Recovery Without Rock Bottom: Reclaim Your Life From Addictive Behaviors

On April 23 I will be celebrating 31 years of continuous sobriety. It’s always a time for reflection and as I look back, I want to share the top 3 things that have been key in maintaining my sobriety.

The first is that I have made sobriety my number 1 priority. It comes before my husband, my job, and even my kids. I know that if I don’t take care of my mental and emotional well being, that my sobriety could become vulnerable, and that’s a risk I’m just not willing to take. There’s an old saying that no matter how far down the road you go, you’re still the same distance from the ditch. I am very clear that I cannot drink like a normal person, despite how long I’ve been sober. Sobriety is the foundation of this life I love so much.

Another component to my sobriety has been community. I have surrounded myself with other people who also have made sobriety their number 1 priority. There’s an idea called the contagion theory, that was developed by researchers at Harvard. It says we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. We tend to adopt the beliefs and habits of the people we spend the most time with.

And lastly, maybe most importantly is something I don’t think I talk about enough, which is the role that spirituality plays in my life. I’m pretty allergic to anything religious, so that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean no disrespect to religious people if that works for you. I just needed to come to an understanding of what it means to connect to a God of my understanding, which in short is universal law but also a power rooted in love. I have had spiritual experiences that were so profound, there’s no other way to explain them. They actually happen so frequently in the recovery community we often refer to them as “God Shots”. They are like little reminders that we are not alone, and there is a greater power working in our loves.

If you have had a spiritual experience that you’d like to share, just leave a comment on the blog at odaatchat.com or you can DM me on Instagram at arlinaallen

And as always, if you find yourself in need of support along your sobriety journey, please reach out to me to find out if sober coaching is right for you. Just visit soberlifeschool.com and book a no obligation call.

Today I have a special guest, Andrea Seydel who is the author of Recovery Without Rock Bottom: Reclaim Your life From Addictive Behavior. She is also the host of the super popular, Saving You Is Killing Me Podcast.

Andrea shares how living with an addict led her to a very dark place of self-doubt, and shame that nearly cost her everything. I don’t think we talk enough about how destructive addiction is for the family members, so today is an attempt to rectify that. And honestly, I don’t think I know a single person in recovery who hasn’t suffered from codependency to some degree so this will be a helpful episode for all involved.

👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life?

Here are 3 ways to get started:

🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days – With a printable PDF checklist

Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com

🎁Free Journaling Exercise: How To Get Unstuck, Be Consistent & Reach Your Goals

Download Here: https://www.innercompassprogram.com

☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick

https://www.makesobrietystick.com

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