Addiction Community - What helps you stay clean?

Angel's grand distractions:

• Take a bath or hot shower
• Pet or cuddle with a dog or cat
• Wrap yourself in a warm blanket
• Massage your neck, hands, and feet
• Listen to calming music

• Call a friend
• Take a cold shower
• Chew something with a very strong taste, like chili peppers, peppermint, or a grapefruit peel.
• Go online to a self-help website, chat room, or message board

• Exercise vigorously—run, dance, jump rope, or hit a punching bag
• Punch a cushion or mattress or scream into your pillow
• Squeeze a stress ball or squish Play-Doh or clay
• Rip something up (sheets of paper, a magazine)
• Make some noise (play an instrument, bang on pots and pans)

@Anomalia. I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO DO IT MY WAY.....WELL....18 YEARS LATER......I DID WHAT MY FELLOW SOBER ALCOHOLICS SUGGEATED I DO....TAKES A VILLAGE OF ACCEPTANCE

What helps keep me sober is knowing from experience that getting f'd up will only make my problems worse since I would be running away from them in a sense. When I sober up my problems will be the same or worse. There is nothing becoming impaired will help you with in life. We need to face life's problems head on and go through them without being impaired. Otherwise we just will remain the same or get worse.

@Anomalia There are a lot of positive things I do to continue remaining sober. My favorite is meditation. I use an app called, Calm, and the meditations are led by a woman named Tamara Levitt. It has been such a great tool for me to keep my mind clear and focused on my sobriety. I also love to take walks outside and I make sure to be mindful of my surroundings. I pay attention the the color of the sky and I listen to the birds chirp and the wind blow. I pay attention to what I smell and the sensations I feel on my skin. It helps me live in the present moment and this is important for me because I constantly get stuck inside my head on a "negativity loop" so this helps me break free from that.

I also use different herbs and essential oils to help with my depression and anxiety that come along with my bi polar disorder and my addiction to alcohol- I am an alcoholic. For a long time I wasn't able to admit to that but after a year and a half of sobriety and lots and lots of support and love from my husband and family I can now say it and write it without crying or feeling embarrassed with myself. Lavender and wild orange essential oils are my go to because they work the best in helping my heart to stop racing! I also like to use stinging nettle herb and raspberry leaf to help with the overall health and function of my body. Thank you for such a wonderful post! Have a beautiful day!

THe depression, frustration, and isolation that becomes with not being clean

@Anomalia I am able to stay sober because of the incredible support team I have in my life. My husband, mother-in-law, best friend, and step mom are always there for me and they always offer me kindness... they never judge me or try to put me down or lecture me. It really helps me not to drink because I am surround by so much positivity and love! I started my journey to sobriety a year and a half ago and I have been loving every minute of it!