A common theme found in most recovery programs, whether it’s in an AA hall, the rooms of NA, Celebrate Recovery through a Church, Rationale Recovery, addiction treatment centers, or Fill-in-the-blank recovery, is the plethora of honest, straight-forward, and practical suggestions that help people in recovery stay clean and sober. These suggestions apply across the board – for the heroin junkie, to the cocaine addict, to the stay-at-home-mom who’s drinking a hundred dollar a bottle wine, to the binge drinking young adult, to the addicted medical professional, to the opioid pain pill addict, to the chronic alcoholic who has all but lost hope. Experience has abundantly, and sometimes painfully shown, that an ability to follow direction and accept help is key to any type of recovery.

These recovery directions are best summarized and encapsulated (and typically hanging on the wall at meetings) through 12-step slogans. Interestingly, most of these slogans are derived from scripture in the New Testament and apply not only to maintaining recovery, but also to simply living life in a meaningful way. Here are a few of my favorites:

One day at a time

First things first

Play the tape all the way through

It’s not old behavior if you’re still doing it

You can’t get drunk if you don’t take the first drink

Easy does it

Think Think Think

Welcome to AA, we have a wrench to fit every nut that walks through the door

You never have to be alone

Acceptance is the answer

Relax and take it easy

But for the Grace of God, there go I

You’re right were you’re supposed to be

Change is a process, not an event

The good news is there’s help, the bad news is we’re it

This too shall pass

Don’t worry about getting in touch with your feelings, they’ll get in touch with you

Don’t Think, don’t drink, go to meetings

What other people think of you is none of your business

Let go and let God

Rule 62: Don’t take yourself so seriously

Recovery works if you work it

You cant’ change without change