How do I stay motivated in my recovery journey?
Please share your experiences by commenting on the topic below. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
This month we’re asking you to share on the question, “How do I stay motivated in my recovery journey?”
I stay motivated in my recovery journey by making conscious contact with my Higher Power through prayer first thing in the morning. I attend meetings, make outreach calls, read program literature every day and write down my thoughts and feelings without censoring myself. It works because I choose to work it!
Al-Anon gives me a fresh thought every time I make an appearance, face to face or online. Listening and learning strengthens me and service allows me to support a newcomer or provide a refresher to my circle of friends. Having a go to button is a valuable tool in my recovery. Thank you local and international friends.
Having problems with executive brain function and being a hermit, motivation is low on a fall evening when I want to den. So I have to overcome that somehow. Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. I feel a strong obligation to two groups of people, newcomers and regular members. I do want to reach out to others starting out on finding their way. I do want to share experience, strength, hope and love with those who… Read more »
I stay motivated in my recovery by recalling all the times that using program tools have worked for me, in ways I would never have dreamed of on my own. They are the guidelines for living my life today. The program has given me the gifts of a Higher Power and a new family of brothers and sisters of the heart that I would not have attracted, nor been attracted to, if not for practicing my program. I know that if I “fall off the wagon” I could lose these priceless treasures. In addition, the more I practice, the more… Read more »
I have learned that I am powerless over persons, places, & things. I apply the tools of Al-Anon in every aspect of my life. I no longer have active addiction in my daily life, but I use the tools of Al-Anon nearly every day of my life. The slogans have become the basis of my prayers to my Higher Power. Most of all, I have learned the necessity of seeking a Higher Power for help & direction, as well as seeking the experience, strength, & hope from my Sponsor & other Al-Anon members. I have a recipe for improving myself… Read more »
There are several ways I stay motivated in recovery. First is the continuing gift of desperation. When I came to the rooms of Al-Anon, I was miserable but didn’t know it. Looking back now I can see how miserable I was, how much emotional pain was part of daily life. But at the time I thought I was doing okay. I believed the lies the disease told me, like “it’s not that bad”. It was that bad, and I never want to return to that misery. The second motivator is staying connected with my sponsor and other friends in the… Read more »
How do I stay motivated in my recovery journey? Al-Anon is sharing of ideas in everything in life. I have CAL, meetings, and sponsor, even in service. Since I walked through these doors I have made steady progress in my life to reach a wonderful level of serenity. I used to be a control freak and everyone I encountered, most important of all my children, suffered because of my presence. I was consumed by a goal of perfection. My ideas were stereotyped to the point of boredom. Life was so static but I eventually recognized this inflexible pattern. I was alone in a world of no… Read more »
I stay motivated in my Al-Anon journey by connecting with others in recovery. Early on I realized that I felt bad when I pulled away and stopped going to meetings. Reality is: Everything is better with Al-Anon and I keep getting better. It’s a beautiful thing! I stay connected by working with a sponsor and agreeing to sponsor others. Honestly, it’s hard to be a sponsor if I’m not working with the tools of the program as well. If I suggest someone prays or makes a gratitude list, this is something I should be considering for myself as well. Spending… Read more »
Over the years I have learned to live my life using the slogans, steps, and calls to other Al-Anon members. When a crisis occurs I ask myself “how important is it?” Say the car won’t start. I can make a call to get a ride to work. I can put a charger on my car to see if it’s something I can fix myself. If not I can call a garage and let them handle it. Practicing Tadition 7 I have savings for just such an emergency. These tools of the program keep my life manageable. When I stay away… Read more »
As a new member of our small but mighty Al-Anon Family group, I am discovering more about myself each week. The sharings each week are so valuable to me. There are always nuggets of truth for me from each person’s journey in Al-Anon. I love the meeting format that lovingly nurtures each person along the road to recovery. Growing up with evening and weekend alcoholic parents, I knew there were aspects of my life that needed improvement. After several months of attending our small group, I realized how much more this program could help me be a better person. I… Read more »
Early on in my recovery, a friend in program introduced me to Service. Over the years I continue to be active in my District and Area’s Service. It is what keeps me coming back, plus also attending meetings. The Zoom platform has allowed me to expand my program by listening to other people in our program from around the country and world…..what a blessing! Thank you Al-Anon…
I was motivated to stay in the program and to recover after few months in the program. When I first came, I was not the least seeing the need for me to be there. However, an event made me realize that I had more than one reason to stay, learn and recover. This happened many years ago and I have never looked back since. All the tools of the program that I have used in turn and that I still use today have kept me motivated. I remained motivated by honestly looking at myself, see how I have changed and… Read more »
Why blog? I enjoy writing so I wonder why I have never written a blog entry before now. I have been deeply depressed for several years and struggle to stay connected to my higher power. Maybe writing is my open door to a saner life.
As a member of Al-Anon for 25 years, I continue to be motivated through working with others, using Conference Approved Literature and participating in service work. My sponsor assisted me in working the 12 steps in my first year of recovery. Most of my reading was in Al-Anon’s morning meditation books, “Courage To Change” and “One Day At A Time”. When starting a new Al-Anon group with a few other Al-Anon members, our focus was to bring in all of the Al-Anon literature, emphasize service work and the importance of sponsorship. I have been fortunate to have the same sponsor… Read more »
The keys for me to stay motivated in my Al-Anon recovery journey are attending meetings, staying in contact with my beloved sponsor and other program friends, daily reading of Conference Approved Literature (CAL), and service. I need to spend time with my home group family and other members in order to soak up their love and example of how to live the Al-Anon program. Weekly attendance and active participation in a group where I’m recognized and I recognize most others helps keep me on an even keel. Attendance at other meetings also helps me continue to maintain and expand my… Read more »
I stay motivated in my recovery journey by reminding myself of what life was like before I found the program. Because I have tools now that I didn’t have before – my higher power, literature, the steps, people to reach out to – I can keep moving forward in my journey. I no longer need to get stuck in a negative place if I make mistakes. The program has taught me that I shouldn’t expect perfection; only progress. If I involve myself in a sticky situation, I go to Step 10 and do a personal inventory. If I was wrong,… Read more »