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Most individuals in recovery begin with basic works of literature to help guide them along during the recovery process. These are the top 10 works of literature for addicts or alcoholics who are looking to create a better life for themselves.

Alcoholics Anonymous – Big Book

There’s no greater works of literature for alcoholics to follow than the original Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book itself, which kicked off the recovery program in 1939 with founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob.  When in doubt, the words of wisdom from The Big Book could carry a sick and suffering alcoholic through a tremendously difficult time.  Bill was in a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body but had been brought to a place of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual restoration following this program implemented along with the help of other fellow alcoholics.  Reading this book may bring other sick and suffering alcoholics similar experiences, so it has been suggested if individuals want what these people have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it, then they should take these certain steps written in this book.

 

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Another great work of literature would be the Twelve and Twelve.  This book gives a break down of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions that are suggestions from the Alcoholics Anonymous program of recovery so that the individual can best understand it with their sponsor who should be guiding them along during the process.

Living Sober

This is an inspirational book that is filled with a gaping amount of recovered alcoholic’s personal stories.  What could be better than hearing how an individual lives happy, joyous, and free now from alcoholism after hearing what it used to be like and what happened when they were active in their disease?

Drop The Rock

This work of literature is excellent for working on character defects during steps six and seven.  It also focuses on the manifestation of the disease of alcoholism.  The individual ultimately can become hooked on anything and this is why the individual must remain vigilant by constantly being aware of their defects of character, seeing where they are selfish, dishonest, fearful, and resentful.  When reading recovery books, Drop The Rock definitely makes the top 10.

Daily Reflections

Daily Reflections is a collection of inspirational readings for each day of the year that the recovering individual can flip to routinely.  It can help them stay accountable on a regular basis, so they stay on top of their recovery and pull themselves out of a funk if they feel low later in the day.

Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age

One of the greatest works of literature for history, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age is great reading recovery material for those looking to learn more about the roots of the program’s foundation.  The book goes into how AA first came about and the principles that the program has stood by from the beginning.

The Spirituality of Imperfection

With intricate stories woven tactfully throughout the book, The Spirituality of Imperfection explains the nature of humanity as being innately flawed.  The book outlines and relates much on recovery-oriented themes.  It is a must read for individuals striving to understand how to accept setbacks and unease so that they can see truth in the conquest to putting significance in their life.

The Language of the Heart

The Language of the Heart holds a collection of Bill Wilson’s works in which he wrote for The Grapevine over the course of several years.

Narcotics Anonymous

The NA Basic Text provides knowledge of the fellowship’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions for those suffering from addiction and/or longing to recover.  Modeled after AA steps, the book outlines basic explanation of the program where recovering individuals meet and work steps to communicate about their recovery with other recovering addicts.

Living Clean: The Journey Continues

This book explains multiple aspects, which is how there is a desire to stop using substances, how any addict has potential to stop abusing drugs, and the opportunities for a new way of life to be lived.  This book discusses that a new life is beyond the horizon and explains the beauty in all the types of possibilities that come along with it.

There you have it!  When it comes to reading recovery books, these are the recommended top 10 works of literature for addicts or alcoholics.  If you haven’t checked these phenomenal books out yet, be sure to head over to your local spiritual store, head over by a 12-Step Fellowship meeting to see if you are able to purchase one there, or browse online to find a store you can purchase the books from.

Are you still active in addiction but longing to recover from the seemingly hopeless state of mind and body?  The Watershed wants to help guide you along through the process. 

CHAT LIVE NOW!

 

Are you worried you may be slacking with your addiction recovery?  These warning signs can be a surefire way to tell!

Relapse Warning Signs

Keeping up with your addiction recovery is important, but after you’ve been sober for a while, it can get tricky.  Life has gotten better and you’ve already put the substances down.  Now that you aren’t active in your addiction and have racked up a good amount of sober time, it’s likely that your life has become far more manageable than it ever has been before.  This makes it all the more likely for you to justify skipping regular meetings throughout the week, forgetting to keep up with sober supports, and slacking when it comes to constant communication with your sponsor.  When you stop being as strict about following your addiction recovery routine and become more lenient with it over time, you may not notice it right away but after a while you set yourself up to begin slacking with your recovery.  You may begin to grow restless, irritable, and discontent.  It’s never good when an alcoholic and/or addict becomes any of these because they set themselves up to self-medicate by reverting back to the drink and/or drug.

