Staying clean or sober is an ongoing battle and it’s important to have a number of tools to turn to in order to win this uphill battle. First of all, for many people attending meetings works very well. There are often a few available each day, especially in metropolitan areas. Take advantage of these alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous meetings to keep your sobriety and gain support.

In addition to meetings, it is helpful to have ways to change your mood when you start getting tempted. Have a few people you can call if this comes up. This can include your sponsor, family members and close friends. You can also have two or three books of inspiration to turn to when these feelings come up. These can include spiritual literature, biographies, accounts of those who have overcome addictions and books of quotes. Also, having a book of fiction that is very engrossing is another way to get your mind off negative thoughts.

Exercising, meditation and physical activity are also very good outlets. Have some dvds you can pop in the player or your computer to help with your mental state. If you are in cold weather, have indoor activities available to turn to in your home. During warm weather it is good to have a place for walking, swimming or other outdoor forms of improving one’s state of mind.

Counseling is also very useful to work through family issues, traumas from the past and current challenging situations. If you have a counselor you can give that person a call when you are having a hard time and may be able to schedule an earlier appointment. Support is critical to get through some of the temptations. Family therapy can help clear out some past situations that were never resolved.

Renting movies is a good way to get yourself laughing and in a state of humor. Find something that is a comedy as sometimes heavy dramas can make things worse when you are going through something. If you’ve been clean or sober for more than 30 days you should also congratulate yourself.

You have made some progress and are on the way to recovery. Keep a calendar and every few days write down the number of days you’ve been able to stay free from relapsing. If you think of falling off the wagon or regressing, look at your notes. You have been successful for a period of time and it would truly be sad to lose all the progress you’ve made.

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