Sobriety Survival101

S.O.B.E.R. When we have a troubling thought, or a desire to drink, the mindful approach is laid out this way: Stop – Pause for a moment and consider what you are doing; Observe – Think about what you are sensing, feeling and experiencing, and what events led to the situation; Breathe – Pause for a few deep breaths in order to assess your situation in as calm a manner as possible; Expand – Expand your awareness and remind yourself of what will happen if you keep repeating the unwanted behavior (and how you will feel afterward); Respond mindfully – Remember that you have a choice, that you are not required to continue the undesired behavior. I learned of the six characteristics of addiction, alcoholism: Allergy - the craving which started the second I had a hit, a pill, a drink Progressive - meaning my tolerance grew quicker and quicker very fast. Needing more to get the "job" done or feel the same effects Se...

acceptance awareness Balance Courage “Day at a time” Enlightened Faith  Grateful Honest & Humble Inspiring Jokes K.I.S.S Love Mindful N OpenMind Perspective Quotes Regret Less Simple Serenity Spiritual Throrough Time Understanding Vigilance  Willing Xtra YZ

Chemically dependent people don’t crave a particular drug; they crave the euphoria that the drug produces. They are addicted to the   feeling   of intoxication, not to the drug itself. This means you can easily become addicted to any mood-altering chemical that gives you the high you seek. You may think, “I’m going to quit using cocaine. I’ll just have a few drinks instead.” This is dangerous thinking. If you try to get high by using a different mood-altering chemical, you will only end up in relapse. Eventually, you’ll go back to using the original substance of choice because your brain craves the high. To recover, you must stop using  all mood-altering chemicals. A ction for the Day Describe the mood-altering chemicals you have felt tempted to use. Maybe you’ve thought about replacing hard liquor with beer, or taking prescription medications instead of heroin. It’s natural to want to replace the high that you are used to. Make sure you are open and honest as you talk wi...

Addiction Downward Spiral -Occasional relief drinking -Constant relief drinking commences -Increase in alcohol tolerance -Onset of memory blackouts -Surreptitious drinking -Increasing dependence on alcohol -Urgency of first drinks -Feelings of guilt -Unable to discuss problem -Memory blackouts increase -Drinking bolstered with excuses -Decrease of ability to stop drinking when others do so -Grandiose and aggressive behavior -Persistent remorse -Efforts to control fail repeatedly -Promises and resolutions fail -Tries geographical escapes -Loss of other interests -Family and friends avoided -Work and money troubles -Unreasonable resentments -Neglect of food -Loss of ordinary willpower -Tremors and early morning drinks -Decrease in alcohol tolerance -Physical deterioration -Onset of lengthy intoxications -Moral deterioration -Impaired thinking -Drinking with inferiors -Indefinable fears -Unable to initiate action -Obsession with drinking -Vague spiritual desires -All alibis exhausted -Com...

I find it helpful especially if you're a beginner- to start by visualizing and environments of happiness and love.for example I think of myself at a spa getting a massage. As though lying on a sunlit beach, let us relax and breathe deeply of the spiritual atmosphere....   1. Relax the body : ~Sit quietly and comfortably, letting the body arrive here in this place.  ~Close your eyes, deeply relax all of your muscles from your feet up to your face. ~Let all body sensations come and let them go. Feel your natural body embody you.   2. Relax the breath: ~Take three deep breaths, then let the breath be here. ~You may breathe through your nose. As you inhale, feel the cool of the air on your nostrils. Sense the sharpness in the back of your throat. As you exhale, note the softness as you follow the breath all the way out. You may repeat a word or phrase or prayer silently on each out-breath.    For example some repeat, “Ah well…. Ah well…. Ah well….”   3. Relax t...

STEP ONE: "We admitted we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable." A "first" of anything is a beginning, and so it is with the steps: The First Step is the beginning of the recovery process. The healing starts here; we can't go any further until we've worked this step. Some NA members "feel" their way through the First Step1 by intuition; others choose to work Step One in a more systematic fashion. Our reasons for formally working Step One will vary from member to member. It may be that we're new to recovery, and we've just fought-and lost-an exhausting battle with drugs. It may be that we've been around awhile, abstinent from drugs, but we've discovered that our disease has become active in some other area of our lives, forcing us to face our powerlessness and the unmanageability of our lives once again. Not every act of growth is motivated by ...

Research has shown that immediate factors, such as putting yourself in high-risk situations, lacking coping skills, and “stinking thinking” (thinking you are powerful enough to control your use) can lead to a relapse. Other factors may include lifestyle habits, urges, and cravings. The truth is that you are especially susceptible to relapse during early recovery. Your stress levels are high as you go through intense emotional and physical changes. You have not had time to develop reliable coping skills for dealing with the emotional roller coaster of life, causing you to be easily overwhelmed. And your brain is still clouded by years of intoxication. In addition, it’s easy to become complacent. You start to feel good about your abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. You may minimize the severity of your addiction and the effort needed to stay in recovery. Then you gradually forget that addiction is an illness that is hardwired into your brain. You start to believe that just because y...