Living a life of sobriety is like living a double life for me. Of course my family  know that I had a problem with drink but my co-workers and new friends don't.  In the past, I mixed with people who were drinkers. That is pretty much how it went. To be honest, I didn't really have much in common with those who didn't drink. Why would I? I thought they were boring. I couldn't imagine living a life with alcohol.  Now that I don't drink, I don't gravitate... »

Get your mind ready - read about people who have already been through alcoholism and are thriving in sobriety. Join an online forum and read what other people are experiencing in sobriety. Spend time finding out about people who are already living what you are contemplating. Start exercising or bump up your existing exercise routine - I would say this is one of the most important parts of sobriety. You are going to need an outlet for the myriad of emotions... »

At age 68 Louis Gossett got sober from alcohol and drugs. This prooves that it is never too late to start over in life. Here is a article from WKAR about his story and a new book that he recently published;  LOS ANGELES (Reuters)/WKAR- He was not born on the fourth of July, but Louis Gossett, Jr. celebrates it like his birthday, nonetheless. Not because July 4 is America's Independence Day. Rather, because it marks the Oscar-winning actor's own independence from years of... »

Today I thought back to the early days of my sobriety, when practically everything seemed difficult. I remember thinking that I found it hard to laugh. This may sound strange but seriously, it was not easy for me to laugh naturally. For so long, my laughs were spurred by being tipsy or drunk, it is easy to laugh when you are in that state. But, when I got sober, laughter was not easy. I can remember specific times when I laughed... »

June 1, 2010  I have nearly completed two years of sobriety. To sum them both up; year 1 was hell, and year 2 has been the best year of my life since I was about 6 years old. Not only am I sober but I am happier more days than I am not. I am a different person today. I am confident, happy, and I am earning the respect of those closest to me. I am fit and healthy, I am positive, I... »

I would love to take credit for this post, but actually my friend Patrick Meninga wrote it. Patrick is the creator and writer of Spiritual River, a website about overcoming addiction. I owe part of my sobriety to Patrick. It was the many insightful, knowledgeable and practical posts on Spiritual River that helped me in the days just before I got sober and then ever since. Patrick is an amazing writer and covers every aspect of all kinds of addiction. He has... »

While doing some research about living a sober life after years of alcoholism, I came across an unexpected story.  Eileen P. DeClemente wrote a book about her experience of alcoholism and recovery. What is unusual about about Eileen is that she has alcohol induced dementia. This is the first I have heard about the link between alcoholism and dementia at such an early age. This is taken from Eileen's website: "Eileen DeClemente was 11 years old when she took her first drink. For 26 years she used drugs and alcohol to... »

Powerful words from the Bible tailored for you…  Everyday, believe that: You are wise You are intelligent You are sensible You are disciplined You are honest You are truthful You are noble You are good You are prudent You are reliable You are virtuous You are eloquent You are kind You are calm You are peaceful You are gentle You are cheerful You are happy You are godly  Each day, say to yourself: I seek wisdom I seek knowledge I seek understanding I seek righteousness  Then remind yourself of whom you really are by saying:  I am wise I am intelligent I am sensible I am disciplined I am... »

Rules to live by  “And you must love the lord your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is equally important; love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandments are greater than these” Jesus – Mark 12:29  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:14  “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you... »

Prayer  “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24  “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Jesus – Mark 11:22  “Thank God, for all he does”  “If you need Wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you” James 1:2  “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my... »

Faith  “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing. If you need Wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you” James 1:2  “Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will... »

"You can overcome any obstacle. You can achieve the most tremendous things by faith power. Saturate your mind with the great words of the Bible. If you will spend one hour a day reading the Bible and committing its great passages to memory, thus allowing them to recondition your personality, the change in you and in your experience will be little short of miraculous” “Faith power works wonders” “Expect the best at all times. Never think of the worst. Drop it out... »

I wish I had read this a long time ago. I have read it over and over again; each time it reminds me of how important my sobriety is and how my commitment to sobriety means everything. I thought I would share this with you: "What you commit yourself to be will change what you are and make you into a completely different person. Let me repeat that. Not the past but the future conditions you, because what you commit yourself... »

For all the women in out there who are rebuilding their life in sobriety or who are trying to overcome alcoholism; Proverbs 31 - A Wife of Noble Character might help you find your way. I have edited the original proverb slightly but I think the message speaks clearly regardless. Wouldn't it feel good to be this kind of woman? Proverbs 31 - A Wife of Noble Character Virtuous and Capable She brings her husband good Her husband can trust her She gets up before dawn... »

    If you are sober or thinking about getting sober, here is another valuable tool for your sobriety kit; Klove radio station. Listen to Christian Sobriety Music. Listen to Klove radio station in the car, at work or at home. The songs are so inspiring. If somebody recommended this to me a few years ago, I would have laughed. But now, I can't stop recommending it to others. The music is great, very trendy and catchy. Each song carries its own message about God, Jesus, life, and sobriety. Give... »

"Alcohol And Substance Abuse Will Not Take Away Your Fears" is a guest post by Stanley Popovich. Alcohol and substance abuse or any other addictions will not take away your problems and fears. In the short run, they might make you feel better, but in the long run these addictions will only make things worse. So what do you do to make your problems and fears go away? Well, since you can’t runaway from them, then the best solution is to tackle your... »

Throughout my sobriety I have read extensively; mainly books about sobriety, personal development, and success. Now I am on a journey through the Bible. I will be sharing useful information that relates to sobriety in a series of posts called  "Sobriety Bible". These are wise words. They were written some time back in 960 B.C by Soloman, Agur and Lemuel, according to Jewish tradition. The Bible that I am reading from is the "New Living Translation". Proverb 4. There is so much to glean from this Proverb. I... »

