Teen and Young Adult Recovery Blog

"Give it away to keep it" is more than just a saying in recovery—it’s a guiding principle suggesting that the best way to sustain our own sobriety is by helping others. Why, exactly, do we place such a heavy emphasis on this topic in the recovery world?

"Give it away to keep it" is a recovery saying meaning that we can’t maintain sobriety over the long haul without freely giving away what was given to us. By helping others on their journey, we get out of ourselves, build vital self-esteem, and begin to have a spiritual experience.

This is, in many ways, the core concept of recovery discovered by Dr. Bob and Bill W. as they began their journey: we stay sober by one alcoholic helping another.

There’s no question about it, those of us in recovery have no shortage of great one-liners and acronyms to pull form at a moment’s notice! One of our favorites is an acronym for GOD: Good Orderly Direction.

Good Orderly Direction means seeking guidance from others in a recovery program who can provide clearer, healthier direction than we can provide ourselves. It emphasizes trusting the wisdom and experience of those who have walked the path before us. By leaning on this external support, we can overcome our own flawed thinking and grow in recovery.

Entering recovery is no easy task, in some ways it is even harder for young people. In our experience working with young people we have seen that if you are able to implement and follow these tips in the first 90 days of recovery, the chances for long term recovery overall improve:

1. Make meetings a priority
2. Go out of your way to build a support network
3. Get a sponsor early in the process
4. Identify people, places, and things that cause you to stumble
5. Don’t take temporary for permanent
6. Celebrate time sober
7. Make sure to have fun

A full year of sobriety. What an accomplishment! When we’re new, we often look at folks who have been alcohol and drug free for a year or more as the ones to look up to. They become our sponsors, our mentors, and the ones we call when we need a word of guidance.

If your next significant milestone is one year sober, give yourself a pat on the back, but don’t forget to keep recovery as the centerpiece of your life!

One of the phenomena common to the early recovery experience is to have an early “pink cloud” phase, during which we feel happy and grateful for the first few weeks, followed by a dramatic emotional downturn during which we actually feel worse after becoming sober.

On it’s face, this seems illogical – why would a decision to change for the better lead to us feeling worse?

We’ve all heard the saying that you need to hit your rock bottom before we truly change. The phrase can be helpful, but it’s common to wonder what “rock bottom” really means, and why it varies so much from person to person.

The phrase "rock bottom is when you stop digging" conveys the idea that our situation begins to improve when we stop taking self-destructive actions.

When we first sober up, and sometimes into longer-term sobriety, we all go through natural ups and downs. However, sometimes we’re struck with feelings of depression or regret that we can’t shake.

When we’ve relied on mind-changing chemicals as our sole source of relief for an extended period of time, the fear that we won’t ever be happy again can be incredibly potent.

One of the most common concerns we hear from newcomers is, “will I ever feel happy without drugs?”

Whether you've been sober for a while or whether you've just hit rock bottom, it can be tough to regain emotional stability after using drugs and alcohol regularly. In this article, we’ll focus directly on actions we can take to feel better without drugs.

As a no-cost support group, not everyone we work with has gone through some kind of formal substance abuse treatment. However, among those who do, we see the success rates go up dramatically among those who recognize the importance of aftercare.

Aftercare is one of the most important elements of substance use recovery because it provides ongoing support and guidance after completing a treatment program. It helps individuals maintain sobriety, prevent relapse, and navigate the challenges of daily life without turning to substances.

Staying sober for 9 months is a big deal. In many ways, by this point we usually feel that we’ve done it – we got sober! However, there are some specific things we always like to mention to folks with 9 months clean and sober, as this chip is often regarded in 12 step recovery as “the hardest chip to get.”

By the time you’ve got 9 months sober, you will have experienced a profound transformation. Without drugs and alcohol, you’ll have clarity of mind, improved physical health, strengthened relationships, and a newfound sense of purpose.