Comments (15):

• Ally @ 11/13/2008 ( 10:00:05 PM )
  WHAT A GREAT POST! I am coming out of a foggy period but feel as if I have turned a really really good corner. Tonight I went to a college football game with my husband. I don't particularly like football but I really enjoyed the joy it brought him spending time with me. In the past I would have sent him off on his own so I could have acted out,it was a great night.
  
  Now I have many more opportunities for healthy activities in my life because all my time, engery and effort is being sucked dry by my addict. My sons are both Cub Scouts and we are very active in their pack. That has been a GODSEND to have friendships not only with women but other families and couples. I actually call them my "healthy friends". I have also started teaching Sunday school again at our church. I stopped last year because I could not take the hypocracy I was living.
  
  I only have three days off of my newest bottomline behavior but when I look at where I was just one year ago when I first came into these rooms, I stop take a deep breath and thank GOD for allowing me to keep my life, I have so much I could have lost and I am so grateful I have not.
• Ted @ 11/14/2008 ( 3:50:34 PM )
  Healthy living for me is integral to my program. If there is not a healthy part of my life happening then I know that something is wrong. For me it needs to be all in balance. Did I just say balance? That is something that I could never do. Now mind you I am not one of the flying Wallendas able to balance everything on a high wire 100 feet in the air. But I have learned to balance work and my personal life and I am getting better at balancing other things into the mix. Before coming into recovery it was work, work, work and ..... nothing (except acting out.) Today I know what it is like to work hard from 9-5 and be able to leave and then go to my meetings, do my step work, work with others, pray, make my phone calls, go to dinner, talk to my family, play with my dog, clean my house, watch TV, etc... all of these things are part of my healthy living. But I need to add more to that. I need to add eating right and taking care of myself, exercising everyday. When it all comes together I feel great. And what happens, God takes care of me. Things just happen and I find that I am ok. Today I am ok as long as I do the next right thing and continue to live in a healthy way.
• Tom C @ 11/16/2008 ( 1:19:58 PM )
  Aa very timely topic for me. I too was thinking the other day about the balance between talk about addiction, or unhealthy behavior, and talk about healthy living. The sharings in the rooms I have experienced tend to focus on inner and middle circle behaviors and how we are using the program and its tools to counter the addict within. But we don't often share our outer circle, or healthy behaviors, in a more extensive way. A tradition of the Thursday night group is to introduce ourselves and share our inner circle behaviors if we so choose. I know that it helps me to remind myself that the tools of recovery are like a two edged sword. They are there to help me stay sane so as not to slip into addiction, but they are also there to promote a life of honesty, integrity, spirituality, humbleness, vulnerability, connection with others and a higher power. Perhaps a meeting could ask members to introduce themselves and share their outer circle-healthy behaviors.
• Jeff @ 11/16/2008 ( 6:55:49 PM )
  Healthy living...I had almost forgot what it was. We spend the weekend recharging our batteries and enjoying a dinner with friends and we commented today that with our busy work load we have to have down time on the weekends or we will burn out. I have not acted out in almost a year and I have not even had a passing thought of acting out for months, but I can sense that if I even give my addict a crack it will come through and destroy my life. I have been resistant in the past to doing things that would even put me in a potential situation, but then I realized that I could not control my environment I could only control myself and from that realization I have built a foundation where going to the gas station or grocery store is no longer an exercise in objectification. I need to get out and play some tennis or basketball or golf, but my best healthy living at the moment is a quiet night at home vegging in front of the tv. My inner circle was easy to complete, my middle circle was not too tough, but my outer circle was one of the hardest things I had to do, because my pasttime for so long has been my addiction that I had forgotten what to do. I have had the luxury of replacing my addiction time with work time but as work settles down, I have to focus on my outer circle and do the things normal people do....
• Ally @ 11/17/2008 ( 8:17:44 AM )
  I really enjoyed reading the last post. I can not wait until I am at that place. My outer circle is so full but maybe not so geniune which may be part of my problem. I am a mother of two and do many many things with my sons, Cub Scouts, playdates, karate, even play pokemon. I teach Sunday school at our church and attend many sporting events with my husband.
  