How to pull yourself back up

When you notice yourself headed down an emotional and mental downward cycle, you need to lift yourself up.  The bottom line is your life is on the line because if you aren’t growing in your recovery, then you are plummeting and reverting back to your former ways of thinking.  You should constantly be reminding yourself that and keeping in mind that if you don’t push forward by continuing with your addiction recovery, you are bound to go back to the life you lived before you found this beautiful new way of life in sobriety.  Being aware that you are slacking with your recovery doesn’t mean you are failure.  It means you are human and you got caught up in the scheme of life.  Life gets stressful and people get busy, but since you are an alcoholic and/or addict, you have to constantly remind yourself that you cannot afford to put anything before your commitment to working your addiction recovery program.  Without your sobriety, life isn’t manageable.  You can’t forget this because otherwise you will revert back to abusing substances and go back to the way you were living when you were in active addiction.  If you do see yourself picking up on old behaviors, you do have the ability to check back in with yourself and stop because you still have that choice before you take your will back by turning back to substances.  The best way to pull yourself back up when you notice your slacking on your addiction recovery is to set up a plan of action.  This should include reaching out to sober supports because when you notice you haven’t been able to stay on board in your program, reaching out to others who understand what you are going through and can provide support while sharing their experience, strength and hope can pull you through the most trying times.

Remember not to get frustrated with yourself for not adhering to a perfect addiction recovery program.  Every person is likely to have flare ups along the way and that’s okay.  A key component to understand about recovery is that it’s a process focusing on progress, not perfection.

Find a meeting now! Click here. 

Are you worried you may be slacking with your addiction recovery?  These warning signs can be a surefire way to tell!

Relapse Warning Signs

Keeping up with your addiction recovery is important, but after you’ve been sober for a while, it can get tricky.  Life has gotten better and you’ve already put the substances down.  Now that you aren’t active in your addiction and have racked up a good amount of sober time, it’s likely that your life has become far more manageable than it ever has been before.  This makes it all the more likely for you to justify skipping regular meetings throughout the week, forgetting to keep up with sober supports, and slacking when it comes to constant communication with your sponsor.  When you stop being as strict about following your addiction recovery routine and become more lenient with it over time, you may not notice it right away but after a while you set yourself up to begin slacking with your recovery.  You may begin to grow restless, irritable, and discontent.  It’s never good when an alcoholic and/or addict becomes any of these because they set themselves up to self-medicate by reverting back to the drink and/or drug.

How to pull yourself back up

When you notice yourself headed down an emotional and mental downward cycle, you need to lift yourself up.  The bottom line is your life is on the line because if you aren’t growing in your recovery, then you are plummeting and reverting back to your former ways of thinking.  You should constantly be reminding yourself that and keeping in mind that if you don’t push forward by continuing with your addiction recovery, you are bound to go back to the life you lived before you found this beautiful new way of life in sobriety.  Being aware that you are slacking with your recovery doesn’t mean you are failure.  It means you are human and you got caught up in the scheme of life.  Life gets stressful and people get busy, but since you are an alcoholic and/or addict, you have to constantly remind yourself that you cannot afford to put anything before your commitment to working your addiction recovery program.  Without your sobriety, life isn’t manageable.  You can’t forget this because otherwise you will revert back to abusing substances and go back to the way you were living when you were in active addiction.  If you do see yourself picking up on old behaviors, you do have the ability to check back in with yourself and stop because you still have that choice before you take your will back by turning back to substances.  The best way to pull yourself back up when you notice your slacking on your addiction recovery is to set up a plan of action.  This should include reaching out to sober supports because when you notice you haven’t been able to stay on board in your program, reaching out to others who understand what you are going through and can provide support while sharing their experience, strength and hope can pull you through the most trying times.

Remember not to get frustrated with yourself for not adhering to a perfect addiction recovery program.  Every person is likely to have flare ups along the way and that’s okay.  A key component to understand about recovery is that it’s a process focusing on progress, not perfection.

Find a meeting now! Click here. 

Are you worried you may be slacking with your addiction recovery?  These warning signs can be a surefire way to tell!

Relapse Warning Signs

Keeping up with your addiction recovery is important, but after you’ve been sober for a while, it can get tricky.  Life has gotten better and you’ve already put the substances down.  Now that you aren’t active in your addiction and have racked up a good amount of sober time, it’s likely that your life has become far more manageable than it ever has been before.  This makes it all the more likely for you to justify skipping regular meetings throughout the week, forgetting to keep up with sober supports, and slacking when it comes to constant communication with your sponsor.  When you stop being as strict about following your addiction recovery routine and become more lenient with it over time, you may not notice it right away but after a while you set yourself up to begin slacking with your recovery.  You may begin to grow restless, irritable, and discontent.  It’s never good when an alcoholic and/or addict becomes any of these because they set themselves up to self-medicate by reverting back to the drink and/or drug.

