"Bumper Sticker" Recovery: A Top Strategy for Maintaining Sobriety During a Pandemic

With this unprecedented, world-wide situation comes an increased likelihood of relapse. The wisdom of my long-term recovery tells me that I must be more diligent in protecting my sobriety right now – and I believe the best way to do this is to focus on the “bumper sticker” basics of successful recovery programs.

A couple days ago, I woke up and realized this pandemic is here to stay for God knows how long. Awareness of my complete powerlessness and the incredible uncertainty of this current predicament hit me hard. The seriousness of the world’s struggle seems to be magnified with each passing day. To say the Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetime is an understatement.

Armed with this new awareness, the basics of my recovery resurfaced. The first years of my recovery when I was most lost and spiritually broken were times of learning a new way to approach life. The memory of how important those “bumper stickers” of basic recovery were to my sobriety came back to me. They worked then and they will work now, too!

Here are some of those meat and potatoes basics we all need to focus on right now:

Easy Does It

Human beings are gifted with a great brain. Our minds are clearly capable of great achievements. However, during this time I find my mind to be one of my worst enemies. Unsupervised, my mind wants me to figure out what to do solve all the problems, while at the same time wanting to freak me out! When I remember to read the AA Big Book, the Twelve and Twelve, meditate and contact my support system, I feel more at ease. That allows me to slow down and focus on the next right thing to stay sober.

One Day at a Time

So, the program teaches me even during great crisis we need to take it one day at a time. Great advice but admittedly hard as hell to do sometimes!

Many Americans in recovery and those who do not have my disease face the same fears about what the future will bring. Remembering to take life one day at a time opens the door for me to live in the here and now. Working the program in a way that focuses on only the present moment is the next right thing to do.

Remember the past has already occurred, the future doesn’t exist yet and the present moment is the only thing that’s real.

Live and Let Live

But those hoarders got all MY toilet paper! How dare they believe that their clean bums are more important than my clean bum! Don’t get me started on the canned goods, the spring breakers, the lack of personal protection for our frontline workers, etc. Take your pick! The opportunities for resentments abound.

Then my awake recovering self remembers that staying sober is today's primary mission. Even though some resentments seem justified right now, maintaining my sobriety and inner peace must be my primary purpose. So, as temping as self-righteous indignation is now, such indulgence doesn’t bode well with my desire to maintain my recovery.