Helpful tips taken from
http://www.cleanandsoberlive.com/essential-tips-to-help-you-stay-clean-and-sober/
-For your first few months sober, your only goal each day is to make it through without a drink.
-Don’t overestimate your control over your addiction. Everyone does at some point.
-Practice complete abstinence. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can moderate your alcohol intake. It won’t work out in the long run.
-Seek out in-patient treatment if you can afford it
-Take physical care of yourself. Exercise regularly and eat well.
-Cut out toxic relationships from your life. This includes friendships and romance.
-Build new healthy relationships with positive people.
-Reconnect with friends and loved ones who may have distanced themselves.
-Don’t mistake an enthusiasm to change with actual action. The former is nice to have, but the latter is will produce actual change.
-Reach out to others in recovery.
-You’re responsible for your own sobriety. You can take advice and seek out support, but ultimately you need to be responsible for your own recovery.
-Do what works for you, never believe anyone who tells you that their way is the only way.
-At the same time, make sure you’re not lying to yourself. If what you’re doing doesn’t work, then you have to take massive action to change.
-Forgive others. Don’t harbor resentment or bitterness.
-Move beyond self-pity. Feeling sorry for yourself won’t accomplish anything. Accept the cards that you were dealt, and move on. Today is the beginning of the rest of your life.
-Heighten your self-awareness through meditation and self-reflection.
-Keep busy. Especially in your first few months of sobriety. Staying sober is hard enough, its even harder if you don’t know how to live life without alcohol.
-Learn to have fun without alcohol. Trust me, its possible.
-Talk to your parents. Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, its important to communicate with your family – especially your parents.
-Develop a support network. Whether this involves aftercare programs like AA or NA, build an extended family who understand what you’re going through.
-Take long walks. This can be a good substitute or compliment to full-out meditation.
-Take up an artistic hobby. Sculpting, playing an instrument, painting etc.
-Take up an outdoor hobby. Running, biking, surfing, even flying a kite. Whatever gets you outside on a beautiful summer afternoon.
-Take up a social hobby. Go take a cooking class or a dance class, something that will get you interacting with mainstream society.
-Take up old hobbies. Rekindle your love for hobbies that may have fallen by the wayside during your addiction.
-Be grateful. Everyday, write down 5 things you’re grateful for that day. It can be anything, from your loving family, to the air you’re breathing.
-Join an online recovery forum. It’ll not only be helpful for staying sober – you might actually enjoy the discussions.
-Go back to school. Use education to achieve your dreams.
-Improve your job skills. If you need to take part-time courses or learn a new trade, do it.
-Go to the library. It’s a free way to stimulate your mind, reflect, keep busy, and grow. It can be fun too.
-Spend more time with your family. You can never really do this enough.
-Avoid your old hangouts. That’s just asking for trouble.
-Make a bucket list. Then go out and do it.
-Travel somewhere that’s far removed from the norm. If you don’t have the finances to go to a distant country, go camping in the wilderness.
-Form productive habits. You’ll have a much easier time staying busy and sober if you have routines that keep you moving forward.
-Leave your comfort zone. At the same time, don’t use habits as a way of avoiding new experiences and challenges.
-Quit smoking. You’ll thank yourself later.
-Create the life you want. Don’t settle for the life you have.
-Stop making excuses. This applies to everything you do.
-Stop blaming others. Again, this applies to everything you do.
-Be humble. Always be willing to learn, and don’t assume you “know the way”.
-Reconnect with your religious roots. It’s not for everyone, but if religion gives you peace of mind, then don’t let it slip from your life.
-Give back to the community. Do volunteer work, or get involved in a recovery group.
-Avoid vices. Just because you’ve kicked your alcohol or drug addiction, doesn’t mean that addiction won’t still creep up on you. Don’t replace your alcohol addiction with gambling, pills etc.
-Don’t get complacent. Always keep moving forward in your personal growth.
-Discover your true passion. The only way to do this is to try new things.
-If you know your passion, pursue it. You only get one chance at life. Don’t waste it doing things you don’t want to do.
-Take pride in responsibility. Chasing a dream doesn’t mean you get to neglect your responsibilities. Learn to find balance.
-Don’t live in fear. Accept that their are some things you control, and other things you don’t. Don’t let the things you can’t control, control YOU.
-If you do relapse, don’t let it slip back into full-out abuse. Accept that you’re human and that you’ll slip up. Then take massive action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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