How to pull yourself back up

When you notice yourself headed down an emotional and mental downward cycle, you need to lift yourself up.  The bottom line is your life is on the line because if you aren’t growing in your recovery, then you are plummeting and reverting back to your former ways of thinking.  You should constantly be reminding yourself that and keeping in mind that if you don’t push forward by continuing with your addiction recovery, you are bound to go back to the life you lived before you found this beautiful new way of life in sobriety.  Being aware that you are slacking with your recovery doesn’t mean you are failure.  It means you are human and you got caught up in the scheme of life.  Life gets stressful and people get busy, but since you are an alcoholic and/or addict, you have to constantly remind yourself that you cannot afford to put anything before your commitment to working your addiction recovery program.  Without your sobriety, life isn’t manageable.  You can’t forget this because otherwise you will revert back to abusing substances and go back to the way you were living when you were in active addiction.  If you do see yourself picking up on old behaviors, you do have the ability to check back in with yourself and stop because you still have that choice before you take your will back by turning back to substances.  The best way to pull yourself back up when you notice your slacking on your addiction recovery is to set up a plan of action.  This should include reaching out to sober supports because when you notice you haven’t been able to stay on board in your program, reaching out to others who understand what you are going through and can provide support while sharing their experience, strength and hope can pull you through the most trying times.

Remember not to get frustrated with yourself for not adhering to a perfect addiction recovery program.  Every person is likely to have flare ups along the way and that’s okay.  A key component to understand about recovery is that it’s a process focusing on progress, not perfection.

Find a meeting now! Click here. 

Are you wondering how to handle social anxiety when being of service in the community of a 12-step fellowship?  Alcoholics and addicts can be overly sensitive people who may think when they enter a room, all eyes go directly to them.  It’s no wonder that you as an addicted individual might feel overwhelmed when volunteering your time by chairing or speaking at a meeting.  However, there are ways of handling your social anxiety so you can best be of service and be present in the moment to get your recovery on!

How to Handle Social Anxiety

It’s safe to say nobody, whether an addicted individual or not, likes having to deal with social anxiety.  It’s uncomfortable.  You may get jittery, start talking too quickly, veer away from people, or get completely awkward.  Alcoholics and addicts like yourself may be used to “treating” this with substances but now recovery allows working a program to solve these thinking problems.  Part of working a program includes being of service!  How are you supposed to handle social anxiety and be of service when you are feeling anxious about being of service, though?

Don’t think, just do

When speaking or chairing a meeting, it’s helpful to just simply dive into being of service regardless of how anxious you feel.  It can be beneficial to meditate, pray, and/or talk to a sponsor or friend beforehand.  Alcoholics and addicts are well-known for overanalyzing.  Don’t obsess and instead concentrate on how you’re helping others.

Speak from the heart

Speaking from the heart allows the anxiety and fear of what other people are thinking to disappear.  The willingness to speak the truth of your testimony and connect with others can redirect your focus to being passionate.  You may even lose track of how many people are present.

Take a breath

Remember to relax and not take yourself too seriously.  You are being of service and doing your part which will help you maintain sobriety and broaden the relationship with your recovery community.

Be patient with yourself and trust the process

It’s important for you to understand recovery is a process.  Your anxiety may take time to ease down.  Trusting this is essential.  Try not to get worked up if you find yourself getting riled up on the occasion.  The “moth metaphor” is a great example for a story that emphasizes elemental themes of patience and trust.  It begins with a man discovering a cocoon of a moth.  He brings the cocoon along with him so the moth can come out from its cocoon.  When an opening in the cocoon was beginning to appear, the man watched as the moth battled to get out but it was stuck.  Under the impression he was being helpful, the man decided to cut part of the cocoon to free the moth.  The moth was able to get out despite having a swollen body and little wings.  In the following days, the man watched with the hope that the moth would continue growing but instead the moth lived the remainder of its life sprawled out unable to fly.  The point of the “moth metaphor” is that it demonstrates how addicted individuals may only be able to salvage themselves when they are ready and entirely willing.  When others try to save them prematurely, they may find they are unsuccessful.  When the process is taken one day at a time and addicted individuals surrender, they may find they are exactly where they should be while doing the work the way it’s meant to be done in the necessary time it takes for them to recover.

Are you still struggling with an addiction to alcohol and/or drugs?  Contact The Watershed for help today. You don’t have to go through the struggle alone, so call now!

24/7 Addiction Crisis Helpline: 1-877-975-4837

More: How To Deal With Anxiety

With Mother’s Day soon to approach this May 10, you may be on your toes feeling anxious being early in recovery after having been formerly active as a drug addict mother.  Holidays can dredge up unexpected emotions from all angles, so dealing with a date designated for mothers can be particularly difficult.  Facing feelings of guilt and shame may be hard but you can’t stay stuck in the victim role.  Instead, you should pull yourself out to see how far you have travelled throughout the process of recovery so that you can look at how your sobriety can continue to allow you to grow to be the best mother you can be.

