Here are some tips for staying sober.
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1. Don’t underestimate your disease. Every single person does at first.
2. Take care of yourself spiritually. Be mindful of your connection to your higher power today.
3. Ignore the dismal relapse rates. You are creating your own success.
4. Make a zero tolerance policy with yourself concerning relapse. Don’t even allow your mind to go there.
5. Avoid fundamentalism, even in recovery. Rigid thinking and dogma can undermine your sobriety.
6. You are creating a life of recovery and you are responsible for ALL OF IT. Yes, others can help you. Their “help” is mere advice. It is up to you to recover.
7. Don’t confuse enthusiasm for action. Figure out what you need to do to stay sober and then do it.
8. Listen to what the relapsing addicts keep preaching. Then do the opposite.
9. Take care of your social network. Reach out to others in a meaningful way.
10. Figure out a way to help other addicts or alcoholics.
11. If you attend 12 step meetings, find one to start chairing. Consider H&I meetings (taking meetings into jails and treatment centers).
12. Use mindfulness and a heightened awareness to overcome ego. Use meditation to overcome self.
13. Practice forgiveness. Forgive all your past transgressors. Forgive yourself. You must do this to get long term relief from resentment.
14. Be aware of diminishing returns, and spread out your recovery efforts (i.e., don’t focus on just “spiritual” growth).
15. Rearrange all the furniture in your house. Anything to get through the night sometimes.
16. Clean your house from top to bottom. Same as above.
17. Go for a long walk.
18. Adopt a pet and care for it.
19. Eat a gourmet meal.
20. Cook a gourmet meal.
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21. Practice the arts. Paint, draw, sculpt, sing, dance. Etc.
22. See a therapist.
23. Work on a puzzle.
24. Connect with someone else who is hurting.
25. Start a project that is bigger than yourself.
26. Revisit an old hobby.
27. Teach someone something. (Anything!)
28. Learn something new each day. (Anything!)
29. Write in a daily journal.
30. Stretch yourself spiritually by suspending disbelief for a day.
31. Write a letter to your addiction where you say farewell to it.
32. Join a recovery forum online.
33. Start a free blog over at blogger.com and tell the world about your progress in recovery. Figure out your own tips on staying sober.
34. Reconnect with your family and spend time with them.
35. Go back to school.
36. Learn a new skill or trade.
37. Sponsor a newcomer.
38. Make a commitment to chair a meeting each week.
39. Celebrate the recovery of a friend.
40. Spend time with your family.
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41. Email the spiritual river guy and tell him your problems.
42. Celebrate your clean time with a cake.
43. Write out a gratitude list.
44. Read through your old journal entries and see how much you’ve changed.
45. Try a new form of meditation (or make up your own…there is no “wrong” here). Some of the best tips to stay sober come from within.
46. Write out a to-do list and cross each thing off as you accomplish it.
47. Always have a big goal in the back of your mind that is challenging for you, but would make your day if you met it.
48. Practice balance. Challenge your daily habits.
49. Practice humility. Always be in “learning mode.”
50. Forgive yourself and move on with your life.
51. Sit down and write 2 goals out for yourself: one big one and one little one. Keep the paper in your pocket.
52. Inspire someone else to grow. Challenge them to be a better person in some way. Encourage them through your own success.
53. Learn to relax. Find your quiet place of rejuvenation and return to it often.
54. Elevate your consciousness. Watch your own mind and see how it responds to events. Repeat often. Learn.
55. Find the beauty in life. Appreciate all of it. Be grateful for beauty itself.
56. Ask yourself with each decision: “Is this the healthiest choice for me right now?”
57. Quit smoking cigarettes already.
58. Be grateful for existence.
59. If you go to the same AA meetings all the time, switch it up and go to a completely new meeting.
60. Write a poem about how you are overcoming addiction.
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61. Turn off your television and read a book. Better: read recovery literature. Best: write your own recovery literature.
62. Use overwhelming force to conquer a goal.
63. Learn how to stay sober through creation of a new reality. Don’t settle. Create the life you really want in recovery.
64. Write your bucket list. Then, act.
65. Figure out your life purpose.
66. Write out a fourth step and share it with your sponsor.
67. Take care of yourself physically. Exercise. Take a walk. No excuses.
68. Keep your priorities straight. Physical abstinence is number one. Simple and effective.
69. Keep a high price on your serenity. Don’t sacrifice it for just anyone and their whims.
70. Use a sponsor for stage 2 recovery. Let them guide you through holistic living.
71. Take care of yourself mentally. Go back to school. Get that degree.
72. Find your own path. It is your responsibility to do so.
73. Practice humility and stay teachable. Always be learning.
74. Go to long term treatment and be done with it. Best decision I ever made.
75. Don’t pin your hopes on a short stay in rehab. It takes more than that.
76. Call your sponsor.
77. Get a sponsor.
78. Use a zero tolerance policy when it comes to self-pity. Never allow it for yourself ever again. Ever. It is poison.
79. Read recovery literature.
80. Join a recovery forum.
Photo by rene_ehrhardt
81. Use outpatient treatment if that works for you. Take it as seriously as possible and connect with the others in your group.
