Recovery Repetitions and Helpful Mantras

recovery

Addiction recovery, among many other things, is about repetition. Long-term sobriety depends on a person’s ability to adopt a new mode of living. Discarding old behaviors and negative mindsets while creating different traditions that don’t involve the use of alcohol or drugs is critical.

Following and sticking to a healthy path takes an enormous effort in early recovery. Keeping temptations and cravings at bay is just one of several obstacles the newly sober face. At times, it can seem like there’s something around every corner lying in wait to derail one’s progress. Which is why developing structured patterns of living that mitigate the risk of making wrong turns is invaluable.

When people finally accept that they have a disease that needs tending each day, they do whatever it takes to nurture their recovery. The first year is about following a blueprint for success that was drafted by countless men and women. The hard mistakes made by generations before gave us a formula for making continued progress. Those who trust the process and stick to the program find no ceiling to what’s achievable.

Over time, one’s new approach won’t seem novel at all. Adhering to and prioritizing the needs of one’s program becomes natural. Men and women will no longer wonder if they will make a meeting or call their sponsor each day. Reaching out a hand to the newcomer will be second nature and being of service wherever and whenever becomes standard operating procedure.

Promoting a Positive Mindset in Recovery

Again, the road to long-term recovery is repetitious. Engaging in the same or similar daily activities, so they become a reflex is vital, but arriving at that point isn’t without difficulty.

At times, calling one’s sponsor will seem like a quotidian struggle. In the first year of recovery, it is common to get burnt out from attending meetings, day in and day out. Sharing in meetings will feel like an impossible task some days. Hearing other people share, ever listening for the similarities and not the differences, can be exhausting.

While it’s not unhealthy to feel frustrated with the program’s redundancies, rebelling against such feelings is paramount. Frustration will foment spiritual unrest and negative thoughts if left unchecked. Interestingly, one of the most repetitive aspects of the program is also a tool for combating annoyance. For example, recovery sayings, maxims, and mantras, such as Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS).

In meetings of the 12 Step variety like Alcoholics Anonymous, acronyms and repeated quotations abound. Some can be found in the Big Book or other 12 Step-related texts, while others arose organically in the group and were then passed along from one member to the next. Have an attitude of gratitude, turn I wish into I will, and progress, not perfection are prime examples.

The newly sober will hear the above sayings innumerable times just in the first year alone, borderline ad nauseum. Platitudes and maxims might seem annoying at first, but when repeated to one’s self in times of difficulty, they can pull a person out of a funk.

Utilizing the Mantras of Recovery

If you become disinterested in being of service, even though you know it’s beneficial, then try focusing on being more self-aware. Combat your disquiet with subtle reminders like:

  • The healthy person finds happiness in helping others.
  • Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
  • If you want what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.

You have probably heard the above lines before and have incorporated at least one into your quiver of recovery sayings. If not, write them down and memorize them; they are helpful to have in your back pocket when feeling unmotivated.

Perhaps you have found yourself bothered by another member of the group and no longer wish to see him or her? While you do not have to like or relate to everyone, your distaste for someone hurts you the most.

Address the problem by talking to your sponsor, rather than deciding to no longer attend a meeting; they may be a member of your homegroup, after all. Discussions will lead you to discover the problem’s root; in these scenarios, people usually find that the issue is internal, not external. Your sponsor may drop another helpful saying on you, albeit with a touch of levity perhaps. He or she may say, “If you like everyone in AA, you’re not going to enough meetings!”

Bothers with the program are typically menial. However, not facing perturbations can disrupt progress. If you put minuscule problems before your sobriety, it will not last. People who no longer put their recovery first are bound to slip, which brings us to our last helpful acronym. SLIP: Sobriety Losing Its Priority!

Gender-Specific Addiction Treatment

At PACE (Positive Attitudes Change Everything) Recovery Center, we equip adult men with the tools to adhere to a program of recovery. Our safe and supportive environment is the ideal setting to restructure and gear your life toward achieving long-term sobriety. Please contact us today to learn more about our gender-specific addiction treatment center.