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Exercise No. 26: Daily Recovery Plan

Purpose. Having a plan for each day will help you to recover and stay in recovery. There are some basic things you can do to recover. Not everyone who recovers does all these things. However, people who have trouble recovering must do them if they want to be successful. Many of these things are simple. While they are important for almost everyone, they are very important for people in recovery. They help to heal the brain damage and other problems that result from drinking and drug use that make it hard to handle your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Instructions. Read the information below. Review it when you make out your daily plan for recovery.

1. Diet: The things you eat and drink can affect the way you think, feel, and act. Sugar, white flour, and caffeine can cause depression, mood swings, and angry feelings. They can cause you to be confused and make you tired. Chemically dependent people should use them only in very small amounts.
   
   You should try to eat three small meals and three snacks per day. You should eat fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread and cereal, meat, and dairy products.

2. Vitamins: When you are recovering from chemical dependency, the right kinds of vitamins can improve the way you think, feel, and act. It is a good idea to take vitamin B complex or a stress formula tablet daily.

3. Meetings: Going to AA or NA meetings can help you in recovery more than anything else. It is important that you go to as many meetings as possible. The more you are around other recovering people, the more your thinking will change.

4. Exercise: Aerobic exercise for a half hour each day will help your body to recover from the damage done by alcohol and drugs. Examples of aerobic exercise are fast walking, running, swimming, cycling, and rowing. These activities make your heart beat faster and your lungs work better. You do not need to work out until you're exhausted. Aerobic exercise is different from lifting weights or other body building exercises.

5. Relaxation: By learning how to relax, you can get back in control when you begin feeling "crazy." The easiest way to relax is to follow this three-step process:

   1. Breathe in and out through your nose.

   2. Feel your lungs fill up with air when you breathe in and feel them empty when you breathe out.

   3. Gradually slow down your breathing to a slow, regular rhythm. Practice this deep, relaxed breathing several times a day. The more you practice, the better it will work when you need it.

6. Rest: You will feel better if you have a set time to go to bed at night and a set time to get up in the morning. Regular rest helps you recover from the damage that alcohol or drugs have done to your body and mind. It also helps you think more clearly.

7. Work on Other Problems: Make it a goal each day to work on other things besides recovery. These things may be getting a job, finding a place to live, or paying off debts. If you are working at making progress, even in small ways, you will feel better about yourself.

8. Sponsor: Get a sponsor through AA or NA and talk to that person face to face, or on the phone, at least once each day. It helps to have someone to talk to who knows what you are going through. Your sponsor can give you advice and hope.

9. Daily Plan and Inventory: You can increase your chances of recovery if you fill out and use your daily recovery plan and inventory sheets.

10. Review Relapse Prevention Strategies: By reading your relapse prevention strategies from Exercise No. 25 every day, you will be more aware of your high-risk situations and relapse warning signs. This awareness will help you avoid trouble before it gets out of hand.

Daily Recovery Plan Sheet

Purpose: Make as many copies of this sheet as you need. Having a plan for each day will help you recover. It is important that you fill out one of these sheets every day and review it every night to see how much of it you completed. Check off each item that you complete. Talk to your AA/NA sponsor about how well you stuck with your plan.

Day

Date

Name

Planned Meal and Snack Times

Take Vitamins ________

Planned Recovery Activities

See Counselor	Time
Talk to Sponsor	Time
Go to AA/NA	Times

Things I have to do today:

.

Activity	Time
1. Make out my daily schedule
2.	.
3.	.
4.	.
5.	.
6.	.
7.	.
8.	.
9.	.
10.	.
11.	.
12.	.
13.	.
14.	.
15.	.

Sponsor's phone no.

Second contact and phone no.

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Last Updated 11-7-02