Sober living - New Method Wellness

Codependency Recovery: Get Your Life Back

June 16, 2015 No Comments

More often than not, as alcoholics and addicts, we struggle with some form of codependency.

Codependency is not black and white, by any means.

Codependency can manifest itself in a variety of ways: people pleasing, manipulation, narcissism, drama-loving, controlling, stalking, ‘doormat’ syndrome, and more.

The term ‘codependent’ generally has a negative connotation. We use the term to inflict emotional pain on someone by saying: “She/He’s sickly codependent,’ ‘I wouldn’t date him/her, they’re too codependent,’ or “What’s wrong with him/her? They’re so sensitive and codependent.”

4 Awesome Books on Sobriety

May 27, 2015 No Comments

Literature is one of the most powerful tools in sobriety.

Literature allows us to access the experiences, strength, and hope of those who came before us.

From the early days of sobriety to, higher power permit, years down the road of our recovery journey, addiction/alcoholism literature can become a monumental pillar in the fight against our disease.

The following 4 books featured in this infographic have either been suggested to me by a fellow trudger or utilized in my personal recovery. Each book visits the depths of despair and hopelessness we feel as alcoholics/addicts in the midst of our disease but also presents glimpses of the freedom, happiness, and serenity of sobriety.

Why Gratitude Keeps You Sober

May 20, 2015 No Comments

If you have been sober for a couple of days so far, chances are you have heard someone say the word ‘grateful’ in a sentence.

If you have been sober for 1-2 weeks, chances are you have heard the word grateful used in so many sentences you feel overwhelmed by the word and are starting to question whether ‘grateful’ is a substitute for a word other than ‘grateful’.

Understandably so.

Gratitude is thrown around a lot in recovery. You hear the hard-core sober men and women say: “Get off your pity-pot and get in gratitude.” You hear gratitude is a necessary component of sobriety,” and “Write a gratitude list when you get in your head.”

Fun in Sobriety Part 1

May 15, 2015 1 Comment

“Since I’ve gotten sober, my life has sucked and I have no fun” -Said No Sober Person EVER

Okay, drama queen/king. I hate to break it to you, but sobriety is nothing but fun.

*Gasp*

Sorry to burst your little negative bubble; you are now free to do ANYTHING. You are a free man/woman from the constraints of alcohol and drugs. You are not bound to anything; you can go wherever you want to go, do whatever you want to do, and be whoever you want to be.

If you’re stuck in the short-circuit thought: “My life is over; I’m sober,” you’re not alone. But, you are wrong.

Top 5 Routines of Actively Sober People

May 5, 2015 No Comments

In the midst of our disease, our world is chaos.

Everything we do feels rushed, overwhelming, and debilitating. Everyone we talk to is frustrating, nosy, and again, overwhelming. Every thought that enters our head feels cluttered, irrevocably powerful, and disheveled.

Our world is chaos and we don’t even realize the extent of our pain; what we do feel, however, is the weight of our thoughts: “life is so hard,” “why can’t I just get through one day without feeling like the world is ending,” “how can I keep on living this way forever?”

Then we get help. Whether self-diagnosed or court mandated, we find ourselves in a rehabilitation center for drugs and alcohol, or maybe even dual diagnosis.

Lonely No More: Developing Friendships While Clean & Sober

April 30, 2015 No Comments

More often than not as a substance abuser, isolation is part of our story.

Maybe we have a few ‘using’ or ‘drinking’ friends, but generally we harbor feelings of loneliness and social anxiety.

Some of us may claim that we’re buddy-buddy with our dealer, our drinking/using friends are our road-dogs, and we’ve had heart-to-heart moments with our favorite liquor store manager. All of these claims may be true as long as we have a demand for a substance and they have the supply. Unfortunately, when you sever the demand, the supplier may not maintain his/her warm and fuzzy feelings for your presence.