Bodhi02

I recently drank after 21 days of sobriety. I’m looking to build up my sobriety “toolbox” to help me when urges happen.

What are some things you have used to remain sober?

nez

Other alcoholics. Talking with. Sharing with. Interacting with. Learning from and with.

Dee74

These are some pretty good toolbox links

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-cravings.html (CarolD's tips for cravings)
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ery-plans.html (Psst...wanna know why I'm always recommending recovery plans?)
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...val-guide.html (Social Occasion Survival Guide)

Buttery

Memories. I keep remembering how sick I felt and how scared I was during withdrawals. I was always warned that they get worse and never believed it as I kept skating through until all of a sudden I didn’t.

and life improvements. Life is worth living now and not just drunk and causing all sorts of problems.

owen90

1. Recognizing an urge before it "gets hold" and ensuring you dont act on it. Your AV (addictive voice) doesn't have any legs, you have to be the one that feeds it. It can get really loud sometimes, but it still doesn't have legs.
2. Play the tape through to the end in your head. Fast forward to the anxiety, guilt, money losses and shame.

Good luck my friend

biminiblue

Prayer and gratitude
Exercise
Low intake of caffeine and sugar
Healthy nutrition, prepared by me (that bit of self-care takes a lot of hours, right there.)
8 hours of sleep
Checking in on SR first thing every morning to set my intention to not drink.
Prayer and gratitude

Repeat

Mizz

Exercise
Prayer
Playing the tape through
thinking about the morning
SR
deep breathing
H. A. L. T.
Talking with other alcoholics
Attending meetings
Reading about recovery

DriGuy

Confidence and pride
Committment
Meditation and honesty
Knowledge and understanding
Logic and Reason
Gratitude and joy

nez

my sense of humor
not taking myself too seriously
ability to laugh at myself.

aasharon90

Acceptance
Willingness
Openmindedness
Honesty
Faith
12 step Program of AA
Recovery Lifelines

least

The most useful tool in my toolbox is Gratitude.

sortofhomecomin

D = Delay. The mental activities of cravings and urges
disappear over time unless you actively maintain them
with your attention. Given time, they will run their
course and disappear. If they aren’t gone in 10-15
minutes, then chances are you are still exposed to the
stimulus that cued the urge in the first place. Just don’t
give in no matter how bad the urge is and it will pass.

E = Escape. Just leave or get away from the urge
provoking situation. Run away from it. Leave the pub so
that you can stop staring at the beer taps. Leave the
supermarket where all the bottles of wine are so nicely
displayed. If there’s an alcohol ad on TV, switch the
channel. Don’t visit that part of town if the Pharmacy
sign is attracting your attention.

A = Accept. Put your urges and cravings into
perspective by understanding that they are normal and
will pass. It’s important in the recovery process to learn
to accept discomfort. It won’t “kill” you and will be
gone pretty quickly. You’ll feel good about what you’re
learning and achieving.

D = Dispute. Develop a rational “Effective new belief”
or counter statement, to help you attack your (irrational)
urges and cravings. This exercise will help you
productively diagnose past addictive situations and
develop useful tactics for disputing them when they
occur again – which will help them pass much more
quickly.

S = Substitute. When you get an urge, quickly
substitute a thought or activity that’s more beneficial or
fun. Take a walk or any other form of exercise. Pick up
something new to read or turn on something to listen to.
The possibilities to substitute (and lessen the craving
more quickly) are endless. Think about and write down
some possibilities to have a list on hand when an urge
occurs. Then just pick one to employ an effective
response.

Be123

Cake and ice cream are in my tool box. Especially in the first ten weeks - I used to drink cider and I'm sure a lot of my withdrawals were due to lack to sugar. So I treated myself often and happily and I've discovered I have a real sweet tooth. They were great for cravings...alongside exercising a lot each day, of course!

What a treat to pack in there with all those tools 😁

Zencat

CBT, DBT some REBT, Self-Help stuff and a connection to the world around me that elevates my feeling of belonging., usefulness, self-worth. Happy healthy stuff helps too. I like toys to play with.

https://positivepsychology.com/cbt-c...es-worksheets/

sortofhomecomin

Yep same here. I was a cider freak in the latter years of my drinking. What many people forget is that even alcoholic drinks which taste dry - like most wines and spirits - actually contain a lot of sugar. With those of us who drank sweet ciders, it is not so much of a surprise to be confronted with cravings for sweet things as the drink itself tastes sweet.

FiveTries

SR
Gritting my teeth
Fear of death
Excersize
Past relapse experience
Speaker tapes
Avoidance of drinking environments

SweatyHands

Setting healthy boundaries with others as well as myself helps me from getting to the point where I feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and resentful. Boundaries take away most opportunities for me to throw a tantrum and “drink at someone.”

BornSurvivor

NA Meetings and Blue Book
Playing The Tape Forward
YouTube Videos
Music
Gym
Podcasts
Sober Recovery
Texting my friend who helps me stay sober
Quotes from different celebrities or people from AA and NA

Pretty much anything I can! The way I see it is my AV uses everything it can to try to get me to drink or do drugs so I'm do the same back.

freedomfries

Antabuse and my big plan.

thomas11

I stay away from alcohol related activities (parties, bars, wedding receptions etc...), I keep myself busy doing things I enjoy. I also never forget I am an alcoholic (I relapsed after 4 years). Best wishes.