As men and women suffering from the disease of addiction, we have trouble appreciating the moment. Before we found sobriety, we were consumed by thoughts of the next drink or drug and developed a preoccupation with what the future may or may not bring that we became unaccustomed to living in the present. Early sobriety…
We can’t be happy all the time. We can, however, allow ourselves to maintain a positive outlook by making an effort to let go of negativity. It’s easy to get caught up in bad feelings, especially in early sobriety when our emotions tend to be heightened. When we break the cycle of pessimism and stay…
One of the greatest fears for anyone in recovery is that of judgement. Many of us spent a long time wearing masks or cultivating a persona to keep others from judging us. It can be hard to shake this fear, even in sobriety. We need to fearlessly examine ourselves and allow ourselves to get vulnerable…
The Serenity Prayer— “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” — is used to open up most 12-Step fellowship meetings. In recovery, we strive for a state of serenity in our sobriety so that we do not…
One of the greatest gifts of recovery is the ability to experience a spiritual awakening. The experience, although powerful, can easily be forgotten or diminished in our memory overtime. A spiritual awakening must be nurtured and maintained through a process of continuous spiritual growth if we are to stay happy, joyous, and free in our…
Coping skills are the behavior patterns we exhibit when faced with problems. For most people suffering from the disease of addiction, their only way of coping with external stressors was by using drugs or alcohol. In sobriety, however, it is imperative that we develop healthy mechanisms and behaviors to handle these stressors. Anxiety and fear…
Euphoric recall is the tendency for a person recovery to look back at their past drug or alcohol abuse in a positive light, often reexperiencing the feelings of the past situation. During euphoric recall, a person will only remember the euphoria associated with their drug or alcohol abuse without remembering the suffering and pain of…
In a state of active addiction, we lost touch with who we were at the core of our being. We began identifying ourselves with the drugs we were using and put up walls to block our true nature off from the rest of the world. When we get sober, however, we begin to realize that…
Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step fellowships suggest making amends to people whom we have harmed in the past. This is the 9th Step, which states: “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” Many people are filled with anxiety at the prospect of facing those…
The first thing you might want to do after treatment is to grab some fresh air and start thinking about how you’re going to get up and moving with this new life. The pesky emotions you feel may nip at the edges of your consciousness but recovery is a process. Rules and emotions are part…