What Keeps Us Sober: Written By Recovering Alcoholics and Drug Addicts for Recovering Alcoholics and Drug Addicts

By Roland Levy LMHC

This book was the result of participation of a substance abuse group during a period of 3 years. In order to keep the group focused on it’s main purpose, participant’s were requested to state at least one coping skill that kept them sober.
In order to maintain confidentiality, these participants have not been named but have been referred to as “co-authors” in order to recognize the important role they played in the creation of this book.


“I would highly recommend this book. It bridges the gap between getting clean and sober and remaining clean and sober. It represents a useful guide for individuals in recovery as well as substance abuse practitioners.”
—Jaime Barker, M.D., board certified psychiatrist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Nov 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483435336

Book preview

WHAT KEEPS US

SOBER

Written by Recovering Alcoholics and Drug Addicts for Recovering Alcoholics and Drug Addicts

ROLAND LEVY LMHC

Copyright © 2015 Roland Levy LMHC.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3534-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3533-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015911683

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 10/26/2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ability To Avoid Accidents

Ability To Be More Alert

Ability To Celebrate Holidays Without Drugs And Alcohol

Ability To Derive Pleasure From The Little Things In Life

Ability To Develop Courage, Drug And Alcohol Free

Ability To Focus And Remain Focused

Ability To Handle Cravings

Ability To Maintain Balance

Ability To Maintain Better Coordination

Ability To Maintain Control

Ability To Maintain Driving Privileges

Ability To Maintain Energy

Ability To Maintain Good Reflexes

Ability To Maintain Job Performance At A High Level

Ability To Maintain Motivation

Ability To Make Better Decisions

Ability To Tolerate Discomfort

Acceptance

Activity

Affirmations

Age Related Loss Of Tolerance

Antabuse

A Positive Attitude

A Recovery Plan

Asking For What You Need

Asking Questions

A Sudden Realization That Drugs And Alcohol Are Not The Panacea That We Originally Believed Them To Be

Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Homelessness

Avoiding Withdrawal Symptoms

Become More Patient

Become Your Own Best Friend

Being Assertive

Being Flexible

Being Organized

Being Rigid

Better Control Of Emotions

Better Control Of Impulses

Children

Church

Competence

Constructive Selfishness

Cooking

Crossword Puzzles

Daily Planning

Dealing Constructively With Physical And Emotional Pain

Delayed Gratification

Desire For Lost Excellence

Desire Not To Engage In Social Isolation

Desire To Gain Or Regain Freedom

Desire To Maintain Energy

Desire To Rediscover Creativity

Diet And Nutrition

Discipline

Doing The Dishes

Dreams

Drug And Alcohol Counseling

Eating Regularly

Education

Effective Communication

Eliminate Negative Factors In Life

Eliminating Any Cross Addictions

Engaging In Pleasurable Activities

Enjoying Every Moment Of Life To The Fullest (But Responsibly)

Enjoying Life

Enjoying Not Being High

Esteem And Self-Esteem

Exercise

Faith In Myself

Family

Fear

Fear Of Being Alone

Fear Of Coming Down In Jail

Fear Of Death

Fear Of Losing All That Has Been Gained In Sobriety

Feeling Free To Drink Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Following Directions

Friends

Gardening

Geographic Changes

Get Off The Stress Express

Getting Back To Basics

Getting Rid Of What Doesn’t Work

Giving Back To The Community

Goals And Hope

Good Choices

Good Health

Good Mental Health Practices

Good Sleep Habits

Good Weather

Growth

H.a.l.t. Hungry-Angry-Lonely-Tired

Hardship

Having An Escape Plan

Having A Sense Of Humor

Healthy Anger

Helping Others

Homework

Honesty

Hope

Identifying And Avoiding High Risk Situations

Independence

Insight

Inventories

I Statements

Keeping Busy

Keeping What Works

Keep It Simple

Knowing Your Limitations

Knowing Your Strengths

Knowing Your Triggers

Lack Of Money

Learning From Experience

Learning How To Say No

Learning To Listen

Less Potential For Child Abuse

Less Potential For Domestic Violence

Letting Go Of Resentments

Lighten Up

Living Life On Life’s Terms

Looking For A Non-Addictive Substitute

Maintaining A Healthy Skepticism

Maintain Sobriety

Managing Anxiety

Marriage

Meditation

Meeting After The Meeting

Meetings

Memory Improvement

Mental Clarity

Music

Myself

Nature

Need To Eliminate Money As A Trigger To Drink Or Use

Negative Consequences Of Drinking Or Using

Not Being Able To Afford Medication

Not Being Afraid Of Being Different

Not Being On Probation

Not Drinking Or Using

Not Giving Up

Not Growing Up

Not Taking Anything For Granted

Not Taking Life Too Seriously

Observing The Addicted Behavior Of Others

One Day At A Time

Open Mindedness

Optimism

Participation

Pets

Phone List

Planning Fun Days

Practice Good Anger Management

Practice Good Stress Management

Pride

Pride Over Long-Term Sobriety

Prioritizing

Prioritizing Sobriety

Problem Solving

Realistic Expectations

Reality

Recovering From Alcohol And Drug-Induced Physical Problems

Recovery Literature

Relaxation

Religion

Remembering

Replacing Old Attitudes Or Values With New Ones

Respectability

Respect And Self-Respect

Responsibility

Responsibility For Less Disappointment

Reward Yourself

Romance

Safe Sex Practices

Schedules

Seeing The Effects Of Our Addiction On Our Loved Ones

Self-Awareness

Serenity

Service From Others

Service To Others

Sos (Secular Organization For Sobriety)

