There are a few “suggestions” for people in early recovery. I say suggestions in the same way that it’s a suggestion to pull the cord on a parachute when you jump out of a plane.
The first thing to realise is that recovery has to come first. Recovery, recovery and more recovery.
So, the question is how we keep recovery at the forefront of our lives when there is so much going on.
- Have a morning routine/structure in place.
Keep in mind we are not saints and are on a path of progress not perfection. Forgetting to follow your morning routine doesn’t mean that it’s the end of then world. As long as we are doing better than we were doing before and are making small but definite gains in our recovery then we are on the right path. - Having connections with other recovering people. Don’t underestimate the power of these relationships or connections. ‘ONE ADDICT HELPING ANOTHER IS WITHOUT PARALLEL’. There is a good reason they mention this in the Narcotics Anonymous Blue Book, and that’s because its true and it works. Having literally an army of recovering people who have done this before you is a major benefit and would be a waste of their and you’re time not to use them.
Plus you need someone who has been through the steps to take you through the steps, so if you want to continue working this program of change you are going to have to make the connections. - Meetings, meetings and more meetings.
Have you heard of the suggestion, 90 meetings in 90 days? That’s right a meeting everyday for 3 months. So many people don’t think this is “necessary”. If you understand the deeper meaning behind Step One, you’ll understand the meaning in step two and further more the meaning of 90 in 90. We can’t do it (step one), We need help (step two), Fellowship is part of the help (90 in 90).
By the end of the 3 months, you will have all the knowledge and understanding of how the fellowship works and runs. You will most likely have a decent support structure in place, you will have a sponsor and will be well into working the program as a whole, including early service positions. Effectively you will be integrated into a program that has saved millions of lives. - Step work.
Any of the 12 step fellowships have requirements, one of them being the actual 12 steps. Some people do the 3-step shuffle, bouncing between steps 1,2,3, relapsing and then starting again. Some start step work in rehab and then never continue when they leave. What so many fail to realise is that without the steps you are no longer working a program of action and the change that recovery demands has stopped. I would suggest going back to step one to get in touch with just how useless our willpower is when it comes to making the necessary changes to stay clean/sober. - Being accountable.
Accountability protects us from ourselves. In the early phases of our recovery, we can’t really trust ourselves to make the right decisions all the time. We can’t solve the problem with the thinking that created the problem. Therefore, a sponsor, therapist or counsellor is a major benefactor for us. Setting goals and making commitments to someone makes our jobs abit easier. Almost forcing us to act on our new-found life. Safe guarding us from the insanity that is spoken about in step two.
There are loads more demands that we must face in early recovery. Please comment below this post on what you might be facing or struggling with.
Have a blessed weekend.
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