6 Sobriety Hacks You Need to Know
via wifflegif.com
Looking for some tips to spice up your daily recovery routine? Here are 6 sobriety hacks you need to know.
#1. Sober apps
Technology doesn’t have to be “cold” and impersonal. In fact, it can be a great tool for the modern day person and especially for those of us in recovery as there are tons of great sober apps. Many are free or cost less than $5. There are clean/sober time calculators that keep track of your sobriety time.
There’s also the 12 steps AA companion, which includes the first 164 pages of the Big Book and over 60 stories from the first and second editions. This is a great tool for book study meetings or just to keep you grounded while you have some down time between appointments, meetings, etc. It also has a sobriety calculator, a large collection of prayers and promises from the Big Book, allows you to take notes, and contains contact information for local General Service offices.
Another noteworthy sober app is 12-Step. This app is free and guides you to the recovery meeting of your choice, including those that you may not have known existed, such as Emotions Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous, and Co-Dependents Anonymous. 12-Step accesses your GPS to display a map, address and contact phone number for the meeting.
#2. Meditation tips
Meditation is a great tool to have in your sobriety toolbox. And don’t fret, many people think they are “bad at meditation,” when simply, they don’t know how to meditate. Rest assured, it’s not hard to learn. First of all, you can find guided meditation apps, such as the free White Noise Lite. Just as the name infers, this app gives you access to an array of specific white noise: rainstorms, beach waves, chirping crickets – to name a few. This is a great way to tune in and check out when life gets hectic.
You can also search YouTube for 10-minute or 15-minute guided meditations that usually involves a white noise sound with a soothing narrator’s voice guiding you through the steps to calming your mind. Hence the term “guided meditation.”
#3. Yoga
Yoga is great as a stepping stone to “pure” meditation – gets you to focus on your breath – like in meditation – but with the added focus on forming the yoga poses. I found this to be a great introduction to sitting meditation. Plus, yoga helps you to feel good mentally: balanced and centered as well as physically: yoga is great core work and stretching. As far as learning yoga, there are tons of studios that offer classes throughout the day as well as gyms that offer it as a class. So, if you are a member of a gym, it’s likely you can get your yoga fix there. Another way is to introduce yourself to yoga – there are plenty of DVDs out there to buy or rent.
#4. Get a home group
If you don’t have one already, commit to a home group. This is a great way of “staying in the middle” and being of service. You can be the chair, the secretary, or simply volunteer to make the coffee before each meeting, especially if being in the spotlight is something that makes you anxious.
#5. Breathing Techniques
Although the foundation to both yoga and meditation, breathing exercises gets its own category. This is because breathing really is that important and breath techniques can be done anywhere and anytime – even at your desk at work, driving to and from work, and so on. Seldom do we breathe, I mean really breathe. Take me for example. I often find myself holding my breath, for no good reason at all. It’s like, I forget to breathe. Practice full belly breaths – when you’re breathing the right way, your belly should expand when you inhale and deflate when you exhale. Practice slow, deliberate breaths – both on the inhale and exhale. The exhale should last as long as the inhale.
#6. AA Speaker Tapes by Anonymous AA Member
This is a great resource you can get for free via iTunes. AA Speaker Tapes consists of over 301 listings of free AA speaker tapes that you can listen to directly from iTunes or download onto your Apple device. The recordings organized by the first name of the speaker and the location where the talk is given.
If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-777-9588.
Source:
http://www.thefix.com/content/12-apps-12-steps-holiday-survival-guide9472