Patrick Slattery Sober Living April 24, 2023 As you reach the point of sobriety maintenance, you have a lot to look back on and be proud of. You have made it through a large portion of your journey and likely have worked your way through many of the Twelve Steps. These steps can be utilized throughout your life at any point during your recovery. To avoid relapse, it’s important to continue your journey of recovery after you have finished treatment and moved on from sober living. Sobriety maintenance and recovery require lifelong effort that can never be fully relinquished. A12-Step program does more than just help you get sober. It offers a holistic approach to living a fulfilled life. What Are the Twelve Steps? The Twelve Steps were created to help individuals in recovery take responsibility for their actions, make amends for their wrongs, and seek guidance and support from a higher power. These steps can help keep you on track with your sober living journey and enable you to maintain sobriety. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Recovery is only possible when you stay committed to living sober. This involves making an oath to live a sober life and creating a support network of others who are also committed to this lifestyle. Following the Twelve Steps can help to keep you committed to your sobriety. Applying the Twelve Steps to Sober Living There are many ways to apply each of the Twelve Steps to your sober living journey. It can be challenging to understand how to best implement the Twelve Steps, but by following these suggestions, you can ensure you are staying on top of meeting your recovery needs. Admit Powerlessness The initial step in any 12-Step program is acknowledging your powerlessness over addiction. This means accepting that you cannot manage your addiction on your own and need assistance to recover. In sober living, it is essential to continue acknowledging this weakness and seeking support from those who understand what you’re going through. Seeking support from other residents is highly recommended, as they likely are in similar situations and can empathize. Believe in a Higher Power The second step involves believing in an external force greater than yourself that can help you overcome addiction. This doesn’t have to be any specific religion or deity. Rather, it’s about accepting that there is something greater than yourself that provides guidance and support. As part of sober living, it’s essential to maintain faith in this higher power through prayer, meditation, or other spiritual practices. This simply could be invoking the energy of the universe, Mother Nature, the power of society, or whatever your beliefs are. Switch Your Will Over The third step involves making a conscious decision to surrender your will and life to your higher power. In sober living, it is essential to continue surrendering your will and trust that everything will work out in the best way. It can be difficult to give up a sense of control. However, one method is to try to focus on the aspects of your life that are within your power. Then allow yourself to let go of the factors that you cannot change. During the sober living stage, you can take this step again and again. Take a Moral Inventory The fourth step requires taking an inventory of your past behaviors and thought processes. It can be difficult to acknowledge your past mistakes, but this is essential in clearing a path for you to move forward. Allow yourself to reflect on your past actions and take accountability for them during your time in sober living. Admit Your Wrongs The fifth step involves admitting your wrongs to yourself, your higher power, and another individual. It is best to share this with a trusted member of your support system. This requires honesty and vulnerability and can help relieve feelings of guilt or shame. During sober living, it is important to continue acknowledging and admitting these transgressions to maintain accountability as well as personal growth. Be Ready for Change The sixth step involves being fully willing to have your higher power help relieve you from the negative characteristics that are contributing to your substance use. This requires you to be willing to alter and let go of negative behaviors and habits. Replacing these negative behaviors with healthy habits is a great way to set yourself up for long-term success. In sober living, it is essential to remain open-minded while actively working toward personal growth and improvement. Ask for Help The seventh step requires you to humbly ask your higher power for help in removing any shortcomings. This requires acknowledging that you cannot do everything on your own. it requires being willing to seek out assistance when needed. In sober living, it is essential to continue seeking support and assistance from others. Use the knowledge and support of the residents in your sober living home to gain further insight into how to best manage your sobriety. Making Amends The eighth step requires making a list of all those you have wronged and becoming willing to make amends. This requires humility and an acceptance of responsibility for your actions. It is important to continue making amends whenever possible and work on rebuilding any damaged relationships caused by addiction. This may help you to rebuild your