25 piece Mini Nugget - David's Recovery Nuggets

David shares his Recovery Nuggets. 25 Recovery Nuggets to chew on and think about on your journey in recovery. 

1. I had to want to get clean for myself.
2. I had to believe it was possible
3. I had to admit to myself that it was a problem, before I could even consider asking for help.
4. The gift of desperation is a powerful thing. When you are desperate to get something ( in this case recovery) you will do whatever it takes.
5. 12 step programs worked for me. What was in there that worked? Self, society, service, and spirituality. (Higher-power)
6. Meetings, connections, and new relationships with others working on their recovery helped me not feel so alone.
7. Unlearning a lot of my old ideas about life, values, and the importance of service helps get me out of my head
8. Getting into a regular rhythm of recovery dialing vs drunk dialing.
9. I had to quit hanging out with old people places and things. The lifestyle of drinking and drugging is just that, a lifestyle. Recovery is a new way of living. It meant getting good sleep, going to meetings, talking to new people in recovery.
10. I got a sponsor. Someone to help guide me through the steps and get used to the recovery lifestyle.
11. I learned to pray, meditate, be still, and apply the newfound peace in my everyday walk.
12. I had to start giving back. Giving back with my time, my efforts, thank people in my life who helped me. I have to give back what was given so feely to me.
13. Take accountability for my actions, make amends, put the grocery cart back, drive safely, practice compassion, make mistakes and stay clean and sober thru them as well.
14. I have to keep showing up for this thing. Addiction is no joke and can grab hold in a myriad of ways. Food, sex, porn, drugs, alcohol, shopping, lottery tickets, retail therapy, sports. By continuing to show up and be around others I can participate in my recovery.
15. Try new things. Especially when it’s uncomfortable.
16. My recovery is my responsibility. That means there are certain things I have to do, and certain things I no longer play around with.
17. The more I work on myself, the better other people in my life become. What I mean is some of the people I held resentments against were doing their best at the time, and furthermore maybe I was the self centered train wreck who was off the rails
18. As I learn to ask for forgiveness, I becoming more willing to forgive others.
19. I no longer need to be understood, I do a lot more to try and understand others.
20. When someone is sharing with me something that they are going through. I do not have to try and FIX it or give advice. I can just listen and be supportive.
21. Gratitude makes a huge difference in my perception of my life, my mistakes, and my material experience. Gratitude can take me from a victim to an accepting person of what is my reality.
22. Let go or be dragged.
23. Lower my expectations and raise my acceptance.
24. The same person can show you who you want to be, and who you do not want to be. IN THE SAME DAY.
25. Well rounded recovery involves abstinence from the thing, doing work to improve the patterns that cause me to want to use the thing, connection with others, service to others, showing up for your life be it work, family, community, reading and journaling, finding someone who is emotionally reliable to share your process, for me it was a sponsor. Making mistakes and learning from them and doing my best not to self sabotage when I am close to a new level of learning or growing.