Tool box

[BurrCO]

Tool box

Wow. This site is great. This is my first post but I've been reading stuff from this site all day long. I've been sober for about 2 weeks now and this has definitely help me with some of the cravings ive been having. I wish I could say I feel great being sober but I've been HORRIBLY sick with some cold or virus or something since before I stopped drinking. lol. Just my luck. It has been nice not spending all my time suffering in the morning or spending all my time in a liquor store though.

[~EVA~]

Tool box

toolbox

HI~
I have done many things to keep me sober (name it, I've tried it). One of the most useful things I got was from the S.O.S. (Save Our Selves) website ToolBox. It's a sobriety toolbox & I thought I'd pass it on:

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Your Sobriety Toolkit

Tool: A means by which something is done or obtained.
Did you ever try to fix or adjust something without the proper tool? These are some tools of sobriety. There are many more. Look into the population of alcoholics and the field of alcoholism and you will find a tool for whatever needs fixing or adjusting. If you don?t find just the right tool, fashion one yourself.

No matter what ? there is no valid reason on earth to drink again.

Here?s sobriety ? there?s everything else ? separate and prioritize sobriety.

Seriousness ? this is nothing less than life or death.

Determination ? there is no turning back, especially if it gets rough. You?ve gotten another chance at life. How many really have that chance? Sobriety doesn?t fix everything, but it makes it possible.

Information ? retrain your brain; stimulate it with things related to alcoholism: books, audiotapes, videotapes, movies, pamphlets, brochures, meetings, plays, television and radio, newspapers and magazine articles, etc.

People ? human contact is powerful. Try to meet people, at least one, and be sure to meet other alcoholics. Interaction fights the old patterns of isolation.

Honesty ? this is the time to get things into the open. Get rid of the shadows and darknesses of the past. Put light on the dark things and they lose their power. Things can be dealt with reasonably when they?re seen as they truly are.

Listening ? especially to people with long-term sobriety.

Take notes ? anytime; but especially in early sobriety when memory can be tricky.

Meetings ? be with people who want better lives and are taking actions to get what they want. Meetings are a good place to establish or re-establish social skills in a supportive environment. There is a lot to learn and feel in a meeting. You are not alone. You have not done the worst or been the most; there are always those who have ?bettered? you. Think about what you hear and see, but better yet is to feel what you hear and see at meetings.

Folk wisdom and slogans ? don?t underestimate them.

Commitments ? if you make them, keep them. You show yourself and others a lot by doing so.

Personal ?program? ? develop your own recovery process from what you hear and see. It has to be what works for you, not anybody else.

Sharing ? surprisingly therapeutic when done honestly. Free yourself from holding things in.

Phones ? get plenty of phone numbers of other alcoholics and use them.

Willingness ? allow yourself to change. You have nothing to lose.

Openness ? Don?t reject ideas without at least considering them.

Approachability ? isolation can be deadly.

Ask questions ? no matter how foolish you think they seem. Never be afraid to ask other alcoholics about things.

Nutrition ? improve it any way you can.

Exercise ? however little, even just moving around.

Help other alcoholics ? you really can keep it by giving it away.

Joy ? it?s great to be alive and sober.

Perceptions ? it?s all real, not diluted or distorted. A keen, rich mind versus a drugged, limited mind.

Easily obtainable goals ? success breeds more success. Reach for the moon later.

Call-up ? remember, visualize, and image behaviors and incidents from your drinking days that are repellent and associated with alcohol. Replace ?alcohol good? with ?alcohol bad?. This is especially useful when you feel seduced by alcohol or cocksure about sobriety.

Live in the present ? visits to the past are okay, but don?t freeze your life there.

Abstinence ? the only sure way to stay sober. Any statement to the contrary is hypothesis or commentary. Don?t drink, no matter what.

Avoid ?slippery? places, people and things ? reinforce ?alcohol bad? by avoiding the places, people and things you associate with ?alcohol good.? If you can?t avoid, you must be aware that they are dangerous to your sobriety and proceed with caution.

