Tool: Affirmations

We could all use a daily dose of affirmation. Affirmations provide positive inspiration for those in recovery. Sometimes we get bogged down with the issues of our past, which often times brings about despair.

The journey through recovery is not an easy one. Using affirmations can add some light to comfort and guide you. Affirmations may be found in books, phone apps, daily emails from Hazelden's Thought of the Day, or you may even create your own!

I created ABLE Affirmations back in 2012 and I use them myself, as well as with my clients at ABLE Counseling Services, LLC. The affirmations all start with "I am ABLE....". Here is a quick sample of what I mean:

You may also find it helpful to create a list:

A list of positive affirmations to deal with depression

• I pursue my life’s purpose
• I feel worthy
• I feel fulfilled & joyful
• I deserve to be happy
• I only have positive mental pictures
• Joy overflows in my life
• I am becoming better everyday
• I embrace positive self-esteem
• I reject abuse from others
• I have faith and deep belief in myself
• I have an enthusiastic outlook on life
• My future looks great

A list of positive Self Confidence Affirmations

• I am strong and secure
• I have inner resources
• I have the power to realize my goals
• I take charge of my life
• I am valuable
• I stand firmly in my belief in myself
• People respect me
• People like me
• I am a true friend
• I care for people
• I am confident of my capabilities, expertise, and know-how
• I am interested in others
• I am confident
• I am a strong person
• I dissolve all obstacles to having complete self-confidence
• I am a success
• I choose to be happy
• I have faith in God and my future

 http://www.affirmations-for-radical-success.com/list-of-positive-affirmations.html

Whatever way you decide to create affirmations for yourself, remember that we may wish, dream, or hope that others affirm us on our journey, but they are not required. We have to take control of our recovery and affirm ourselves for the loving, caring, perfectly imperfect human beings that we are.

Stay on the path. Your Higher Power is by your side.

Sincerely,

Wisdom Wednesday

"My serenity deepens as my acceptance increases."-Anonymous

I have accepted that I am an addict. I have also accepted that I am in recovery. Hiding from truths keeps me from serenity. The more I accept about my reality, the more I can accept love and serenity into my life.

What can you accept today?

Sincerely, 

Weekend Retreat

Welcome to the weekend! I hope that your week has been pleasurable. Let's get ready for the weekend by looking at some suggested activities for you to engage in.

Love Sick: One Woman's Journey through Sexual Addiction first got on my radar when I was watching Lifetime TV. The movie was based on the book and I loved it! It starred Sally Pressman from one of my favorite shows, Army Wives, so I was hooked from the moment it came on.

Sue William Silverman provides readers a look at sexual addiction from a woman's point of view. I quickly ordered the book after watching the movie.

Here's what I found on Amazon.com about this book:

This compelling story of recovery takes us through 28 days in an inpatient clinic for female sex addicts. Silverman explores the psychology of addiction on a deeply personal level, sharing her struggles with self-destructive tendencies and her desperate desire to be loved, no matter what the cost. Molested repeatedly by her father during her childhood, she realizes the connection between her sexual abuse and her desire to be loved by dangerous, inaccessible men. She finds she must come to terms with anger at her mother, who refused to recognize the sexual abuse of her daughters and intervene on their behalf. Candid, emotionally raw, often frightening, Silverman's account is never sugarcoated, and there are no happy platitudes or breezy success stories in it. It is deeply moving, however, and should inspire anyone going through a 12-step program, whether for sexual addiction or other conditions, and help addicts' friends and family members understand the journey their loved ones must travel in order to heal. Bonnie Johnston
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.