Resources for our recovery

There are so many helpful resources available to us on our sober journeys. I wanted to share this list for those who are interested in non traditional resources.

Please note: I created this thread with alcohol recovery in mind and it is U.S. based as well. As a straight white past middle age woman (SassyRocks), it is based on what resonated and helped me in my journey. Over time, I have added in resources for some other addictions (found at the end of this post), but it is heavy with resources for alcohol recovery for women. Books and memoirs are ones I have read.

Love their work

Sarah Blondin’s meditations, podcasts and book are beautiful and healing…

[liveawake]
(Podcast)

Annie Grace’s book changed my life and helped push my journey forward…

This Naked Mind

Two women I adore and deeply respect. Their work helps me grow… Laura McKowen and Holly Whitaker…

[HOME]
(HOME Podcast | Podcast on Spotify)

(https://insighttimer.com/)
Insight Timer…check out meditations, etc by Sarah Blondin, SonicYogi and davidj. All are brilliant!

(https://www.cherylstrayed.com/)
Cheryl Strayed…anything she has created.

Tempest has many resources and information…

Tempest

Holistic therapies

Physical activity (walking is a great place to start)
Vitamin therapy
Yoga
Meditation (try guided to begin and/or guided sleep meditations)
Mindfulness (suggested 1st reading: you are here by Thich Nhat Hanh and/or Pocket Pema Chodron)
Acupuncture/acupressure
Reiki
Breathwork
Nutritional therapy
Essential oils
Sounds therapy (sound baths…Sonic Yogi)
LuciaLight therapy
Somatic therapy
Talk therapy
Crystal healing therapy
Creating nurturing rituals (warm baths)

Keeping a list of why you no longer drink, and reading it often

Books / Memoirs

#1 pick: Quit Like A Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol by Holly Whitaker

#2 pick: This Naked Mind by Annie Grace

Others, in no particular order…
We Are The Luckiest by Laura McKowen
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
A Girl Walks out of a Bar by Lisa Smith
Broken People by Sam Lansky
The Recovering by Leslie Jamison
Blackout: Remembering the things I drank to forget by Sarah Hepola
Last Call by Nancy Carr
Parched by Heather King
Drinking, A Love Story
Unwasted, My Lush Sobriety
Blackout, Remembering the things I drank to forget
Hopeful Healing by Mackenzie Phillips
Saturation by Jennifer Place
A Happier Hour by Rebecca Weller
High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips
Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard
On Writing by Stephen King
Long Time Gone by David Crosby
Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol
Dry by Augusten Burroughs
A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill
Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps by Charlotte Davis Kasl
you are here by Thich Nhat Hahn
The Easy Way to Stop Drinking by Allen Carr
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

Extensive list of quit lit / recovery / memoirs I have read

Support Groups / Community

Of course, my #1 choice for community is Talking Sober, right here. :heart:

Holistic approach/Seek Healing
(Https://www.seekhealing.org)

7cups (listeners for emotional support)
https://www.7cups.com/

The Alcohol Experiment (30 day free challenge from Annie Grace, This Naked Mind)

The Alcohol Experiment

Women for Sobriety WFS

Buddhist Recovery

Refuge Recovery (A Buddhist inspired path to recovery)

Recovery Dharma (Another Buddhist inspired path to recovery)

SMART Recovery SMART

Secular Organizations for Sobriety SOS

AA/12 Step AA

Narcotics Anonymous
http://m.na.org/

Medications

Acamprosate / Campral
Naltrexone / Revia / Vivitrol
Disulfiram / Antabuse
Topiramate / Topimax
Ondansetron / Zofran

Indepth thread of online meeting resources

Online Meeting Resources

Behaviour-focused recovery groups

Self-Abuse Finally Ends (S.A.F.E. Alternatives) (treatment for self-harm behaviour) (also includes a list of useful hotlines / text lines)
www.selfinjury.com

Sexaholics Anonymous
www.sa.org

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
www.slaafws.org

Gamblers Anonymous
www.gamblersanonymous.org

Emotions Anonymous (for those with a desire to improve emotional wellbeing)
https://emotionsanonymous.org/ - USA
https://www.emotionsanonymous.org.uk/ - UK

Groups for partners and family of people in recovery

Sober Families (Community Reinforcement and Family Training approach to help get loved ones into treatment) (https://soberfamilies.com/)

Al-Anon / Alateen (family & friends of people in recovery from alcohol)
Al-Anon Family Groups

Nar-Anon (family & friends of people in recovery from narcotics)
Nar-Anon Family Groups

Gam-Anon (for family and friends of people with a gambling addiction)
www.gam-anon.org

S-Anon (family & friends of people in recovery from sex addiction)
www.sanon.org

Locating treatment programs

Find specific services, mental health and substance use disorder treatment
(Https://findtreatment.gov/)

Atlas Treatment locator
(Https://treatmentatlas.org)

Hotlines & text lines

US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988

The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Website also offers an immediate chat box.

Hotlines & text lines for USA & International, for many different crises (grief, self-harm, suicide, abuse, assault, and many others)

www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help

Self-Abuse Finally Ends (S.A.F.E. Alternatives) (treatment for self-harm behaviour) (also includes a list of useful hotlines / text lines)
www.selfinjury.com

Samaritans UK - Call 116 123 any time, whatever you’re going through.
(Also see Other sources of help | Samaritans for a list of other organisations offering specialist support)

127 Likes

Thank you for sharing. I’ve been looking for something like this!!

3 Likes

This is AWESOME, thanks for sharing! :heart:

3 Likes

Excellent!!! I would like to add that if someone needs help finding a rehab I would gladly help out on that end. Especially if you live in New York and Pennsylvania.

3 Likes

Also want to add intherooms.com for online resources! I found it helpful when I was being very isolated.

5 Likes

Also anything by Allan Carr. Huge source of Annie Grace. His writing is a little more polished, and direct.

4 Likes

fantastic! what a great post! : )

refuge recovery: a buddhist path to recovering from addiction is also a pretty good book, and they have in person group meetings as well.

thanks for posting!

2 Likes

Can you add to the books

Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol

and

Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster

4 Likes

Drop The Rock is a good recovery book as well.

2 Likes

If I would be an American or a native English speaker, I definitely would have bookmark this one for my own!! I think I bookmark it anyway, so I can share it with someone who needs it when I come across.

Thank you for sharing! :raising_hand_woman:

2 Likes

This is amazing! Thank you!

2 Likes

Not exactly recovery related, but local libraries tend to have a lot of social events and educational classes. If you are feeling bored you can always check their schedule of events

2 Likes

Dang. So much gold in this here thread.

@SassyRocks, Buddhist Recovery looks distinct from Refuge Recovery. Is that so? May be another to add.

2 Likes

An interesting article with links to various resources.

3 Likes

HEY All! Was going to start a thread on Resources but found this one. For anyone who is giving sobriety a go for the first time and isn’t sure what’s out there, scroll to the top of this thread RIGHT NOW! There’s a long list. And I’ll add here another recovery tool called Recovery Elevator: https://www.recoveryelevator.com/
It’s a website, a forum, and a podcast that I’ve been listening to every day. Came in very handy as I sat in traffic for 2 hours tonight. Yes, you read that right, 2 hours. :flushed::grin:

2 Likes

This one’s really good @Lisamarie

1 Like

@Swam has this notified you?

Here you go @Defxs :+1::slightly_smiling_face:

I see it now @anon13078412 :heart:

2 Likes

Here’s one @Jenniferr :+1:

1 Like