82. Meditate.
83. Pray.
84. Go out for coffee with a friend in recovery.
85. Find your passion.
86. Work out.
87. Join a church.
88. Volunteer.
89. Take care of yourself emotionally. Don’t get knocked too far off your square.
90. Stay vigilant against potential relapse. The disease can find many routes (gambling, prescription drugs, sex, etc.).
91. Go to a meeting.
92. Don’t pin your hopes on long term treatment. It takes a lifetime of learning for alcoholics and recovering drug addicts to recover.
93. Use long term strategic thinking. Care for yourself, network with others, and pursue conscious growth.
94. Don’t ask “why me?” Instead, ask “how can I create the life I really want now?”
95. Call a friend in recovery.
96. Sit down and write out a gratitude list.
97. Don’t live in fear of relapse. I wasted 5 years on this. Embrace the creative life and know you are strong in recovery.
98. Get extreme. Figure out what you need to do to stay sober…then double it and add ten. That’s how hard you have to push yourself.
99. Raise the bar. Stop settling. Use your talents as a gift to the world and make a difference in some way.
100. Live consciously. Set deliberate goals and go after them with overwhelming force.
101. Embrace the creative life in recovery and live holistically.
So those are my staying sober tips….anyone got any more?
If you found this helpful, please share it with others.
Recommended Reading
- Overcoming Addiction
- 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Recovery, Avoid Relapse, and Dominate Your Addiction Over the Holiday Season
- 10 Ways to Embrace Creative Recovery and Take Your Sobriety to the Next Level
- Warning: Taking Massive Action in Drug Addiction Recovery Could Result in Creating an Awesome Life that You are Genuinely Grateful For
- 10 Reasons that Addicts and Alcoholics Fail in Early Recovery
- Holistic Addiction Treatment Center
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This list has a tone I hate. It sounds like my punk ass jerk of a boss who nobody likes. I know they’r'e suggestions, but they suck. I suggest a different list
Someone once asked me,” DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF”. When I thought long and hard, I came up with the most honest answer I could think of, NO. How can I be of service to others, my wife and children, when I put myself through hell, It starts with me. I can’t express love and tolerance until I’m willing to forgive myself, until I’m honest enough to look at myself. I can’t go through life blaming everyone for the cards that I’ve been dealt with. How miserable I am is totally up to me, and no one else. Do I except me for who and what I am. If the answer is no, than am I atleast willing to change the things that keep me from loving myself. It all starts with me-good,bad,indifferent. I am so willing to be the person that I deserve. Will myself to live, will myself to die, It’s my choice. What am I willing to be today, may not be here tommorow, and yesterday is gone. Today I choose to live- good luck, GOD BLESS.
I for one have been struggling with booze for 20 years…I have successfully quit four times in that 20 years…but always managed to relapse. I have read a book Rational Recovery and I LOVE his concept. For those of you that are not into AA (which I am not) it is worth a read. It is knowing that you are only feeding your addiction not yourself. You don’t really want another drink or fix…but your addiction does. DON”T FEED IT. It is working for me. Whenever the little devil gets in my head I just tell it….Ask all you want…but I am not feeding you. In a short time the urge goes away.
Today was the frist day in 11 years I hated the way I feel,………………empty,hartless with no tears for relief nor joy. Ive had my moments with you and some were awsome and some where just horrible behond imagination. Im a begger with gun, a soules monster of fakeness and lies; CLOWNSHOES.
I cheated, I lied, I stole everything in my path………………Im an embaressment to men everywhere.
Now I want it back …………….my life, my love and my sanity…………please, something to belive in.This is my letter and my promise to jeasus crist that I will never turn my back on hime ever agian. ( I love me right now and Im makeing mends with you so I can continue on in peace. I am smart and I work hard to care about people and how they feel, maybe it’s time to care how I feel……..im young and I would like to be a selfesh a little.
No more of this shit, I have a life to live and dieing would just wreck my image.
This addiction doesn’t need a celebration for it’s goodbye. Theres never a right time to say good bye. Im unbreakable
This is a great site. I had 21 years sober. Had. I took my sobriety for granted. And fell hard. I’m back to the program now. Its all about today. I had forgot that one fundamental rule for us. One day at a time.
To Tom,
That poem brought tears to my eyes. I feel the same way about my addiction.. I hope you don’t mind I copied and pasted it on a word doc so I could hang it up in my “man cave” so I can read it every time I get weak… I am going through the “tapering” process with oxycodone right now…. I am reading all this and will take alot of the advice as I try to start my journey into sobriety..
