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Is a Personal Inventory Part of Your Recovery Program?

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Doing a personal inventory is an important part of maintaining your sobriety and recovery. In fact, Step 10 suggests you do it regularly. But just how do you do it?

In The Recovery Book (page 362), Dr. Al suggests asking yourself a number of specific questions, all sorted into our familiar Recovery Zone System categories.

Read through the questions below, or download a printer-friendly version with space for writing.

Recovery Activities

Did I have a plan for the day, and did I follow it?

With whom did I spend most of my time?

Where did I spend my time?

Did anything threaten my sobriety recently? What?

What specific work did I do on my recovery program (attending meetings, doing meditations, reading fellowship materials, or listening to recordings, etc.)?

Back to School & Sober: 12 Tips for Success

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Heading back to school this fall as a newly sober person? Maybe you just finished treatment, or maybe you took a year off to build a really strong foundation for your recovery.

Wherever you are in your recovery, you might be nervous about heading back to school. Totally understandable. Maybe you’re worried you’ll be the only person not partying. You might fear you won’t have any fun. You might be afraid you’ll be tempted to use again, being surrounded by lots of partying students.

The good news is, these days there are many high school and college students in recovery. You are not the only one. Far from it.

With some preparation you can have a school year filled with academic achievements, a great social life, and no relapse. Below, a dozen ideas to help you succeed:

1. Get involved in a recovery program. Recovery programs help build self-esteem, self-respect, … Read more...

Back to School & Sober: How to Resist Peer Pressure

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“I just went back to school after six weeks of addiction treatment and summer vacation. What do I do when my friends ask if I want to get high?”

When you go back to school you will likely run into temptations to drink to use drugs. You need to make a plan to deal with this kind of situation long before it comes up, or you might have trouble refusing these offers.

Peer pressure can be tough to fight, but you can resist. All you need are the right tools. You probably got some of them in treatment, and you’ll pick up others as you go to more AA or NA meetings.

Talk about this issue with your counselor, your sponsor, and other students at your school who are in a recovery fellowship. Ask them exactly what they do to avoid problems. The following tips may also help:

Think ahead

How to Clean Up Your Online Reputation

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If you’re like many people, you live a good portion of your life online. You’ve been sharing bits of yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, Flickr and other online venues for years. If you’ve been drinking and doing drugs, some of what you and others have shared about you may be less than flattering.

Now that you are getting into recovery and a life of sobriety, you might want to get rid of some of that evidence of your past life. You also need to get rid of any photos or comments (or online friends) that could act as a trigger and potentially lead you to a relapse.

Do this cleanup for yourself, so you can avoid running into reminders of your past and can concentrate on where you are now. Do it also so you can project a better image for future employers and others. (You might want to … Read more...

Ask Dr. Al: What is Recovery?

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What is Recovery?

Getting and staying sober is the first priority when someone gets into recovery. But most soon learn that recovery is about so much more. Here are some basic truths about living in recovery.

Recovery is a way of life. Recovery is about building and enjoying a better life for yourself in sobriety. It’s about finding and developing loving relationships, solid friendships, strong community ties, satisfying work, and invigorating play. It’s about spending your life in good health and good spirits. It’s about living a good life steeped in the culture of recovery. What is Recovery

Recovery is about healing. Over time you’ll notice that your body is healing. Even better, your brain will be healing as well. Addiction hijacked your brain, making it very hard for you to make good choices. As you focus your thoughts and actions on sobriety and recovery, your cravings will disappear and your thoughts will … Read more...

37 Ideas to Help You Stay Sober During The Holidays

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For some people in recovery, the holidays can be tough. But you can make it to January with your sobriety intact. You don’t have to let unfulfilled expectations, stressful family dynamics, or crazy in-laws threaten your recovery. Not to mention all those holiday parties.

You just need a bit of preparation. Start planning your strategy now, with these #soberholidays tips from The Recovery Book and the workbook companion My Life in Recovery.

Sober Holidays Tip #1: Remind yourself every single morning how good it feels to be sober (and how great it will feel come January). Plant that thought in your mind right now, and think about it every morning. Stick a note on your bathroom mirror to remind yourself to think about it every day.

>> Download the first 3 chapters of The Recovery Book FREE at Amazon <<

>> Download a free sample of My Life in Recovery… Read more...