“Don’t wait for something big to occur. Start where you are, with what you have, and that will always lead you into something greater.” ~~Mary Manin Morrissey
“Now, every time I witness a strong person I want to know: What darkness did you conquer in your story? Mountains do not rise without earthquakes.” Katherine MacKenett
“You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope building people.” ~~Zig Ziglar
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#1 I have a life-threatening problem that once had me.
I now take charge of my life and my well-being. I accept the responsibility.
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Jean Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., our WFS founder, accepted and understood that she needed to make changes to her life in order to end the pain that she felt overwhelmed with. Jean’s alcohol abuse was slowly taking away everything she cherished and valued, so she tried something different. Through her pain, Women for Sobriety came to life.
It is fitting to begin the New Year with Statement #1. For those new to sobriety and recovery, this Statement is the launching pad for a balanced New Life. For those already embracing a life free from substance, Statement #1 is a powerful reminder of the process and the opportunity to reflect on the many changes you have made.
When starting a new job, hobby or lifestyle, various tools are needed in order to move forward. The same is true with sobriety and recovery. Looking ahead, each Monday Thoughts will now include a tool that will correlate with this week’s Statement. This tool will be something to add to your supply of resourceful actions and strengthen your New Life insurance policy. If there is a sobriety and recovery tool that works for you and would like to share, please email me at karen@teamwfs.org Here is our first tool of 2020!
Tool for Statement #1:
Create a 4 Point Sobriety Plan for when the urge to drink or use is triggered. Write down at least 4 things that you will do BEFORE choosing to drink. Such items on this list can be calling a 4C sister, asking for a chat on the WFS forum, reading the WFS Program booklet, removing yourself from people or situations, or journaling the drink all the way through to the pain. Always carry your list with you or post it in a visible area. What will you put on your list?
Hugzzz and Happy New Year!
Karen
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Hi 4C Women,
Statement #1 has always been a strong reminder that I “once” had a problem and I have the capability to change that as long as I keep that single word “once” in my head. It is a forward moving word to me. The action part of this Statement reminds me that I am in charge “now” and accepting that responsibility when I feel triggered. I love Karen’s idea of adding a recovery tool to the Monday Thoughts. I hope you will provide her with some of your coping tools that will certainly help others.
My coping tool is to reflect on the woman I once was. I ask myself what would happen if I gave into my triggers. How would it be to meet her again, to be her again? I fought hard for her to become a 4C and courageous woman against tough odds. The best way to not be her again is to have a working coping tool to leave her in the past where she can be at peace knowing the hard work brought emotional and spiritual growth where none existed before. The best thing about coping tools is that they can change as we change and we can learn from each other. When I reflect on the woman I use to be, I remember that when I quit drinking, I thought my world would be perfect, no problems, no issues – just a walk on the beach. Well, to my chagrin, life not only presented some very tall challenges, I was now expected to be this wonderful problem-solving, great decision maker since drinking was the problem. No inside changes needed as many who do not have an addiction believe. Thank goodness for Statement 1 and the entire WFS program. Drinking took away my clarity, reasoning and even wanting to try to change my life. So, I had a choice. Did I want a New Life? Did I want to work at change? The more I said yes to my New Life, the better equipped I was to handle life’s challenges without drinking. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Yes! Life would present challenges whether or not I was drinking but, wow, what an esteem, confidence builder it is to make healthier choices and survive mistakes. I encourage each of you to discover what it is you want in your life, what you need to discard and how you will manage to cope when it gets tough and to celebrate when it works out the way you hoped.
Bonded in building a New Life for the problem that “once” had you, your 4C sister