I’m recently sober and determined to be a positive influence on those around me.
Going from drinking a 5th of tequila 5 nights a week to no alcohol feels like it’s freed up a lot of space in my head for life lessons and self help tips.
Now I’m making it a point to video message my brother every morning something positive as he’s battling with addiction and depression half way across the country. Only he can convince himself to put the bottle down, but I can at least cheer him on from the sidelines.
Please share any advise, life lessons, self discoveries, and words of wisdom you all have acquired over time. I want to make these a part of my life and pass them on to those around me
Gratitude. Every single day of my sobriety I do a gratitude list right here. Daily Gratitude List. Gratitude The Air Of Recovery
After the first 10-12 months I’d wake up just dying to put things on my gratitude list each morning. It’s unbelievable how you can retrain your brain in one easy practice each morning. Doors always open. Coffee is always on. Lots of great people there, pretty grateful for their sobriety
In recovery, we either learn to be grateful, or we don’t last. Gratitude is the air of recovery. Gratitude is what makes the lungs of recovery fill, the heart beat, and the life flow. The attitude of gratitude focuses on what we have rather than what we don’t. With gratitude, there is such a thing as enough. People filled with gratitude aren’t good consumers because they don’t heed the message “You need more stuff. Stuff will make you whole.” Gratitude makes us whole, not stuff. It allows us to make the abundant blessings we already have in our life not only count, but be enough. And not just enough, but more than we could have imagined. Gratitude allows us to understand that there is enough for everyone so we don’t have to hoard whatever it is we think we need. There is plenty. In a culture addicted to the belief that “I need more,” people with an attitude of gratitude stand out. They are like roses growing out of cracks in a ghetto neighborhood. People watch. They see. And in being seen, we give some small measure of the bread of life to the world.
Thanks man, it sounds like we share a similar situation. I’m lucky if my brother responds once a month. I use to take it personal, but I realize now, some people get so down, they can’t answer their calls. I know he doesn’t mean ill.
Knowing this is why I’m sending video messages every morning. He won’t watch them for a long time, but one night, he’ll be in his room and curiosity will get the better of him. He’ll sit down not knowing what to expect only to end up binging video after video of positive reinforcement.
Maybe it will light a spark in that head to make a small change and maybe that small change will snowball into bigger better changes. All I can do is hope and continue my own journey.
That’s awesome, thank you. I have noticed I’m being more appreciative to my wife and children. I’m most grateful I’m making this decision while my boys are very young (6 and 3).
Im nearly 2 months sober ,6 months of listening at aa all the while secretly drinking convincing myself i wasnt as bad as all them ,trying to control it ,i cant ,i was drinking at my worst a bottle of straight vodka a day over 5 yrs ,my life was a mess ,for me it was at the beginning of the yr i thought if i take this into next yr im going to die or destroy what little i had left ,determination, i found it ,i couldn’t go on like this ,its been hard at the beginning but its been alot easier than i thought in the long run ,i dont have overwhelmingly thoughts to drink ,6 months ago i would have thought it impossible, i do my diary on here every morning keep in touch with aa ,i also have a brother 25 years alcoholic hes killing himself and looks terrible but all i can do is tell him how good i feel and if he wants to come to a meeting im here .
I went to a meeting got sober ive done hundreds of 12 step work over the years couldnt help anyone who didnt want help ive learned that through experience, meetings will make it easier wish you well