  I would like to give more time to me hobbies like my writing or photography but unlike the previous poster my inner circle has been the MOST DIFFICULT for me to adhere to. I seem to just not commit to my bottomlines. I have made progress and I don't beat myself up too bad but the whole point of recovery was to have a balanced and healthy life and the slips are getting farther and farther apart now, but I would not have any balance or sanity or even a life let alone a healthy life if it were not for this program and my brothers/sisters in recovery.
• rob @ 12/19/2008 ( 6:53:45 AM )
  Healthy living is reducing my vices. I may not smoke pot or see prosititutes, but I substitute other unhealthy vices. Gambling in my business, gambling with cards, and eating too much. Usually I like to work all day and play with my kids at night. Then I fall asleep early. That's a good day for me. I play tennis on a regular basis, one night a week. Because we had a bye week, I went out and gambled. This is a new addiction for me. Third time gambling in a month. It made me feel high and I loss. But I think I can win next time. Preoccupation. Addiction gets stuck in my brain. Just like the ice cream pops I have to eat every night before I go to bed.
• Kreg @ 02/04/2009 ( 11:45:33 PM )
  OH How I wonder where my hobbies and life has gone. I am a short timer so far in my recovery but in that short time I have realized how much I have missed out during my acting out times. My kids have grown so fast, although they are still young, there are milestones in their lives that I have a hard time remembering. I love the reconnection that has begun and look so forward to coming home from work where before I didnt want to be home only be where ever my acting out partner was. I am here to stay and look forward, all be it scared to death, to the journey ahead.
• Paulo M. @ 03/23/2009 ( 1:08:18 AM )
  I guess you say that you need to take small steps to acheive a healthy living. I lost that a long time ago when I became an Sex Addict. I strugle everyday and no matter what My health is important for me. Thankfully though because the support of the group and my sponsor I know I don't to have to hide anything or run away from my problems. SAA is a healthy lifestyle despite the old ideas I used to have. One day at a time I will surely fight this addiction and never forget this program. Thanks Guys God Bless.
• Ted N @ 07/19/2009 ( 9:41:46 PM )
  Healthy Living is a pertinent part of my program as I shared earlier on this same blog entry. At this point in my program my higher power has shown me the wonderful outcome of the footwork that I have done. All I did was take the suggestions that were put before me. I was told to call this doctor and make an appt and I did. I did. He offered suggestions on healthy living which I took. I followed them everyday and here I am 9 1/2 months later and I have lost 140 lbs. I could never have dreamed this would have happened if I tried. Looking back it was not hard at all. The reason is because it was just something that I did one day at a time. Just like everything else in my program. I did not focus on the outcome I focused on each day what I was supposed to do. That is what I still do. I focus on healthy living each day. As long as do this I know that it I am one step closer to working a solid program and staying sober one more day. Thank you Higher Power, thank you for keeping me willing and allowing me to acheive these wonderful outcomes of the footwork that I am doing.
• Ted N @ 08/09/2009 ( 8:17:05 PM )
  I recently shared on this topic however I want to share on it again because healthy living is a big part of my program today. I have been sick for the past 4 days. In my past, before coming into recovery, I would have tried to deny the fact that I was sick. I would have continued to do my daily activities as much as possible regardless of how I felt. I did not want anything to interfere with my plans. Even today, I get a little obsessive about wanting to run everyday. So when I started to feel sick, I was upset about not being able to run and I wanted to. However, I knew that if I pushed myself too hard not only would I not be able to do what I wanted to do, but I would probably make myself more sick. So, today, I made a decision to take a break. For the past four days I have stayed at home, gone to a few meetings, and just relaxed. I have not exercised, but I have eaten right. The point is that I have been taking care of myself so that I can get well as quickly as possible and be back to normal. It feels good to be able to do this and I don't geel guilty at all which I would have felt in the past. Because I know that I am doing what is right for me. For me, this is all part of healthy living. And having this blog helps because it gives me the opportunity to go to a meeting when I cannot get to a meeting. So for today, I am living in a more healthy way thanks to this program.
• Ted N @ 09/28/2009 ( 11:54:18 PM )
