And we learn that from day one. We're told to go to meetings. Find a sponsor. Work the steps. This is a tried and true way to stay clean and sober.
But there's more to do beyond working the program and working the steps.
We must also learn to take care of our bodies.
Over the years I've watched residents and managers do a good job of staying sober. They help others, they work hard, they study the book. But they do little to maintain their physical health.
They continue to smoke or chew tobacco. They live on a crappy fast food diet. They become overweight. They drink monsters and sodas all day. Plus they don't visit the doctor because - as I heard one man say - they "don't want any bad news."
And today we have residents and managers paying the price for not caring for themselves. And, to me, it's sad that they did the hard work of getting sober only to throw away their health on poor lifestyle choices.
It's not hard to develop new habits. It simply takes the same dedication we used to get clean and sober. Those of us who are able to stay sober and clean have the strength to accomplish anything else we want
And the key is wanting to change.