My partner is a heroin addict in recovery and I am a recovering alcoholic. We have found that hanging out with friends or family on a regular basis, going to movies, working out and volunteering have really made a tremendous positive impact. Saying congrats every day can fuel the fires of addiction. At one time it was something we talked about every day; he was just 3 months clean when we started going out and I was still abusing. Now it’s something that comes up every now and then but it doesn’t need to be something we talk about every single day. I take him to NA and he goes with me to AA. That seems to be all the discussion we need. Support is worth more than a thousand conversations! Anyone who is out there who is reading this I encourage you to go out and change your life. Life is a wonderful blessing and SO worth living :)
I have just almost lost everything due to my addiction and believe me thats a lot, but, at almost rock bottom something just clicked even though everyone around me is dirty, I Am Clean today, and pray that lasts forever. Nothing like living with another addict to show you where this will lead
Thanks Rhonda and you are so right in what you said. Being with another addict actually made me realize two things: one that I was killing myself and two: that I loved him way too much to either be responsible for him relapsing or hurting myself in a drunken stupor. He is an inspiration every day to stay clean :)
I am just starting my journey into a life of sobriety. I am terrified to be honest, but I also realize that if I don’t do this now, my life will end up in shambles and despair. I pray for all of you that are fighting this horrible curse, and I hope you do the same thing for me.
i have been an alcoholic for over 10 years now and im only 26. Ive lied cheated stole and got the hell beat out of me to many times to even say. but i got on a sober wagon 9 months ago and rode hard for what seemed to be the best 9 months of my life! I enjoyed my 2 little ones more, got up earlier and got more accomplished throughout the day. i even made it to church almost every Sunday during my sobriety…but then i fell off! in July i started consuming almost over ten drinks a day. and for me that means i was wasted! my body just flat out dosent know how to handle alcohol! im starting again today with a new life once again…wish me luck~
# 56 is the main thing that keeps me sober today. Now, over a year removed from alcohol, I can clearly see how I was being held prisoner. Before I do ANYTHING, I DECIDE IF IT WILL HELP OR HINDER MY PROGRESSION TOWARD THE LIFE I WANT.
I struggled with cocaine and ecstacy addiction. I just got out of treatment. It was a wilderness program in Utah i was there for 10 weeks. I just got out, and i want to be sober. It is hard already especially in the city I live in. I think everyone looking at this website can do it. Stay strong, and dont get down on yourselves for relapse, look at it as improvement rather than failure
being sober feels so good… I love being free… Ivy
pure, clean and free… just belive… my body feels so good… refreshed… Ivy
Live,love,laugh,be sober
These are all great tips, IMHO.
However, not all tips would work for everyone. This isn’t a one size fits all shoe.
The best way is to try out as many tips as possible and focus on those that work best for you in staying sober.
Cheers
Khaiyong
stopdrinkingforever.com
remember how you were before you sold you sole to the devil,look at yourself now,what had you hoped for you life…what life do you have.Set objectives for yourself.you’re a wonderful person and how can anyone see it if you can’t. improve your self love by not allowing your addiction to rule/control you.come on,your done with this rubbish-effortlessly,wholeheartedly..so done with it.enjoy the glow and peace.love you all…fight on warrior,you will conquor.
Visit Intherooms.com It helped me Alot!
All of your stories and quotes are very heplful and very much appreciated. My drug of choice was Oxycontin and herion. I am proud to say I’m sober 70 days. I am looking for advice every where to stay sober. It has been a long and rough road to this point. But I am proof that it can be done by sharing with addicts and non addicts,going to my meetings and also recieving outpatient help. I was doing drugs for close to 17 years. Please all of you keep on fighting, do not give up, don’t ever give up!!! Your life is so worth it, you all are wonderful,beautiful human beings.
When one door closes, another opens,but we often look so long, regrettfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.
Whew! Did I EVER need this fresh, enlightening spin on sobriety, serenity, action, and progress!!! THANK you for making this available!!! I’m learning~daily~that it all boils down to Peace, Love, and Joy (Mercy and Forgiveness are lodged well within all of that)… and THoSe are my primary objectives!!
These tips were very helpful. I run a weekly podcast on addiction and have mentioned several of the tips in my podcast this week. I have noted the site where they came from several times as I want to make sure that you receive credit.
Thanks for all that you do.
Todd
I am 32 years old an looking back I am astonished to realize that alcoholism has been affecting my life negatively for about 18 years. ENOUGH! Enough of this madness. I know this will be the hardest fight of my life but I also know that I can do this.
I would very much appreciate your inspiring words and stories on staying sober, please write me at myblogjv@gmail.com
Thank You
Victory
It is hard to forgive yourself sometimes. I look back and only remember bad memories sometimes. For more than half my life I have abused alcohol, drugs, sex. I am pretty much a straight up addict. Impulsive and functional. That is the worst part…at the lowest point I was still going to work or making it seem like my life was okay. Even when I was put in an crazy house for trying to commit suicide. I made everyone believe it was okay. My friends see me drink…and think it’s amazing..wow you can drink 10-20 shots of jager…beer all night. Ya well that’s called an alcoholic. Drugs…let’s see…I’ve tried them all. The worst for me were crack and meth. If you would look at me you would never know. I am college educated..have a good job…friends. I have always felt alone. Something was missing. This high filled this emptiness. So in saying this, what i did and am still trying to do is fill that space. My advice is to find something else to fill it ..not a quick fix. Find yourself again…what you are passionate about….It might have been so long since you were sober you don’t know. Well try..try new things, hangout with different people, get a pet…something anything. Your life can be better. Good luck.
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