Topic: tools for recovery

Both sides present arguments, and for the most part, those arguments depend on the separation of spirituality from religion.

You find yourself burdened with unfamiliar doubts and worries about the mechanics of living without alcohol and drugs. You wonder how you will ever adapt.

Somehow, your brain has interpreted this as a present threat and released anxiety chemicals into your system.

Good sleep patterns are an antidote for depression, and research shows that better sleep directly improves your mood.

Living sober is a very special process. A process that you can easily let yourself get tired of, or one that can lift you higher than any beverage could.

I had to think back to the retreat leaders I had experienced, and remember just how much they listened to me and offered prayers, not advice.

As addiction progresses, the addict or alcoholic grows away from the larger culture from whence they came.

Seek outside advice. Good advice, that is. Not the sort from the guy on the next bar stool.

Sponsors, the saying goes, carry the message, not the alcoholic.

The more we exert ourselves to help those with problems like ours, the more concrete benefits we receive from AA.