Sponsors

Staying Away From Umbrella Drinks

Stop Being A Victim

Survival

Talk Your Problems Out

Telephone

The Challenge Of Adverse Situations

The Establishment Of Better Boundaries

The Fear Of Consequences Of Drinking And Using

The Legal System

The Need To Eliminate Depression

The Need To Feel Better

The Need To Practice Good Values

The Perception That Drinking And Using Will Be Too Hard To Quit

The Realization Of The Seriousness Of The Problem

The Serenity Prayer

The Term Recovering Alcoholic Or Drug Addict

The Thought Of Having To Go To Rehab Again

The Vital Role Of Inhibitions

Thinking The Buzz Through

Threat Of Violation Of Probation

Time

To Accept Challenges As They Present Themselves

To Avoid The Paranoia Associated With Using

To Be A Good Role Model For Our Children

To Prevent Drugs And Alcohol From Interfering In One’s Life

Treatment

Trusting Oneself And Others

Ultimatums

Using Your Thinking Skills

Weight Loss/Weight Gain

White Knuckling

Willingness

Willpower

Work

Work Or Potential Loss Of Work

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to suffering. The suffering that led us to our addiction, the suffering throughout our addiction, and the ability to deal with life on life’s terms.

INTRODUCTION

To the alcoholic or drug addict, the need to get clean and sober is widely recognized. This only represents part of the battle. The need to remain clean and sober should be the ultimate goal. Would getting clean and/or sober be viewed as a worthy undertaking if relapse were already a consideration at the outset? When I was in treatment I was told that relapse was part of the process. This may have been to reduce feelings of incompetence, failure, frustration and hopelessness. The alcoholic or drug addict may conclude that to get clean and/or sober is no more than an exercise in futility, since relapse represents an integral part of sobriety. This may discourage any attempt at recovery for some, while, for others, it may encourage them to give up when they are most vulnerable since relapse is part of the process and must be accepted as such. This clearly represents a misinterpretation of the aforementioned concept in order to satisfy the needs of the addictive mind. Are faulty reasoning and illogical, irrational thinking not an integral part of the addictive process?

While this book does not represent a lifetime guarantee for sobriety, if some of its concepts are closely adhered to it will, at least, reduce the number of relapse episodes while giving hope to the reader that relapse is not inevitable, and is, in fact, avoidable. While it may be assumed that a book presumed to keep drug addicts and alcoholics clean and sober is intended only for those who have already achieved intermediate to long-term sobriety, the information provided has already proved to be effective by the co-authors of this book and can be used by anyone seeking guidance and help in developing a clean and sober lifestyle.

The book originated from a sobriety group in which each member was asked: What keeps you sober? While the group has been ongoing since 2001, the information was gathered from 2005 to 2008. The group meets weekly and is free of charge to members of the community. Over a three-year period the length of time of membership varied from just one session to the full three-year period. Sobriety in the group varied from just one day to 24 years, with some of the original members still attending the group. In order to maintain equal status with other group members, I chose to participate in the group as a member and not a facilitator. All members were encouraged to bring in material that may benefit the group.

While the group members acted as co-authors in supplying the individual headings of this book, I was responsible for the text. I hope that the text represents an accurate representation of the context in which the headings were provided by each member. It was always my intention to remain faithful to the original meaning. At times, however, my interpretation had to be invoked. I apologize for those times. While individual credit is not given to any members in order to protect their anonymity, their contribution remains, however, no less appreciated.

It was once said that to the recovering alcoholic or drug addict, there are only two things in life: actively drinking or using and practicing relapse prevention. I hope that this book will provide a useful tool to its readers and that the treacherous road of sobriety will be more attainable thanks to the experiences of this book’s co-authors.

In conclusion, this book demonstrates some of the many different means of keeping sober. In addition to those methods described in this book, there are a great deal more that the reader may already be using or will discover in the future. It is recommended for the reader to incorporate those and any others he or she might find useful into their recovery. Prior to our addiction, we were all different individuals with some commonalities. Since recovery is a journey of personal discovery, it stands to reason that each alcoholic or addict’s recovery plan is customized to their individual personal needs and likes. May your recovery plan be rewarding and satisfying to curb any appetite, however fleeting, for the addictive forces within.

ROLAND LEVY, LMHC

SEEING THE EFFECTS OF OUR ADDICTION ON OUR LOVED ONES –

This includes how our addictions have caused the distancing of our friends and families, resulting in