April 2017 marks 30 years since the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to raise public awareness and reduce the stigma of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. This year's theme, "Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery," was about the education and prevention of alcoholism—particularly among youth—and the role parents play in helping kids understand the impact of alcohol.

When overcoming an alcohol addiction, there are several steps that you can take each day to improve your life. Discover how to embrace a sober lifestyle today.

Sobriety is all about gaining a new perspective on life. Living sober means increased health. It means you're at a great place in life!

The claws of addiction dig deep.

No matter what your drug of choice is, your brain has undergone changes due to substance use and abuse.

As a result, you try to fight addiction only to come full circle to the same point (or worse) you were in before.

But if only abstaining was enough to set yourself on the path to healing. If that were the case, treatment centers would be empty and meetings would become unnecessary.

Going through AA is one of the most personal and intense experiences you can go through.  You may feel alone at times, but anyone going through the program should know that they're in good company.

Earning an Alcoholics Anonymous chip is no easy feat. It may seem like mile markers to those who are not in the program. It may seem laughable to take it everywhere with you. 

Yet, this all comes down to you.

Many alcoholics and drug addicts you have stopped using multiple times. In fact, some of us quit every day. 

Only to start again the next morning. 

Too many people confuse recovery from drug and alcohol addiction as a plan to stop drinking and doing drugs. 

In fact, it is much different than stopping. 

And one of the essential parts of recovery is a relapse prevention plan. 

Creating a relapse prevention plan is like constructing a safety net for your sobriety. In the best of circumstances, you don't ever need a safety net. 

But if you ever do get in a life-threatening situation, you'll be glad it's there. 

Addiction is a misunderstood ailment that is often handled poorly.

Even those who have been sober for years can have cravings from time to time. 

That's why the AA prayer can be extremely comforting. 

Repeating a motivational phrase can do wonders for your recovery.

This is especially true when you are struggling to stave off cravings.

Prayer may seem like a shallow, trivial answer to a serious problem. 

A lot of people question whether it's possible or not to plan a date without drinks.

Today's dating world seems to revolve around a constant buzz, an obligatory drink that supposedly helps to ease nervous tension. The society has embraced drinks as a prerequisite for getting to know someone. 

But there are many benefits to living a sober lifestyle, which ultimately leads to a more rewarding dating experience.

So, Yes! Sober dating is possible, and it brings along a lot of benefits.

Before you think that your dating adventures will be over once you quit drinking, take your time to reflect on those 'epic' dates you had under the influence of alcohol. 

The hangovers, ridiculous battles with boyfriends, sharing of too much irrelevant information, and that awkward "Crap! What did I do last night."

So a goodbye to alcohol and all its attendant drama doesn't bid farewell to dating.

Instead, it opens up a door for you to meet the 'real guy' (albeit at the local coffee shop rather than at the next bar stool).

Sobriety is a wonderful experience, one that gives you a positive outlook on life. Read on to discover the life-changing lessons that you can learn from sober dating.

10 Things You Can Expect to Experience When Living Sober

What You Can Expect to Experience When Living Sober

Adopting a new sober lifestyle can be challenging at first. There are new challenges that you will face everyday. Learn the 10 things you can expect when living

Keyword(s): living sober

The road to living sober is a long journey, but it starts with a single step.

With the right support system and practice living one day at a time, you can enjoy a happier, healthier life filled with hope, love and positive relationships.

Here are 10 things you can expect to experience when living sober.

1. Living Sober Is Tough, But the Rewards Are Worth the Effort

Beginning your spiritual journey on the path to recovery is not simple.

It is a process that gets easier with time. You will fight your inner demons, resist temptation and experience discomfort along the way, especially during the beginning of your recovery.

Living sober is difficult, but its rewards offer hope, spiritual health and a happy life you can be proud of living.

2. Living Sober Requires Making Life Adjustments

Many people between the ages of 25 and 50 have established their lives. You might own a company, attend school, raise children, and have other daily responsibilities.

You might not want to take time away from your daily life to go to meetings and take care of yourself.

What’s important to realize is that it’s vital to take the time now you need to recover. It’s detrimental for both you and for your family.

Life can become worse. You can alienate your family.

It might not happen today or next week, but alcohol and drug disease hits hard and can ruin what you’ve worked so hard to create.

You've heard the stories of former addicts. Taking the time now for your own sobriety will pay you back tenfold.

3. Denial Is Your Worst Enemy—Nip It in the Bud

You might think you can have ‘just one’.