Safeguard your sobriety ? don?t be concerned with what others think of how you do it. Don?t be embarrassed if what you need to do to stay sober is ?un-adult,? ?uncool,? ?weak,? or ?stupid? in the opinion of others. You are rebuilding and recreating yourself. You want to own your life, not be a slave to alcohol. It?s your life and your sobriety. Try to avoid things like homicide and robbery as tools to keep you sober, but be as flexible as you can in using whatever it takes to safeguard your sobriety. Be aware.

Acceptance ? of your alcoholism. Think of the things you used to do that were related to alcohol and the need to drink. Were they normal? Does anyone but an alcoholic do these things? Know that you are an alcoholic like someone with diabetes or allergies knows his or her reality. Don?t be ashamed, be aware.

Fear ? use it if you get it. Don?t live in fear, but use it. The same goes for horror, shame, regret or any other negative thoughts or feelings that may come when you think about your drinking days. Don?t stifle or deny these states of mind. Use them as tools to reinforce yourself, not stumbling blocks.

Watch for tools ? everything can be a tool to help maintain sobriety. Train your mind to see and hear tools. Don?t doublethink yourself. If it works for you, use it. If you feel it may work for you, try it. You are fighting for your life, nothing less. You are the owner of your life. You are responsible for the caretaking of your life and you have decided to find better ways to live. Other people have gone before you and put together their own ?tool kits.? Ask them to share.

Do it now ? procrastination is an anti-tool, feeding the negative and working against self-esteem.

Credit yourself ? for your attainment and maintenance of sobriety. Others may have helped, but you did it.

Enjoy life ? you can be dead any time. Drinking is slow suicide. Life is a banquet. Depth, complexity, the full fabric of life is yours to experience. The blinders and mufflers are off. Think of yourself as a child occasionally. Experience wonder and intensity.

It?s right ? when you are sober, you feel ?in your spine? that it is right. Believe your guts on this when the feeling comes.

Care about yourself ? things you do for yourself tell you at a gut level that you care about yourself. You have the option to make things bad or good for yourself.

Alcohol is not a tool ? everything you were able to do under alcohol?s influence came from between your ears. Don?t think you are less creative, a lousy dancer, etc.

Remind yourself ? even when you think you have ?got it,? remind yourself. Never again. Keep it fresh.

Imagery ? for example, be mad at alcohol. Hate it for what it has done to you and those you care about. Being free of a horrible nightmare, knowing you are sober, is far better than the relief of waking from a bad dream. You were running on empty; as your drinking progressed, you were getting closer to the end of your life.

Make concepts real ? if you are having a bad day, start it over, anytime, any number of times.

Visualize ? for example, drunk living is wimp living.

Expect good things ? they happen when we expect them. Mindset in a positive light gets us to perceive positive, helpful things rather than negative, destructive things.

Interrupt negative thoughts ? identify them as ?drinking thinking? or some such. Change them, turn them around, obliterate them.

Look at drunks ? especially when they are trying to pass as sober. Listen to what they are saying. Is that a wonderful life?

Action ? no matter how small it seems.

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[SIZE=4]hope this helps...I printed it out a long time ago & read it often.
peace to all.
E Attached files [img]/converted_files/1189679=1039-attachment.gif[/img]

[santybury]

Tool box

A Work in Progress;468186 wrote:
What is a plan, and how do I get one???


I can't count how many times I have made the suggestion to new folks here to "get a plan" for their recovery from alcohol abuse. The old phrase: "failing to plan is planning to fail" is very true in so many situations... and especially so in the case of those of us who are beginning (and continuing) the path of freedom from the devastation of alcohol abuse.

SO: What is a plan, and how do I get one?

