Sobriety tools

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 knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Newcomers are not asked to accept or follow these Twelve Steps in their entirety if they feel unwilling or unable to do so. They will usually be asked to keep an open mind, to attend meetings at which recovered alcoholics describe their personal experiences in achieving sobriety, and to read A. At the same time, it will be pointed out that all available medical testimony indicates that alcoholism is a progressive illness, that it cannot be cured in the ordinary sense of the term, but that it can be arrested through total abstinence from alcohol in any form.

The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. During its first decade, A. Grapevine, these principles were reduced to writing by the founders and early members as the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

They were accepted and endorsed by the membership as a whole at the International Convention of A. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. The only requirement for A.

Keeping a robust recovery toolbox is really important because it is how many of us stay sober. And so, we bring you this: A list of the top 20 recovery tools that our audience says is crucial to their own recovery.

So check out this list and, hey, maybe try something new for yourself. But, really, any kind of moving your body is good for you! Therapy: Plenty of people recommended therapy to the rest of us, and for good reason. A lot of the times, this requires going to bed early with NO apologies. This also includes getting into your comfiest PJs early on in the evening and napping as much as you want, guilt-free. Nourishing food: There are all kinds of food and drinks that people rely on during their recovery process.

Some were all about ice cream and cookies, while others relied on healthy eating. And, of course, ALL of the drinks… including kombucha, ginger beer , iced coffee, sparkling water, and, of course, many varieties of tea. Instagram: Although some will say that limited social media and screen time is good for your sobriety and it can be , others talked about how much alcohol-free, recovery, and sobriety Instagram content as an integral part of their own recovery.

Sober days tracker: Who loves to track their days? Maybe you can try one in a safe space, like a sober bar? Being part of a program and community: Yes, we have our online communities but many of us also still rely on in-person meetings such as AA and other alternative groups and programs.

Create a shortlist of go-to tools. Pick ten tools that work for you - your favorites - and write them on a slip of paper and keep it with you. If you're an overachiever you can categorize this list, or you can even type it up, print it out, and stick it in different places.

You do not want to be sitting there with too many options when you are freaking the fuck out. Find ten, stick with ten, refer to the list of ten when you need something, pick one of the ten, and then do it. Create a physical toolbox. I have this cute little green leather pouch that I carry with me.

It has essential oils, teas, lotions, a soothing eye roller, a rosary, a mala, a rock my friend gave me. It's not dissimilar to the Hello Kitty purse I carried when I was five. Here are some of my favorite things to get you started.

I have split them up by category, so some may appear twice. Note, some of these things you can do at your desk, some you will need to find a private space like a bathroom stall or closet or empty room , some you can do in your car, etc. You'll have to try them to understand how to best fit them into your life. Long Deep Breathing. This is the tool that I used so much, I now do it throughout the day without even thinking about it.

You can do Long Deep Breaths to bring an immediate sense of calm. Here is a piece I wrote on WHY they work so well in addiction recovery. Set a phone timer for 3 to 5 minutes, or do ten Long Deep Breaths in a row. Breath of Fire. I use this tool almost daily as well I actually used it as I was writing this sentience. Breath of Fire is a somewhat challenging breath technique that is slightly uncomfortable at first, but the reward at the end is worth it - it packs a big punch.

You can use it to calm yourself, to move out of a reactive state, or to move out of a craving state. There is NOTHING I have found that is more powerful than this practice - it floods your body with fresh oxygen and it never fails me how powerful that is. Set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes and practice it, or count to Caliber of Life Meditation.

This is my go to when I am feeling anxious or in panic. It is what effectively broke me out of panic attacks. Set a phone timer for 3 minutes, and build up to 5. Unlike Breath of Fire or Long Deep Breaths, you can't really practice this out in public, so find a private space. Left Nostril Breathing. You can watch the tutorial on how to do this breath technique, but the basic idea is to close off your right nostril and breath through the left nostril for a period of time, doing Long Deep Breaths.

It brings a sense of calmness. It's good when you need a more sedative breath. Set a phone timer to breath through the left nostril for 3 minutes, or do 10 Long Deep Breaths through the left nostril. Tattva Balancer Meditation. This meditation brings a deep sense of mental clarity, a sense of balance, and is great at relieving stress. I've used this when I'm in extremely uncomfortable situations like for instance, when my friend Tim moved his boyfriend's furniture out of their apartment and into the hallway, and wanted me to be there for the surprise.

Learn the practice by watching the linked tutorial above, or this YogaGlo video , and cut the time down to 3 minutes. Kava Tea. This is one of my favorite go-tos for calming me down immediately. I keep bags on me and pull them out when I'm feeling over-caffeinated, or too amped up.

They live in my little green bag. You can also try Yogi Bedtime Tea , which has valerian root this knocks me out. Lavender Essential Oil. Essential oil is one of my go to tools to bring me back to center these things also live in my green bag , and lavender is by far my favorite. Put a few drops on your palms, rub your palms together, cup your nose, and inhale deeply. Immediate relief. Hot baths! Okay so this is not something you can carry around with you or access at all times, but if there is a bath available and I need to calm down, you better believe I will find a way to get in it.

In the early part of recovery, I spent a better part of my life in the bath. I'd throw a few cups of epsom salts detoxifying! I can't recommend this more. One of my friends told me about ASMR videos on YouTube - she was using them to relax and get the same instant melty feeling she got from alcohol, and she told me "it's weird and it doesn't work for everyone but check it.

At first, I was certain that I'd stumbled on to some sort of fetishism, but after listening to a few videos for about 10 minutes, I was drooling levels of relaxed. It takes a while to get past the fact that there is role playing going on and a woman named Maria is pretending to apply make-up to my face through the computer, but it's effective at relaxing me.

Also, let's never talk about this in real life if we meet. The Original Gangster. Pigeon Pose or other hip opening yoga exercises allow for you to release held emotions. If you practice yoga, get yourself into Pigeon Pose and imagine as you are doing it that the charge is draining out through the hips into the ground.

Bonus, if you can, press your third eye place between your eyebrows into the ground, your fists, or a block as you bend forward to activate a sedative response.