support system and seek improvement in your relationships overall. Make Direct Amends The ninth step involves making direct amends to those you have wronged, except when doing so would cause further harm. This step may sound very similar to the eighth step but takes a more direct approach. It is important to make direct amends to those you who you have listed needing to make amends with. The eighth step is focused on preparing, while the ninth step involves putting this process into action. You may need to continue making new amends during your time in a sober living house. Take Inventory The tenth step involves regularly taking a personal inventory and promptly admitting when you are wrong. Accountability is an important aspect of this step, as you have to be fully honest with yourself about your wrongs. You may find new aspects of yourself that contribute to your substance use during your time in a sober living house. Taking accountability for your actions can truly help you grow during your sober living journey. Seek Guidance The eleventh step involves seeking guidance and support from your higher power through prayer and meditation. This requires a dedication to spiritual practices as well as an openness to listening to your intuition and greater consciousness. Utilizing meditation and other forms of spiritual practices that resonate with you can help you apply this step during your sober living experience. Help Others The twelfth step focuses on spreading the message of recovery and practicing its principles throughout your life. This could include volunteering, sponsoring someone on their recovery journey, or being a supportive and compassionate friend. In sober living, it is essential to continue helping others and giving back to your community. This helps you maintain sobriety and gives you a sense of purpose. These positive interactions will give back to you as well, strengthening your long-term ability to maintain sobriety. Tips and Tricks for Following the Twelve Steps Use these extra tips and tricks to live more in alignment with the Twelve Steps. Engaging in the following practices may help bring your focus to the Twelve Steps and improve your overall sense of balance in recovery. Develop a Spiritual Practice Though the 12-Step method is not religious, it does emphasize the role of spirituality in recovery. In sober living, it’s essential to continue developing whatever form of spiritual practice works best for you. That may be prayer, meditation, yoga, or other techniques that help you stay spiritually grounded. Doing this can provide an increased sense of connection and guidance while also helping you manage the intense emotions that arise through recovery. If you struggle to engage in spiritual practices, the 12-Step philosophy may be difficult for you to align with. However, finding your inner sense of spirituality can help to influence your desire to engage in self-care practices. If you try to find a sense of spirituality of some kind, you may notice an increased sense of inner peace. It can be helpful to develop a further understanding of the 12-Step method so that you can understand why spiritual practices can be helpful in achieving and maintaining sobriety. Accept Change Recovery is full of opportunities for growth and change. It is essential to embrace this process during sober living. Allow yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. Embracing change requires an open mind with an eagerness to learn and progress. It is okay if the Twelves Steps do not apply to your needs, but it is worth giving them a try. You never know what practices will make a life-changing difference in your recovery. Stay Committed Maintaining sobriety requires ongoing dedication and effort. Ensure you are adhering to your agreements at Real Recovery and take this opportunity to set yourself up for long-term success. If there are things you do not enjoy about sober living, remember that this living situation is only temporary. Allow yourself to find the aspects of sober living that you enjoy and will carry with you moving forward. Using this time to build a strong foundation for your life outside of treatment is essential for long-term success. The 12-Step method can be a valuable asset for you in recovery. These principles can be applied while in a sober living house by finding a support network, developing a spiritual practice, practicing mindfulness, taking responsibility for your actions, practicing self-care, setting goals, accepting change, maintaining boundaries, and staying committed to your recovery. At Real Recovery, many of our residents adhere to the 12-Step model of recovery. While this approach is not for everyone, there are many benefits involved with applying the steps to your lifestyle. Learning about the various benefits of applying these steps can help you maintain lifelong sobriety. You can also learn ways to easily implement them into your routine. Each of the steps can be emphasized and implemented into your recovery routine to help you reach a state of long-term success with your sobriety. Find which practices work best for you through your sober living journey. Reach out to Real Recovery Sober Living to learn more about applying the 12-Step model at (727) 290-9156. 12-Step Sober Living - Share on Facebook Share on twitter