The MWO book, and what we call the MWO program, discuss and recommend a number of elements that have proven very helpful to many, many people who have used them. They include (and I have added a few, based on my own experience and that of many MWO members):

• Exercise (doesn't have to be a whole lot; some brisk walking, 3 or 4 days a week, is helpful)
• Hypnotherapy (you can buy the recordings on the MWO site in the "store")
• Meditation (many of us practice meditation)
• Dietary supplements (see the MWO book, the "store" here onsite, and the threads here on "Holistic Healing")
• A healthy diet, and regular mealsMedication (preferably with help, advice, and a prescription from your physician)Spending a significant amount of time here at MWO, reading the posts of others, getting to know people, asking questions, and talking about your progress and your strugglesGoing to AA meetingsChanging our environment: Getting alcohol out of the house; not going to bars; not hanging around with "drinking buddies"

Most people do not use ALL elements in this list; but those who are successful tend to use a LOT of them. And we tend to adjust and tweak the elements, as we see what works for us (and for others).

Equally important is something we call the "mental game." This is short-hand for the process of changing our thinking and attitudes toward: alcohol, drinking, our emotions, and our behavior. We must learn a whole new approach to problems in life (we don't try to drink them away, any more), and we don't see alcohol as a "reward" for having accomplished something. We learn to tolerate distress, including the urges and impulses and cravings for drink, and we allow them to naturally pass away, without giving in to them. We learn not to engage in battles within our minds about drinking; we step away from that whole process, and choose to think about, and do, something else.

Perhaps most important: we recognize that the work of recovery truly is "work," and it takes time, effort, and sometimes it costs money. Sometimes it is costly in other ways, as well; friendships and other close relationships will be changed, when we change. And that can be painful. Making this kind of change will have an impact on all areas of our lives; that is a very, very good thing; it can also be accompanied by some pain. Again... we must learn to tolerate the discomforts involved in life changes. There will be some emotional upheaval along the way. We might want to seek counseling or psychotherapy; we certainly will benefit from coming here and talking about it.

Making a plan, and following it, is an act of mature recognition of the fact that, for nearly all of us, just wishing and hoping that we will stop drinking (or begin drinking "normally") "on our own" is not going to work. Remember: nobody ever "wished and hoped" their way through any important project. But with persistence, and support from others, following a plan can take us to the places in our lives where we really want to go.

wip

Hi Wip
Thankyou for that. I dont have a plan and that could be why im busy getting nowhere. I have ordered Baclofen but done little else other than come on here. Your comment about loosing friends and changing friendships is so true. I have come to realise that most of my friendships are with those that like to drink, we seek each other out to blend in I guess. One good thing about being on here though, is the awareness it gives you. I am actually thinking about what im doing rather than just doing it. Today though im going to sit down and make my plan so thanks again !:thanks:

[happy2b]

Tool box

What a wonderful set of principles. I'm glad I have arrived here and I'm optimistic that I won't need to self-medicate any more. What a relief, I can't tell you.

[tantangra]

Tool box

Thank you

Thank you all.
I have printed out several pages to keep reading. Now I know how to visit6 my family and not drink.
Tant

[sk8punk]

Tool box

Very helpful. So glad I found this place!

[sk8punk]

Tool box

Very helpful. So glad I found this place!

[SpiritGirl]

Tool box

Eva - wonderful post! I, too, will print it our and read it often! Thanks!

[SpiritGirl]

Tool box

Eva - wonderful post! I, too, will print it our and read it often! Thanks!

[GoodAsGold]

Tool box

Bump !

[GoodAsGold]

Tool box

Bump !

[Rubyblu]

Tool box

Thank you to everyone here who has contributed, its so generous of you all and so inspiring,

Ive printed off all the pages and am going to read them everyday adn also get my own plan together. Im just so glas I found this site. You are all amazing.

x

[Rubyblu]

Tool box

Thank you to everyone here who has contributed, its so generous of you all and so inspiring,

Ive printed off all the pages and am going to read them everyday adn also get my own plan together. Im just so glas I found this site. You are all amazing.

x

[techie]

Tool box

GREAT TOOLS, ADVICE, SUGGESTIONS & DIRECTION :thanks:

[techie]

Tool box

GREAT TOOLS, ADVICE, SUGGESTIONS & DIRECTION :thanks: