Newbies Nest

[Guitarista]

Newbies Nest

Top of the friday morning to you Nesters.

Just checking in. In the arena and going for it. Take care Kensho, you're doing great.

G bloke.

[Guitarista]

Newbies Nest

Kensho.

101 Things to Keep You Clean & Sober
Use a few of these great tips in helping yourself --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. Buy a pet and care for it.

19. Eat a gourmet meal.

20. Cook a gourmet meal.

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.

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.

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. Use the Sedona method to release emotions that are holding you back.

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.

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.

SOURCE: Spiritual River | Addiction Help

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

I hope the first day of Spring was good for everyone

Kensho, use that Clearing CD - honestly, it helps with the anxiety

Hi there G, Jim & others I don't see too often.

Wishing everyone a safe night in the Nest!

Lav

PS: K9, I'll be expecting a signed copy of your book as soon as it's released :H

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

That's a great list, Guitarista. Don't forget #102, watch, Here comes Honey Boo Boo. Oh my word, have you ever seen such a train wreck? Makes my family look like scholars!!! Holy moly. B

[New Dreams]

Newbies Nest

KENSHO;1639867 wrote: Why is my anxiety through the roof today? Typical of AF Day 4?

I know mine was...but it gets better ...hang in

[Pavati]

Newbies Nest

MAE, all:

Jane - one of the best scenes about alcoholism I've seen is from the West Wing - http://youtu.be/uJn_H9FAbW0[/video]]when Leo drinks again.

I'm an alcoholic, I don't have one drink. I don't understand people who have one drink. I don't understand people who leave half a glass of wine on the table. I don't understand people who say they've had enough. How can you have enough of feeling like this?

Yep.

Byrdie - Checkers with Robert Redford is about as dreamy as it gets. I always preferred Paul Newman, but Rob would do in a pinch...

Nursie - hope you feel better.

As for anxiety Kensho and anyone - I love this website that Sunbeam posted in the Tool Box - Three Tips to Lower Anxiety.

My son's basketball team won the championship and we all went to dinner. We all (approx 30) went out to dinner and when it came time to split the bill we did it by person - I realized for the first time since quitting that I was screwed as there were pitchers of margaritas flowing. I guess it is pay back for all those times I had the last drink from the bottom of the pitcher... Separate checks, please!

Stay strong, Nesters. Hope you are dusting off your plans for the weekend. What are you doing Friday after work? It is just another day...

[DreamThinkDo]

Newbies Nest

MAE Nesters!

I found a group photo of us - butt velcro and all!



We have a public holiday today, I've finished a project ahead of deadline and so have absolutely no reason at all to get up early - and guess what happens? The Sleep Fairy decides to do a runner. I'm listening to the birds waking up.

KENSHO;1640000 wrote: Glad to hear it Pauly, because if it stays this hard I'd probably just rather be a drinker.
KENSHO;1640005 wrote: If you tell me it will get easier than this, I will hang in there. This is hard.

Kensho, not only does not drinking get easier, life becomes indescribably better - have a lovely day today!

Pav, well done to your son and his team! That quote is so so true. I used to laugh at articles giving tips on what to do with leftover wine. What? There is something like leftover wine? Really? Have a good Frursday!

Have a lovely AF POETS Day Nesters!

[Pavati]

Newbies Nest

:gramps: Hey, look! I became a senior member.

[DreamThinkDo]

Newbies Nest

Pavati;1640073 wrote: :gramps: Hey, look! I became a senior member.

:bow:bow:bow

:goodjob:, motor mouth! :l

[Sarah42]

Newbies Nest

Byrdie- love Robert Redford, but Harrison Ford was always my "ohhh lalala". I mean come on....he always saves the 'lady; in the Indiana Jones movie series...not to mention..he is "HOT!!!" lol

Been hard to be here the last few days since the site having issues. I haven't abstained since my first 1 day AF, but learned quite a bit from doing so. I plan another AF day for me soon, and now I know what triggers to combat when doing so. I suppose this whole process is truly a learning process. Someone said in another thread here on MWO that we should treat this like a 'college course'. I get that now.

For now, I'm not putting any expectations on myself nor making myself (or anyone else) promises. I think part of my problem was 'obsessing' over this which made me think MORE about AL than I ever did before, and instead of helping me...it hurt. I think it's best for me to think about the distractions that 'deter' me away from AL rather than be focused on it.

As I said though, this is a learning process, and I'm only a baby here, and appreciate all knowledge/advice etc. that I gain from here.

Love,

sarah

[Petrelhead]

Newbies Nest

Hi all!!

Glad to hear everybody in good spirits. Someone will have to explain to naive me what " butt Velcro" is. I assume it's about not falling out of the nest ( off the wagon)??

I ran this morning and felt good. Hopefully getting my mojo back

It's Friday night here. Time for a diet ginger ale.

I printed out your list Mr.G. I hope that's okay. That's the sort of list we need in our face everyday. I plan to pin it on the wall.

[New Dreams]

Newbies Nest

I'm with you PH, what the devil is this butt Velco & when did it's use start? I am quite sure your assessment is correct.

Woohoo Day 21 begins. Last night was the first night I went to bed with out the aide of asleep aide of any kind (check that I did have a calm-forte which has Valerian) but w/o any of my Usual sleep aides...and slept well at least until 4:30....which is why I am up and posting now.
If I went to bed 3 weeks ago w/o...it would take me 2 hours to fall asleep...now my body seems to be finally adjusting. Tired ...go to bed....sleep.

Still have a little trouble some evenings at the witching hour....but as hubby & I are doing this together & we dumped all the booze ceremoniously Feb 28th...it's just a matter of waiting it out...we talk about it & all is better.

I know someone else talked about juicing somewhere on this thread, Hubby & I juice...have juiced on & off for years...decided to start again even before we went AF. For us it usually consisted of a vegetable cocktail in the am. Recently we've started adding some Fruit juices in the afternoon...they make some amazing mocktails. Two of my new favorites are BlueMint Fizz, pt of fresh blueberries a handful of fresh mint...run thru the juicer serve over crushed ice & top off with sparkling water... I like to add a few drops of Stevia to sweeten a touch. The other it a grapefruit & apple yum!

[Petrelhead]

Newbies Nest

Hi dreams. I can relate to all you say.

I struggled with sleep the entire first week. But the second week, I began running every morning. It really helped, so by the end of the day, after work, I was physically exhausted, and started to sleep a lot better. Probably a combination of that, and not relying on Al to "knock me out".

I love juicing and blending smoothies.

I see you're about as far down the road as me. Good stuff and well done! Let's power on.

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good morning Nesters

Sunny for a change in my portion of the nest

Just to be clear -
Nest belts were installed here years ago to keep newbies from falling out & hurting themselves. Eventually the butt Velcro came along as an extra layer of protection. Sometimes it's a bumpy ride

Congrats on the senior status Pav!

Wishing everyone a great AF Friday!
Life is better without the addiction monkey on your back

Lav

[New Dreams]

Newbies Nest

Petrelhead;1640174 wrote: Hi dreams. I can relate to all you say.

I struggled with sleep the entire first week. But the second week, I began running every morning. It really helped, so by the end of the day, after work, I was physically exhausted, and started to sleep a lot better. Probably a combination of that, and not relying on Al to "knock me out".

I love juicing and blending smoothies.

I see you're about as far down the road as me. Good stuff and well done! Let's power on.

Thanks PH....Powering ON
I am lucky to get to the recreational center down the road & get a 1.5 mi going round the track at a 3mi/hr walk....having trouble with OA in my r knee...sometime I have to settle for water walking in the pool, because walking against gravity is too painful. My orthopod just injected my knee last week...so it's better for awhile. Getting old is not for sissies! I believe that is a Bet Midler quote.