  Healthy Living is a good topic for me this week. I also like to call it taking care of myself. I really need to focus on taking care of myself this week. I don’t want to overextend myself or try to do too much. I am already feeling like I have a lot going on. So I need to be careful to take extra care to keep myself in check. I just sat down and mapped out the rest of my week through the weekend to see what I have planned and where I have time crunches or free time. I can see where I need to work out, eat, get up, go to meetings, etc… Mapping these activities out in advance helps me to see if I have too much going on at a given time and I can rearrange it to be less overwhelming. It also lets me know where I cannot take on anything else so that if something else comes up I know when to say no. The bottom line is that if I want to stay sober, I need to take care of myself. And if I am going to take care of myself, I need to be sure that I do not let myself get overwhelmed. So, for today and this week, I will use my calendar as yet another tool to keep an eye on things. And I will ask my Higher Power for help to keep me balanced and stable as I go through the week and into the weekend so that I have a good foundation for my trip to NY.
• Ted N @ 10/07/2009 ( 8:45:07 PM )
  Healthy Living – I have shared on this before, but it has always been because I have been taking care of myself and it has been a big part of my program. Today I am sharing on this because I need to talk about what happens when I don’t take care of myself. I let part of my program slip. I let my emotions get the best of me. I abused my body with food. Granted, I did not act out which is a big step for me, but I used food instead. On top of this add stress of a trip to see friends from before I was in recovery and as a result I made myself sick and I have been paying the price for several days. What have I learned from all of this? I have learned that my program is vital. I need to stick to it like glue. I cannot stray even though I feel pressured to just have a 2nd nite off of my program because I am out with friends. I cannot stray just because I am feeling some emotions. Nothing is worth taking steps backwards in all the hard work that I have done and nothing is worth putting my body through what I have done these past few days. I have not felt like this since before I have started my food and exercise program and that is a huge red flag to me. My health, good and fitness are a big part of my recovery and I need to protect them at all costs. I need to remember that I am not alone and that it is ok to feel my feelings. My Higher Power has never let me down so why would he start now. I need to always remember that and hopefully next time I will not have to do what I did this last time.
• Ted N @ 10/27/2009 ( 7:43:37 PM )
  I have shared recently and frequently on this topic. However I am sitting here recovering from surgery that I just had as a result of a significant amount of weight loss. This weight loss has been over the course of the past year which has been a year of healthy living: good eating, exercise, fitness, balance and program. All of these things have come together to allow me to meet this goal I have had most of my life and as a result, I had this surgery to complete the deal. It is like the icing on the cake for me. I would not have been able to do any of this if I had not been working a program for the past 2 years. Yes I have been in recovery for 4 years, but for the 1st couple years I did not really work a solid program. But after that, I really kicked into gear and have been working a solid program and developing a relationship with my Higher Power. It is because of those things that I can now have a healthy lifestyle and be where I am today. I am grateful for this program and for the many many blessings that it has given me of which healthy living is a huge part.
• Ted N @ 12/15/2009 ( 12:00:37 AM )
  I am excited today because I feel like I am back in the game. It has been eight weeks since I had surgery and today I have been released from my doctor to get back to my full program of exercise. Why post about this? Because exercise is a huge part of taking care of myself which is a huge part of my program. This is all healthy living for me. Something that I knew nothing about when I was in my active addiction. Today I understand what it means to take care of myself. Today I enjoy taking care of myself. And today I can see the rewards from taking care of myself. It has been a challenge for me over these past 8 weeks without the exercise to stick with my routines and I had to keep adjusting myself to try to make things work. I am happy to be able to get back to my program. Everything feels like it is falling right into place just as it should be. I have been praying more and when I make that connection, things just work out for me. And that is what happened today, it worked out for me. So I am looking forward to this week. It will be a very busy week for me, but one with some old routines and new adventures. Lots to report about but for now, I will just focus on right now.
• Phil @ 03/01/2010 ( 5:59:12 PM )
  To me, a healthy lifestyle is summed up by the one word - "balance". Balance your work life, family life, play life, working out life, and hobby life. Doesn't that sound wonderful!
  
  However, my addict is always driving me to extremes - too much work, too much play, too much family, too much of whatever it is that steps onto the stage for that day. Always, it seems, I do one thing at the expense of the others, and to the point of obsession.
  
  As others point out in their posts, healthy living, balance, is to enjoy ALL parts of the healthy lifestyle, not to show favorites. It is a difficult challenge for me, but I am seeing some of the results now, from exchanging my obsessions for healthy, positive activities. A unified life - helps to lift my depression and deepens the satisfaction from all the wonder positive things life offers. I thank my H.P. and my trusted advisors for helping me to see this new life.

• Out Of Bondage: Memoirs Of A Sex Addict