Sobriety Survival101

 Our Purpose To support individuals who have chosen to abstain, or are considering abstinence from any type of addictive behaviors (substances or activities), by teaching how to change self-defeating thinking, emotions, and actions; and to work towards long-term satisfactions and quality of life.  Our Approach * Teaches self-empowerment and self-reliance. * Encourages individuals to recover and live satisfying lives. * Teaches tools and techniques for self-directed change. * Meetings are educational and include open discussions. * Advocates the appropriate use of prescribed medications and psychological treatments. * Evolves as scientific knowledge of addiction recovery evolves.  SMART Recovery 4-Point Program SMART Recovery (Self Management And Recovery Training) helps individuals gain independence from addiction (substances or activities). Our efforts are based on scientific knowledge and evolve as scientific knowledge evolves.  The 4-Point Program offers specific ...

Faith is not a series of gilt-edged propositions that you sit down to figure out, and if you follow all the logic and accept all the conclusions, then you have it. —Mary Jean Irion Years ago administrators at a high school in California told some of their teachers at the beginning of the school term that their students would most likely experience an intellectual growth spurt by the end of the academic year. At the end of the term, students of these teachers had, indeed, dramatically improved their academic performance. Administrators revealed that the teachers had been selected at random; there was no particular reason why they or their students had been selected. But because the teachers had expected more from their respective classes, they had subtly communicated this expectation to their students. The teachers showed that they believed in their capabilities, and the students responded to this support. Yet, if the teachers had shown doubt in the students’ success, the outcome would ...

Take It One Day at a Time In recovery, you learn that there are two days that should not concern you: yesterday and tomorrow. Once you let go of worrying about the future or bemoaning the past, you discover that today is rich with possibility. You can do many things sober that you may not have been able to do before: write letters, return phone calls, sleep soundly, make love, meditate, play, and be a good parent or friend. Action for the Day List a few things you enjoy now as you practice living one day at a time without being drunk or high. Keep the list somewhere you can see it every day, such as on your bathroom mirror or in your car. Thought for the Day “All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone beyond recall. Do I still worry about what happened yesterday?” Twenty-Four Hours a Day,  July 29 Big Book Read about re-entering the world as a clean-and-sober person on pa...

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. has not approved, endorsed, or reviewed this website, nor is it affiliated with it, and the ability to link to A.A.’s site does not imply otherwise. The AA Preamble "ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety." The Serenity Prayer God, grant me The serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, and The wisdom to know the diffe...

On Awakening (from  Alcoholics Anonymous  – pages 86-88) ►  On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. 1. Before we begin,  we ask God to direct our thinking  … 2. Especially  asking that it be divorced from * self-pity, * dishonest or * self-seeking motives. ►  Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use.  Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives. ►  In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here … 1. We ask God for * inspiration, * an intuitive thought, or * a decision. 2. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. 3. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. 4. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of...

The Twelve Steps We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.  Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God  as we understood Him. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.  Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.  Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.  Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.  Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.  Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.  Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.  Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God  as we understood Him , praying only for kn...