Welcome to Sobriety and the Bible, or my Sobriety Bible! This is a new avenue for me. It surprises me in some ways but it excites me too. I have been sober for 18 months; I did not join a specific alcohol recovery group, instead, I have researched Women for Sobriety, A.A, and creative methods of recovery. I seem to have taken something from everything that is available and I have created my own way, it may sound unusual but my way... »

There is no doubt that alcohol recovery is an arduous journey. Some days during my sobriety, I have found it really useful to keep a list of some of my favorite sobriety quotes handy. I often come across sobriety or inspirational quotes that resonate with me for one reason or another, when that happens I jot them down before I forget. Here are my sobriety quotes, inspirational quotes and quotes that I just like; ‘Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life,... »

Do you suffer from social anxiety? Do you use alcohol to make social events manageable? Has your alcohol consumption increased because of social anxiety? Are you an alcoholic or are you socially anxious? I suffered with severe social anxiety for many years, from my late teens until fairly recently. I thought that social anxiety was something that I was going to suffer with for the rest of my life; I believed it was a part of me, possibly genetic, and something that I would have to get used... »

I wrote this poem in November 2008, four months after I giving up drinking alcohol. Keeping a sobriety journal allows me to look back and see how how far I have come. I do not profess to be a poet and I am working on my grammar, but these words still ring true to me today. Finding freedom at last Finding me finally Letting go of the past Growing slowly Years have past Friendships grown and lost Two new souls brought into the world New life brings new memories Time to... »

Friends. During my first year of sobriety, I experienced a multitude of feelings towards my friends and people I knew. Initially, I didn't want to see many people. I had the intense desire to be alone and with close family only. I did not feel comfortable telling my friends that I had made the decision to stop drinking alcohol. I wanted to make sense of what I was doing before I spoke about it with anyone else. Planning my day and learning to... »

I am fast approaching two years of sobriety. Not too shabby for someone whose life revolved around alcohol for seventeen years. Based on my experience throughout this time, I have put together a list of twenty one action items that I believe will benefit every newly sober person. I would have appreciated this list back in July 2008 when I first got sober. Fortunately, I did come across Spiritual River, which was a great starting point. (1) Write frequently in a journal. Do this whether... »

I’ll Stop Tomorrow;  Paul Campbell has hit the nail on the head when he says ‘This book was written by somebody who had everything and lost everything’ and ‘someone who went through the living hell of chronic alcoholism and the tough times of recovery’.  Author Paul Campbell was once a highly successful advertising executive in Ireland. He had the kind of financial and personal success that many people can only dream of until alcohol nearly destroyed him. Thankfully, he lived to tell... »

Hi Everyone, I had not heard from Debbie for a while but then she got back in contact. Here is what has been going on for Debbie; I haven't checked rp for a while. I saw your most recent post and had to write. I didn't want to  but here goes. Just shy of six months of sobriety, sometime in mid November, I relapsed. I started drinking again. At first it was a bottle of wine and I recall feeling really glad that... »

Tonight I had to give my son a talk about drugs, it was a part of his cub scout advancement to earn another badge. I can not tell you how good it felt that I was able to speak with him honestly about the ill effects of involving himself in such things. Imagine if this was 17 months ago, would I have said hold on son, let me just fill up my wine glass and pop out for a quick... »

I just read a comment from my friend Paul Cook, he is the author of a fantastic sobriety book called "Cooked in LA", if you haven't read my book review already you can click here to find out all about it.  Paul was letting me know that a potential movie of the book could be in the pipeline, that would be amazing! Paul's story was meant for the big screen. It got me thinking about sobriety movies and I couldn't really... »

I have come across a whole bunch of sobriety resources in the form of podcasts that are fantastic so I thought I would share them with you; Podcasts for Successful living with Allan Hunkin - Every interview that you can get. Oprah - The Soul Series - Listen by podcast or watch the webcasts. Listen to all of them! Social Anxiety Resolved Podcasts with Johnathan Berent- Very useful and informative  Listen and learn! These have been very helpful to me and are so interesting. I will keep... »

This article is not new but is interesting...Here is an extract from ChristianityToday.com As Clapton's legend grew, so too did his destructive behaviors. Within a year of his conversion he became addicted to heroin, kicked it, but moved on to alcohol, sexual promiscuity, and a string of failed relationships. "Bad choices were my specialty," he said. In 1987 he hit the bottom. Failing through a month of rehab, he fell to his knees and finally "surrendered" to God, dedicating his sobriety to... »

Over the last year I have had the great fortune of meeting (via the Internet) many people who have changed their lives successfully after living for years with chronic alcoholism. They have hit rock bottom so to speak with regard to alcoholism but they have been able to pull themselves back and recreate a new life. One of these people is a man named Paul Campbell from Ireland. If you follow Recovery Princess then you will have seen some of... »

It keeps getting better and better. I always want to be better, to do my best, to learn more, to understand more, to accept more, to help more, to be present, to know that at the end of the day I can honestly say to myself that I am living a good life now. Sobriety really does just keep getting better and better. The relationship I have with myself is far healthier than it has been probably since I was... »

I have come across another immensely valuable resource. Anthony Robbins. Just like with Zig Ziglar, I wonder where on earth I have been that I have only found this man now. But in a way I believe it is significant in the sense that right now is when I need to hear what he has to say the most. I have found recently that I have the ability to control and change the way I feel, I am able to clearly... »