started doing all this stuff i realised all these people i am calling have all been through this, the nervousness of calling someone you have only met once to talk about how you feel but they were great to me and they would talk about how it was when they were new and they spent so much time with me on the phone. and i had instantly started bonding with people. all i know is i live recovery i love evryone i meet in the NA rooms and if i don't like someone i just don't bring them into my circle of friends, cause its all about me, lol, and if i want to stay healthy it has to be that way. thanks for letting me share. i hope some of my rambling helped someone. and welcome to the family,


Dani.

"A fear faced, is a fear erased"

least

If I always want to be sober more than I might want to drink, I will be able to stay sober. My sobriety must be my first priority. I must never forget where I was and how much I never want to go back to that horrible place.

Sweets79

I believe to make this recovery attempt work, I have to block out any outside forces that are confusing/depressing/upsetting/irritating me...In other words block out all the triggers that would provoke the feelings inside me that I can't deal with now, hence turning to the bottle...That's just me...I let other people affect me ALOT...I know theres something in me also that makes me drink, and in time I will learn more about myself and why I chose to drink instead of detaching myself from certain situations and caring enough about myself to not poison my body. I've been drinking for 5 years now, and I will keep reminding myself that if I kept going at this rate, it would just get worse and worse...Sometimes I would drink all day long, and when your tolerance builds up, you just need more and more...I would probably end up homeless, not even being able to function in day to day living, maintaining a job, and I wouldn't be able to go back to school to make a career for myself..I have alot of work to do...and also to stay away from drinking and maintain sobriety (which hasn't been long) I have to focus totally on myself, and not let others actions have power over my willingness to quit drinking. MUCH easier said then done, but I'm giving it a whirl lol

joedris

Three things to stay sober:

1. Trust God.

2. Clean house.

3. Help others.

It's that simple.

yeahgr8

For me i've known this for years, go to AA, get a sponsor, work the steps...repeat! But whatever works for the individual, if you got x years without AA and are really sober and happy...brilliant:-)

Ananda

grow