Mother’s Day In Recovery 

From A Drug Addict Mother…

When you were active in your addiction to drugs, it probably consumed your every thought and ultimately robbed the precious time you should have been spending with your children, husband, siblings, family members, and other loved ones.  Drug addict mothers can’t be present with their loved ones when they are active in addiction because when they aren’t physically taking their drugs of choice, they’re plotting and virtually obsessing over when they can run off to get their next dose.  This is the insanity of the disease of addiction.  You may have been physically with your children and other loved ones at the dinner table, but your mind was completely somewhere else because you were thinking about where you were going to meet your drug dealer, how much money you need, when you could get more of the drug, what time you would have to leave, how you would get the money, what street you would make the deal on, and where you would need to stop to get any supplementary drug paraphernalia.  Any conversation that was occurring at the family dinner table you were completely missing out on.

…to Sober Mother

Now being in recovery, you get a completely different outlook on life that you didn’t have before!  It’s as if you are an entirely different person with a completely fresh pair of eyes and have woken up out of an insane nightmare or been have broken the curse to which someone cast upon you!  You finally get to be present with your children and enjoy the time you spend with them.  Recovery can provide the freedom from the mental obsession to use substances, so you can have this outlook on life where you are in the present moment that is occurring.  You may just find that aren’t fixated on drugs or any type of association with them.  Instead, you may see yourself asking your family how they are doing as you aren’t reverting the conversation back to your own selfish ends. 

When you can truly communicate with your loved ones as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, or other family member, you may truly see how far you have already come throughout the process of your recovery.  This Mother’s Day, the true gift is being able to be present with the people you spend time with.  Whether you are able to actually see your loved ones or not on this holiday, do your best to remain grateful that you are clean and sober this year and not tearing up a storm hurting others active in your disease as a drug addict mother.

Are you concerned because you feel you are slipping in your recovery or are actively abusing drugs and/or alcohol?  Contact The Watershed for help now.  You don’t have to continue on with your use.  Live freely from the obsession by calling today.

 

When it comes to lying, addicts are keen on knowing just what to say and how to say it to manipulate matters into their own hands.  More often than not, addicts can get entangled in their own web of lies and place themselves in grave danger as a result.  If the recovering individual can take a look at how to stop lying and instead work on bettering themselves, they may come to find it makes their life far less complex and they can rest at ease living in honesty.

5 Lies Addicts Should Stop Believing NOW

Are you an addict that finds yourself wondering how to stop lying?  If you’re not sure, maybe you can identify with these 5 common lies that addicts need to stop telling themselves now.

There’s no fun without alcohol and drugs.

Before you ever picked up a drink or drug, did you ever smile or laugh?  The odds are that you did.  With that being said, you’re going to do the same without the use of any substances again.  Getting sober doesn’t mean you’re never going to be happy and you’re going to live a miserable life.  If that’s what it meant, then recovering addicts wouldn’t be clean this long!  If you aren’t having fun right away, give it some time.  There may be moments where you aren’t comfortable in your own skin, but after making new friends, getting readjusted in your newfound sober life, and re-experiencing living in the moment without the crutch that substances provided you, you may find that you enjoy life even more.

You are addicted due to a creative or genius trait.

This can be a dangerous lie that addicts want so badly to fool themselves into believing.  Addicts can desperately want to be innately unique and separate themselves from society.  In recovery, it can be seen that there is a common bond where each individual suffers from that same obsession to abuse their substance of choice uncontrollably.  There is no creative or genius trait that compels an individual to be an addict.  Addiction is a disease where even consequences cannot prevent the person from continuing on with the cycle of picking up and abusing their substance of choice.

Recovery is something you aren’t capable of.

Addiction may be a disease but anyone is capable of recovery, provided they have the willingness to recover from this grave state of mental, emotional, and physical agony.

Life is pointless and the way to deal with this is by turning to substances again.

You already know where drugs have gotten you in the past.  You know alcohol and drugs are not the solution.  Resorting to them once again will surely only bring the same results.  Nothing has changed, so stop telling yourself that turning to drugs will resolve any problem because you already know it won’t.

Nobody else is affected by your addiction.

To think that your addiction only affects you is false.  Addiction is a disease that isn’t contagious and yet it spreads like wildfire.  The actions you commit during active addiction come from a standpoint that may involve selfish, self-seeking, and dishonest tendencies, which directly affects all of the people you encounter throughout the day.

If you’re wondering how to stop lying, try to remember that honesty is a huge part of recovery.  If you truly want to get better, you are going to have to put in the effort to pausing, becoming willing, and thinking twice.  Checking in constantly with sober supports, a sponsor, therapist, family member or friend can help keep you accountable in your efforts when it comes to working on how to stop lying to yourself and others.