As we begin a new academic semester and everything is new and exciting all over again, how many of us find our-selves falling back into old habits and behaviors? No, I’m not talking about study habits… I should hope good study habits have become second nature, though nobody really perfects those until just about halfway through, oh say… their 17th year. No, what I am talking about are habits and behaviors that are non-conducive to our recovery efforts. It’s easy to let school work get in the way of step work and classes keep you from meetings if 12 step is your route. And sure, grabbing fast food “just tonight” sounds recoverable enough as long as you promise yourself that you will cook a healthy dinner tomorrow night when healthy eating is integral to your wellness. But we all know that tomorrow night, you will be just as tired as you were tonight and won’t want to cook again… that greasy cafeteria hamburger and fries sure looks appetizing…. Maybe that old habit is the efforts you take to escape the stresses of school life by going out with friends to the club or a party so you can zone out. There is surely something different for each of us and falling back into the habit or behavior can be detrimental to our health and wellness, our personal programs and to our sobriety and recovery efforts.
I have found that remembering the primary reason I am here is what helps me stay on track. I wanted what a sober life provides and allowing those old habits back into my life is likely to lead me back down the road from whence I came. That road leads to before recovery where I do not wish to be. I would just like to take this opportunity to remind our students not to forget themselves in the chaos that typically comes with an academic semester at the University. You come first and along with you comes your wellness and recovery. Go to your meetings, do your step work, meet with your sponsor, carve out the time out to cook healthy foods ahead of time, find a peaceful park where you can decompress, talk to people when you are stressed out… You know what works for you; just don’t forget to do it. Have a fantastic day Y’all!