Sobriety Survival101

Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made new. —Ursula K. Le Guin Most people consider love as a word that describes romantic feelings or those of a sexual nature. But love is the opposite of hate and, in that context, can be thought of as an emotion that replaces feelings of animosity. It is an emotion that can sometimes be refashioned in situations where it can be helpful. With this definition in mind, think how different your life would be if you could see the positive in every challenge, if you loved everyone and everything in it. Consider that when you feel hatred for something or someone, it affects your entire emotional outlook. It is hard, for example, to hate your job and have a positive attitude in other areas of your life. But if you reframe this hate with love, you lessen negative feelings and keep negativity from spilling over into other areas of your life. While you may really hate your job, by thinking about lovi...

Twelve Step meetings seem to be a gathering place for the truly wise. We can’t be sure at first what it is these people have, but we know we want it too. Attending meetings, reading Twelve Step literature, and choosing a sponsor who has a program we admire will change how we think and live daily. We’ll learn, as our sponsors have learned before us, to keep our focus on the little things we can improve. We’ll learn, as they have, to let go of others, letting God be in charge. We’ll learn, as they have, to live just for today. And then we’ll realize that we are beginning to have what these wise people have. By following their example, we’ll begin to appear wise, peaceful, and hopeful to newcomers. All of us can attain this quality if we really want it. Today I can be as wise as the ones I admire. I now have a blueprint to follow. I’ll start by keeping my focus small and my thinking simple.

Describe incidents where you expressed inappropriate anger towards other people.    Describe times that you have withdrawn from social interaction and isolated yourself to an extreme degree and why. Describe embarrassing or humiliating incidents in your life. Were they related to your addictive behaviors? If so, how were they related?   Have you avoided people because they did not share in or approve of your addictive behavior? If so, list these people and situations. ·       Describe attempts that you have made in the past to control your addictive behaviors.How successful have they been? Do these attempts show the powerlessness that you have over your addictive behaviors? Step One We admitted we were powerless over marijuana and that our lives had become unmanageable. [p. 5] With the First Step we begin the recovery process. Working this step enables us to move forward through the Twelve Steps of Marijuana Anonymous. We may now find it usef...

Day 64: Learn to Sleep Naturally Sleep medications aren’t necessarily the solution to sleep problems. Some medications can be addictive. For a natural alternative, try avoiding caffeine after 10:00 a.m. and try not to nap during the day. Save your bedroom for sleeping—avoid the urge to read, write, or watch television in your bedroom. This will help condition your mind that the bedroom equals sleep. You can also try exercising about four hours before bedtime and taking a hot bath right before you go to sleep. Using relaxing rituals, such as meditating or listening to music, before bedtime can help mellow your mind and body. Don’t stay in bed when you have trouble sleeping. Get up and do something relaxing such as stretching or meditating, and don’t go back to bed until you feel sleepy. A ction for the Day If you are having trouble sleeping, review your thoughts, activities, and what you’ve eaten that might be interfering with your sleep. Are you worrying about something from the past o...

Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool … to see patterns, relationships, context. —Marilyn Ferguson One day, on the famous “bullet train” from Kyoto to Tokyo, passengers rushed to one side of the train just in time to see thick clouds suddenly part, revealing the beauty of Mount Fuji. They exclaimed with excitement and took pictures until, just as suddenly, the clouds once again hid the mountain. The incident affected the rest of the journey. People who had been strangers started talking to one another, more aware of all around them. Those who had been sleeping awakened and watched the scenery pass by as the train sped to its destination. Those passengers shared a common connection that brought them unity. The same is true in your recovery. You are an essential part of every meeting you attend. The story you bring to others is a story with which they are familiar. The thoughts and feelings you have resonate with them. Every time you share your thoughts and feelings...

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...

SIX ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ALCOHOLISM, AND OTHER ADDICTIONS  The following is to be used as part of our First Step. The idea is to help raise our “bottom”, in other words to help break down our denial. We want to increase our awareness of the dynamics of our problem and to increase the pain of holding on to it. Skip 1. Allergy, if the area you are working on is an area other than a form of chemical addiction.  1. ALLERGY - The phenomena of physical craving that kicks in with the first drink of alcohol, slice of cake, pill or any drug, etc. This craving is limited to those with a chemical addiction. STATE YOUR TRIGGER FOOD OR DRUG.  2. PROGRESSIVE - Tolerance: takes more to get the job done. With non-substance addictions it takes more money, sex, work, etc. STATE HOW YOU EXPERIENCE THIS PROGRESSION.  3. SELF-DELUSION - Starts with denial, then repression, and then mind games, rationalizing, then comes the conscious lying. The rationalizing and consciou...