I have to say that by going to meetings, reaching out to newly sober people, and listening to where there at in life is generally always an eye opener. It’s easy, I think, after being sober for many years to forget that at one time you probably didn’t have a clue on how to even live a sober life. Alcohol and/or drugs have become such a prevalent part of your life that living without them is like living without your best friend (not a good best friend) or even the air around you. It’s like being at the bottom of a well and trying figure out how to climb out and enter drug treatment or another program. What’s more is that no one sets out really to be a drug addict or an alcoholic. When you were five and asked what you wanted to be when you grew up…chances were you didn’t say “I want to be an addict.”
Here are just a few tips, as there are many good ones, but I like these and use them to help others.
- Get honest with yourself – Yes, we’ve all heard this one before, but it bears repeating because it’s tantamount to getting and staying sober in alcohol and drug treatment and beyond. Although honesty might not come easy at first, just know that it will. So start off with checking in with yourself and how you respond to those around you when you use, and also how you physically respond when not using.
- See the change in yourself – This might seem a bit of Kum Ba Yah, but I believe is asking for sobriety and seeing yourself as a sober person will help you achieve your sobriety – at least for today. In alcoholics anonymous, narcotics anonymous you are welcome in the doors if you have the desire to stay sober. We don’t all get it the first time, in fact many of us don’t, but it’s the continued attempts that lead to success.
- Communicate with others – This is such a large part of the sobriety, as it will help keep you from falling into old habits. Be proud of what you’ve had to overcome to find your sobriety, and try not to let your ego work overtime in that pride. Sharing what’s happening, your closet skeletons will help you more than you know.
Support others in their quest to get and stay sober. Hard work and diligence will pay off for you. This is not the lottery, so there’s no luck involved. Work to believe in yourself today.
Recovery Rob BIO
Recovery Rob is a 48-year-old man who has more than twenty years of sobriety, whose drugs of choice at one time were alcohol and drugs, and he has worked in and around the field of addiction for more than 20 years. Having just recently launched his own website, www.askrecoveryrob.com, he hopes to reach out and continue to help others who work through their process of addiction and recovery. Recovery Rob is a professional writer who has published two novels and is currently working on his third. He has been writing and working as Pat Moore Foundation’s premiere blogger and content writer, which helps keeps Pat Moore Foundation’s addiction and recovery blog top-rated.