5 Ways to Supercharge Your Recovery

You’ve heard it said, probably many times, before: don’t get over-confident in your recovery. You’ve done the steps and maybe you’ve gone and spoken at a meeting or three. But, inevitably, our program of recovery can become a little stale. Living a sober lifestyle involves constant work and vigilance. Here are 5 ways to supercharge your recovery.

#1. Start sponsoring

If you haven’t already, start sponsoring another addict/alcoholic. This is the twelfth step of a 12 step program and many would say it’s the most important one. It’s said that we can’t keep what was so freely given to us without giving it away and that’s what sponsoring is all about. When we sponsor someone else in the program, it might seem like we are helping another – and we are but, it’s really about helping ourselves.

#2. Pick up an H&I commitment

Picking up a commitment with Hospitals and Institutions is one of the best ways to breathe new life into your recovery program. I’ve heard from several friends that the magic really happened for them once they started doing H&I. If you don’t know what this is, it can be a weekly, biweekly, or monthly commitment to bring in a meeting to a treatment center, hospital, or jail – basically a place where the people can’t leave in order to attend a meeting. Imagine the service you are doing by giving someone the ability to learn about recovery who couldn’t otherwise access it.

#3. Chair your home group meeting

Another commitment you can pick up is to chair your home group meeting. This gives you a sense of responsibility as well as a chance to reach out to other people in recovery that you look up to in order to ask them to speak for you. By chairing your home group meeting, you get to lead discussion and literature study, too. It’s another great way to recharge your recovery because you’ll be taking an active role in the meeting, rather than being a warm body in the seat.

#4. Do your steps over

You may have already completed your steps and you may already be sponsoring one or more other recovering addicts and alcoholics. But, recovery doesn’t stop there. Some people do their steps over every year or every couple of years as a way to supercharge their recovery. Think about it like this: many of the steps – really all of them – involve continuous action. So, why not do them again?

#5. Do another 90 in 90

You’ve heard it said: “meeting makers make it.” Maybe you go to quite a few meetings as it is. However, committing to doing another 90 meetings in 90 days is yet another great way to supercharge your recovery. It’s a way to “keep it green” and think about the newcomers you could be helping. You might just pick up a few more sponsees, too.

If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-777-9588.