Hello everyone, it’s been way too long since my last blog so I apologize about that. Things have been pretty good lately though, I am on the lacrosse team at my school so that is exciting and I’m happy to be playing again. I also am now chairing the meeting held at my school. I only have done it for a week so it hasn’t been that long but its something I really enjoy doing and I’m glad I have the opportunity to do it. School has been pretty good my grades have improved since last semester and I’m working a lot harder this time around. It has been hard to get back to fair with all of craziness lately but I hope to get back there soon to volunteer. I hope everyone is well!
INTRODUCING SOBER, HEALTHY ACTIVITIES
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Posted by Maureen
ENTRY FOUR
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Posted by Maureen
Hello everyone, it has been a very long time since my last blog, which is directly related to what I am going to talk about today. One of the hardest things I’ve found the longer I am at college is how difficult it is to stay on track. There are so many distractions and so many things that you can do instead of what you know you need to do. Studying for example, it is so easy to know that you have to study but to just watch tv for hours or hang out with your friends and procrastinate, especially because there is no one there to tell you what you have to do. Holding yourself accountable is extremely important in being able to make staying sober in college work, and that is an area I need to improve upon greatly. Routine is important and I need to start establishing a better one for myself to balance my program and school and life. My plan for this week is to hit my two meetings on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and then one either on Thursday or Friday. I still call my sponsor everyday and right now we are starting to do some big book work. I hope to get back to FAIR as soon as I can; its strange how much I miss it there. I also plan on posting a new blog once a week so look for that. I hope everyone is well!
ENTRY THREE
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Posted by Maureen
Hello readers, today is September 24th and I believe this is my third blog so far. One of the most important things I think about being sober is learning how to have fun. I remember for the first months of sobriety, I was pretty miserable mostly because I forgot how to have fun without drugs or alcohol. But what I’ve found while getting sober is that the stronger of a program you work in A.A. the happier you are, and happy people have fun. And this is very very important when you get to college. Because you have to be happy enough in sobriety to remember why you are sober so you don’t go back out there. Because even though I’m at school with a very crappy party scene there is still stuff around me and there are more people are doing it than in high school. And this is why it is so important to keep up with the meetings, it is an alcoholic’s medicine and without it you’re going to get sick again. And I can say first hand that when I haven’t been to the right amount of meetings in a week for me to maintain serenity that if I’m in the presence of alcohol or something else the temptation is much stronger. Again that’s why meetings and sober support are so important staying happy and sober. I hope everyone is doing well and you’re all in my prayers!
ENTRY TWO
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Posted by Maureen
One of the things that I think keeps teens from fully embracing sobriety is wanting to maintain their old image. That image of the B.A. hardcore stoner or drug user, some might call it junkie pride. This is something I still have to be careful of. It is easy to try and seem cool by talking about the things you did, but that is essentially glorifying drug use. And for me glorifying is something that can very quickly turn into thinking about old times. One thing I have tried to do since being in college is making it very clear to everyone I hangout with that I do not drink or do any kinds of drugs, and I have yet to receive a reaction where someone puts my sobriety down in any way. I made the same thing clear when I was in high school. Sometimes it is uncomfortable but that is how you grow.
I’m hoping to come volunteer at FAIR sometime this week so I should be around soon. I hope everyone is doing well and I will keep all of you in my prayers.
ENTRY ONE
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Posted by Maureen
Hello readers of the blog! I am currently a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago. Staying sober in college so far hasn’t been too different from staying sober at home and in high school. Because of all of the freedom you have when you aren’t at home and in FAIR, what it really comes down to is whether or not you want sobriety more than you want to use. There have definitely been times I’ve been triggered to drink or the idea has crossed my mind, but the first thing I always go to after something like that happens is that I pray. Without my higher power and continuing to pray and improve my spiritual relationship I would have definitely used by now. It is the cornerstone of the program I work, without a higher power you will not be able to be sober.
I still have my old sponsor who I contact daily, I am still looking for a sponsor out here who I can connect with. There are supposed to be some meetings starting up on campus soon that hopefully won't conflict with my classes. I’ve been going to the Rogers Park Alano Club mostly. At first I was hitting later meetings around 6:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m., but I’ve found that the meetings at 4:00 p.m. are the really good ones. The meeting format in the city is different from the ones I was used to back in the suburbs, so I am still getting used to that, but they have been very good so far. Well that is all I have for today, I must get back to my studies to quench my thirst for knowledge. I hope everyone is doing well at FAIR!