7 Things People in Recovery Need to Stop Doing

There are certain things that people in recovery do that can be very negative and even damaging to others in the rooms. Not everyone does these things but there are people who have done some of the following things and none of these things should be happening. I’ve made a list of 7 things people in recovery need to stop doing.

7 Things People in Recovery Need to Stop Doing:

1. Telling other people how they should work their programs (take your own inventory, not others)

2. Judging others (everything and everyone on this earth is exactly how it should be, stop judging other peoples journeys)

3. Gossiping (repeating what people say in meetings)

4. Stop making excuses for their addict behaviors (being an addict isn’t an excuse for everything)

5. Transferring your addictive behaviors into other behaviors (cigarettes, coffee, energy drinks, food, shopping…)

6. Talking about peoples 4^th step with others (step work is meant to be confidential between two people)

7. Thinking everything is about you (it’s not, trust me)

Obviously, all of these are terrible things that everyone should work on not doing. When it comes to telling other people how to work their programs; stop it. Unless you’re their sponsor, let them work their program themselves. You can give an opinion, but don’t tell someone how they “should” be. We are all individuals on our own path. Judging others is a nasty habit that a lot of us have and can be hard to break. Remember, everyone is just as they should be and has their own stuff going on. You don’t know what that persons at home life is like, so give them a break. This goes along with gossiping, too. Gossiping can be extremely hurtful and just isn’t nice to do. Talking about other people only shows you about the type of person you are and in all reality, says nothing about the person you’re talking about.

Stop making excuses for your addict behaviors. It is true that a lot of things pertain to our addiction but not everything does. Take responsibility for your actions, that’s what being sober is about. Transferring your addiction into a new addiction such as smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, energy drinks, overeating food, shopping and more is still not good for you! It may not be drugs and alcohol but remember that the substance never mattered at all. The substances were our solution to the bigger problem – ourselves. Talking about peoples 4^th steps is just awful. No one should be doing this no matter what the situation. This person chose to share personal information about themselves with you; keep it between you two.

Remember everything isn’t about you. I like to think other peoples behaviors and actions and everything everyone else does is all about me and has to do with me. It doesn’t; in fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. We are all part of a much bigger plan that isn’t in our control at all; it’s in our higher powers control and we are such a small part of it. We can make a difference every day by helping the sick and suffering alcoholics and addicts who need us. Give back what was so freely given to you! If you or a loved one are struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll free 1-800-951-6135.