PPT by SpiritualRiver. Visit http://www.spiritualriver.com/reboot-your-life-in-alcoholism-recovery/ to read full article, also visit the blog on http://www.spiritualriver.com.

2. It means getting a fresh start on things, because one of the biggest hurdles that addiction
and alcoholism present to you is that you feel so incredibly trapped. Breaking free from this
trap requires a shift in mindset followed by deliberate action. Luckily it is not impossible, nor
is it particularly tricky to pull off. But it is certainly not easy, and you can gauge that by the
lousy success rates that are out there for this sort of thing.

4. You need to take action in order to correct a problem. But the magnitude of the problem is
what demands that this action be massive. I really suggest, you might:
* Drop everything in your life and go directly to rehab without any hesitation.
* Start going to meetings every single day and get fully involved in them.
* Get involved in a positive community, filling you with a new purpose.
* Live in long term rehab to build a strong foundation in early recovery.

5. Become a part of something that is bigger than yourselves. It allows you to “lose yourself”
into something that has meaning and importance. I always suggest that people try new
things in recovery, including AA. You might try to save the whales, rebuild a church in your
community, or get a new rehab started in your town. If the project has real meaning for you
then this will give you purpose and help you to stay clean and sober. One thing that you
might try to do is to make a positive difference. This is a form of relapse prevention.

6. Rebooting your life has a single premise: that you abstain from drugs and alcohol. Physical
abstinence is the baseline of success. But without lasting changes you will just end up falling
into the same old traps that got you into trouble in the first place.
If your long term strategy is to help others in recovery then you will probably do pretty well
for yourself. The more you can reach out and make a difference in the lives of others, the
more protected you will be from the threat of relapse.

7. Addiction tended to destroy things in our lives. In recovery you should seek to reverse this
trend. One way to do so is to create something. Build something. The effect on sobriety is
profound. When you get into the project you give yourself over to a new purpose,
something greater than yourself. Your life takes on new meaning and it has more
importance than what it had in the past.

8. If you stop making positive changes then you are in danger of losing your sobriety. Consider
this: There is a program of recovery that is based entirely on running marathons and doing
triathlons. If you can manage to endure this sort of training then you probably have the
discipline to stay clean and sober as well. Strength in one area of your life can life you up in
another area. So, If you are making positive changes in your life then this is moving you
further and further away from the possibility of relapse.

9. You need to make changes, and they have to be changes for the better. Simple.
Sure, there are a few other details along the way, but the main thing is that you can build
momentum by making positive changes over and over again. They have a saying in recovery
“Change or die!” This is the truth if you are battling a serious addiction. And therein lies the
secret of rebooting your life:
Make consistent positive changes and sustain this momentum for a long time.