Alcohol Addiction Recovery Support Sayings

Recovery from alcohol addiction, while challenging, is bolstered by alcohol addiction recovery support sayings, inspirational messages and supportive friends. Desperate to change and recover from my alcoholism, I sought advice for regaining control of my life in early sobriety. In the first few months most people advised me on how to manage overwhelming anxiety and cravings. Twelve-step alcohol addiction recovery support sayings, slogans and motivational messages shared at treatment centers correlate to common suggestions for recovering addicts.

In some cases, the advice was very direct and specific to the issues I was confronting: cravings, shame, fear and anxiety. At other times, advice was passed on in phrases or quotes. Now, six years later, I still find these messages are relevant to my recovery. Here are the top three alcohol addiction recovery support sayings I find helpful and how I use them to fight my addiction to alcohol.

An Alcohol Addiction Recovery Support Saying to Stay Away from Unnecessary Drama

Stress that comes from drama is a huge trigger for most alcoholics and it is even worse when we create the drama in our own lives. All too often, I jump into a conversation or debate that has nothing to do with me. I have an opinion or idea that I think must be shared for some odd reason. This is especially tempting on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter where people share opinionated ideas written in a provocative tone. The goal of these posts is not usually intended to be informational but, rather, to feed a sense of superiority over those who disagree. For this reason, there are very few instances where debates on social media lead to anything but greater frustration and discontent. Before commenting or engaging, remind yourself:

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

If the discussion does not directly involve you, there is no reason for you to engage in something that will anger you. Justified anger can make a drink seem like a really good solution.

When feeling compelled to engage in one of these conversations, I have found it helpful to write out my response somewhere else, like in an email or on a notepad. Once I have written out my entire response, I set it aside and find something else to occupy my mind. After a few hours, I re-read my comments. If I still feel compelled to share it, I call a friend in recovery and discuss the situation.

Now, before you go thinking this is unattainable, please know that I do not always manage to resist the temptation. While I sometimes jump into a conversation too early, my goal is always to follow the above steps and review my true intentions.

An Alcohol Addiction Recovery Support Saying for Making a Gratitude List Daily

Gratitude is the single most important part of maintaining my mental health and happiness while recovering from alcohol addiction. If ever I feel angry or hurt, the easiest way to overcome my negative emotions is to focus on gratitude. Without much explanation, one woman told me that:

An attitude of gratitude will help keep you sober.

As I followed her suggestion to make a three-item gratitude list each day, I noticed the impact it had on me. By enumerating the multitude of ways in which I was blessed, it became easier to maintain a healthy perspective while in early recovery. Considering that I started my sobriety in a psychiatric ward combating the insatiable urge to commit suicide, most of my problems became completely manageable and acceptable when I reviewed my gratitude list.

Later in my sobriety, a group of women recovering from alcohol addiction created an email chain dubbed "The Grat Pack" where women shared their gratitude lists. This is especially helpful when I'm struggling to find gratitude in my own life. Seeing another person's gratitude list often inspires me more than my own.

An Alcohol Addiction Recovery Support Saying that Remind Me to Call a Friend

Reaching out for help is immensely difficult but extremely effective at replacing sadness with joy. At first, I struggled with sharing my problems because I felt as though no one wanted to hear about them. I also felt as though no one else could possibly understand and that I had to figure it out on my own. This "terminal uniqueness" was simply my addiction attempting to isolate me from the men and women who could help me the most. The personal connection between alcoholics is one of the most invaluable tools to a person in recovery. An old proverb says:

Shared sorrow is half-sorrow, shared joy is double-joy.

The concept here is that sharing your sorrow alleviates the power it holds over you. Conversely, sharing your joy with others spreads happiness as true friends celebrate on your behalf.

No matter where I am in my recovery process, these three alcohol addiction recovery support sayings remain among the most helpful tools at my disposal. I hope they contribute to your sobriety as well.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Celestine Chua.

You can find Becky on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and her website.