Perhaps you’ve tried it before and ended up in a bad place. Being in denial about your disease will only cause you more pain. Some people might try to make it harder for you.

Some of your partying friends or family might not understand and say, “What’s the big deal? One won’t hurt.”

Learning to say 'no' to drugs and alcohol can be tough and sometimes seem aggressive.

While most people who support you will understand, many who 'don’t get it' or don’t care won’t understand. 

Some people living sober say it helps to remove yourself from an environment where other people are using.

Be firm in your beliefs. It’s not important to win anyone’s approval, except your own.

4. Recovery Allows You to Enjoy Life

Some think living sober can be dull and boring, but they find out they’re wrong. 

For the first time, you can enjoy the hobbies and activities you used to love, but couldn’t do on drugs or alcohol, either because you couldn’t concentrate or stay awake.

You will also make great friends from your 12 step meetings. They are people who understand your struggle who you can laugh with.

Now you can go hiking, swim laps, surf, and do healthy activities that invigorate you, and have some good company to join you.

5. A Good Attitude Is Key to Living Sober

It’s not always easy to have a good attitude, even for people who aren’t going through recovery.

It takes reprogramming those old tapes and messages in your head that could be critical and negative. One thing that can help you feel more positive is to surround yourself with other positive people.

Another way to flip your attitude from bad to good is to write a gratitude list. Write a list of all the things you are grateful for. Include the people, places and things in your life that add value.

Many people experience a shift in their attitudes when they write this list. Journaling is another way to change our attitudes. It lets us release anxieties and stresses that we keep hidden in our bodies.

6. Asking for Help Is a Sign of Strength

When you’re living sober, you are never alone. You will always have a good support system to listen and guide you along the path of your recovery. Many people you meet in meetings experiencing the same feelings that you experience. By sharing in meetings you will help others and others will help you.

Many people you meet in meetings experiencing the same feelings that you experience. By sharing in meetings you will help others and others will help you.

Finding a sponsor in your 12-step program is a great way to reach out for help. Asking for help on your path to living sober is never a sign of weakness. It’s always a sign of strength.

7. Showing Up To Meetings Are Vital To Your Recovery

There will be times when you want to skip a meeting because you don’t feel like going.

Other times you might want to go to the movies and to a restaurant with friends or family instead.

Skipping meetings is dangerous. It’s similar to the ‘just one’ mindset. You can always go to the movies or out to eat before or after a meeting or partake in fellowship afterward.

Be aware of these inner demons that will try to take you away from your strength, hope, and recovery program.

They can be subtle and unrecognizable. Always remember, that showing up is half the battle won, and you'll be closer to being awarded your 24-hour chip or 90-day token!

8. Living Sober Improves Relationships

Before sobriety, there is a lot of shaming and blaming in relationships.

As an addict, your main relationship is the one you have with your drug of choice, whether it is alcohol or drugs.

Everything else comes second. As you work your program, you become more aware of the role you play in your current and past relationships, and you learn the truth about yourself.

You also begin to take responsibility for your actions and begin to build intimacy. This self-reflection makes relationships better. 

9. A Healthy Diet Helps Recovery

Eating a good diet will help your physical and emotional well-being. Look for foods that are high in Omega 3, magnesium and folate.

Some of these foods include leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries, spinach, salmon, and asparagus.

10. Forgive Yourself for Your Past Mistakes

During recovery, you begin to see how you’ve treated others in the past. This can cause guilt and bad feelings.

It’s important to forgive yourself for the poor choices you’ve made in the past and the actions you’ve taken and to move forward.

Forgiveness is a significant step in the healing process living sober.

"Keep coming back. It works if you work it."

Visit our blog for more stories of strength and hope or to buy low-cost tokens and medallions.

 

 

There's a stigma within our society that wants us to "man up". To grit our teeth and plow through the problems without addressing the real issues. To show face when we're at our darkest moments because "that's what you're supposed to do".

Forget all that.

That I shall find a peace such that I have not known before...here it is likely as time moves forward I will not know this peace again either. That is the thing about time, it changes and with it the ebb and flow of our ever evolving emotional and spiritual perspective.

Spiritual experience of the more educational variety gains a whole new perspective when long time slipper meets the rehab of their dreams and becomes an AA guru....

