If you’ve read the previous installments, you know that sobriety has been a challenge for me. It’s taken me five or six years to achieve one year of sobriety. In this post, I’ll try to focus on what has been working for me.
Going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: I’ve been doing this for a while now, but it’s still a big part of my sobriety. I usually make five to six meetings a week. I started out working with Narcotics Anonymous but I’ve found a good AA home group that fits my schedule better.
Working the steps: The fellowship is great and I genuinely enjoy seeing the people I’ve met in the rooms. Without working a program, though, I’d be lost. The twelve steps have helped me to gain a better perspective on who I am and why I did what I did. I’m content inside my own skin today and I can credit most of that to the steps.
Doing service work: I try to go to detox meetings two to three times a month. It’s a great way to remember where I came from and to try and help others out that are struggling. It’s very easy to forget the pain of my last drink/drug and this keeps it in the forefront of my mind.
Calling another alcoholic daily: I struggled with this one for a long time. I hated picking up the phone and calling my sponsor or another person in the program. It does, however, get easier with time. I have a pretty long list of names I can call if I need to reach out for help.
Sponsorship: Getting and using a sponsor has also been a struggle. I’ve always had one, but I haven’t always been open or honest with one. Finding someone that I respect and look up to has helped me immensely.
Therapy: I still see a counselor and psychiatrist to help with my sobriety. It’s nice to have a professional to process things with and find solutions.
Medication: You’ll occasionally find some resistance to this in the rooms, but it’s been a big part of my recovery. I still take an anti-depressant. I also take Vivitrol which blocks my opiate receptors so that I couldn’t get high off of heroin even if I wanted to. I tried suboxone, but found that it didn’t work for me. I would just go off of it long enough to get high again. Vivitrol is a monthly shot. Don’t be afraid to use medicine to help you in your journey.
Persistence: Like I mentioned, I’ve been at this for some time. Persevering has been a huge part of my sobriety. Although I relapsed a lot, I always got back up (with the support of others) and tried again.
Relationships: Besides having the support of people in the rooms, I’ve always had a supportive family and girlfriend (now wife). This isn’t always possible, but it definitely makes things easier in sobriety.
Prayer: Every morning I get on my knees and recite the third step prayer. I’ve found that I need the assistance of a higher power to help me stay sober. I have not been able to do it alone. I’ve had to admit that a power greater than myself, ‘could restore me to sanity.’
So those are some tips off of the top of my head. They’ve been key in my sobriety and I wish anyone looking to make that journey the best of luck. Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment/follow!
Part I:
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety
Part II:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-is-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-ii
Part III:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-is-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-iii
Part IV:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-iv
Part V:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-v
Part VI:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-vi-happy-4-20-lol
Part VII:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-vii
Part VIII:
https://steemit.com/life/@ikilledcobain/what-it-was-like-what-happened-and-what-it-s-like-now-a-year-of-sobriety-part-viii
Hey there,
i also suffered from an addiction. Have you heard of Teen Challenge? (https://www.teenchallenge.org/) The program is hard, but i went through it and it completely cured me. After twelf years of substance abuse i'm really set free. I#m even a non-smoker now. I couldn't imagine that 2 years ago. I think the best idea is to go somewhere stationary. I know, you miss out some time, but it will pay out. It is way easier to stay clean, if nothing around you reminds you of your addiction. This goes also for people, that would remind you of drinking. See my story here: (https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@parantel/who-i-am-and-what-i-do-introduction-post)
Looks interesting, but I can't say I've heard of it. I stick mostly to AA and it's been very helpful for me. Thanks for the comment!
new to steem it and am so glad to find someone writing about 12-step recovery and vivitrol. that's what works!!!!!!