Over the years I have prayed in all manner of ways, quietly in the recesses of my mind, vocally with others in a congregation, I have sat silently for hours in adoration, I have meditated, sang and cried. However, today I feel as though I have some clarity in the phrase that used to baffle me:

Marking the anonymous membership of so many people around the world is a humble coin. The AA Token, unassuming to most, is a most significant keepsake for the recipient. Beginning one's sober journey in the fellowship of Alcoholics is anonymous with a silver colored aluminum 24 Hour Token is a tremendous way to mark the first day of this one day at a time way of life. The twenty-four hour token is often carried for a lifetime, standing as a silent reminder of our AA way of life.

The Alcoholics Anonymous  24 Hour Chip stands as a silent reminder of the beginning of a journey. Designated as the humble memento with which a newly sober member of the fellow ship of AA is to mark the beginning of their sober life. Often called a "surrender chip", the 24 hour token comes in a variety of styles. Perhaps the most familiar of these is pictured here, an aluminum coin approximately 1 inch in diameter. Also common in some AA groups is a white poker chip or desire chip. These white poker chips sometimes feature the initials AA stamped in the center and may also feature the group's name on the reverse side of the chip.

Blood red anodized aluminum is the color of choice for the 1 Month Alcoholics Anonymous Token, representative of the struggle through the first thirty days and nights of recovery this one month chip is a real accomplishment to a newly sober alcoholic.

2 Month AA Tokens come in a brilliant gold anodized aluminum finish, a crowning achievement fit for a sober alcoholic celebrating 60 days of continuous sobriety in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Trading up from a red 1 month AA Token to a shiny gold 2 Month AA Token, signifies that the recipient has doubled their sober time in AA. Well on their way to being an old-timer or at least not as much of a new comer. In the early days of AA these tokens or chips ,as they are often referred to as, were placed along the sober path to help aid and encourage the newcomer and to mark significant spots in recovery.

3 Month AA Tokens are available in a wonderful emerald green anodized aluminum finish, these 90 day tokens are sure to please the recipient celebrating 90 days of continuous sobriety in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Trading up from a Gold 2 month AA Token to a Sparkling Green 3 Month AA Token, signifies that the recipient has added yet another month to their sober time in AA. Well on their way to being an old-timer or at least not as much of a new comer. In the early days of AA these tokens or chips ,as they are often referred to as, were placed along the sober path to help aid and encourage the newcomer and to mark significant spots in recovery.

The 6 Month AA Token

6 Month AA Tokens are available in a stunning blue anodized aluminum finish, these 6 Month AA tokens are sure to please the recipient celebrating half of a year of continuous sobriety in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Having struggled though 3 months of sobriety since last receiving the one of the emerald green 3 Month AA Tokens, this great AA Coin will surely help to keep the recovering alcoholic happy as they wait to get their first Bronze AA Token.  Well on their way to being an old-timer or at least not as much of a new comer. In the early days of AA these tokens or chips ,as they are often referred to as, were placed along the sober path to help aid and encourage the newcomer and to mark significant spots in recovery.

The 9 Month AA Token

9 Month AA Tokens are available in a rocking purple anodized aluminum finish, these 9 Month AA tokens are sure to please the recipient celebrating three quarters of a year of continuous sobriety in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Having struggled though 3 months of sobriety since last receiving the one of the stunning blue 6 Month AA Tokens, this great AA Coin will surely help to keep the recovering alcoholic happy as they wait to get their first Bronze AA Token.  Well on their way to being an old-timer or at least not as much of a new comer. In the early days of AA these tokens or chips ,as they are often referred to as, were placed along the sober path to help aid and encourage the newcomer and to mark significant spots in recovery.

Humility is a very difficult subject, one that by it's very nature seems rather counter-intuitive. As one increases in understanding and knowledge they become more of an expert on the subject. By common belief in Alcoholics Anonymous this leads to a less humble individual. Wrong!

Today Trust has transformed itself into a vast sea. Flowing from God and through others, emanating from children and the elderly, having been lost, attempting to rebuild, sharing with and extending to others...just a few of the many forms of trust that have manifested themselves in my sober life. This much I know...you won't know for sure what trust is until it is gone...

"The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink." page 24 The Anonymous Press Study Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous

This all to familiar topic in AA is the focal point of my morning writing. It becomes all to easy for me to place in God's hands all of the work instead of the outcome. After all if it is my job to plow the field and God's job to make the plants grow, which task seems like the least amount of effort is required? Do you know just how many plants we are talking about? The number of blades of grass in my yard is staggering.

"Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves." Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter Five