Below are short forms of our tools of recovery that we can easily reference or read aloud in our meetings. Different members have found different tools to be helpful, and often the tools we use change over time.
The Twelve Steps
The Twelve Steps of ITAA are the spiritual core of our program and the basis of our long-term recovery.
Sponsorship
We seek out an experienced, sober sponsor who can support us in working the Steps.
Discovering our Higher Power
We surrender to a Power greater than ourselves, and we are invited to choose whatever concept of a Higher Power is most helpful to us in our own recovery.
Meetings
Meetings connect us with the experience, strength, and hope of others and deepen our recovery.
Outreach calls
Outreach calls help us stay connected, supported, and sober by giving us the opportunity to reach out when we’re vulnerable and build lasting friendships in recovery.
Service
Service keeps us sober and allows us to pass on what we have so freely received.
Literature
Written recovery literature offers us wisdom and insight as we discover our path towards long-term sobriety.
Prayer and Meditation
We use practices such as prayer and meditation to deepen our conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves which can restore us to sanity.
Top Lines, Middle Lines, Bottom Lines
Top lines are activities that help us meet our needs in healthy ways, middle lines are the behaviors and situations that feed our urge to act out, and bottom lines are behaviors that are consistently compulsive and self-destructive for us. We abstain from our bottom lines.
Letting go of unnecessary technology use
We avoid turning to distraction, escape, or the numbing of our emotions through unnecessary internet and technology use, seeking instead to use technology in alignment with our values and our Higher Power’s will for us.
Temporary abstinence
We can commit to a period of temporary abstinence from a particular internet and technology behavior to experience life without it.
One day at a time
Instead of grappling with a lifelong commitment, we simply focus on staying sober for the next 24 hours.
Action plans
We create action plans around challenging situations that might destabilize our sobriety.
Responding to urges
If the craving to use swells up, we turn to our recovery tools and lean on the program until the urge passes.
Writing a Step One inventory
We find it helpful to write a story about ourselves and our addiction: how it was, how it changed over time, and how it is now.
Time logging
Keeping a time log of all of our internet and technology usage can help us gain perspective on our patterns.
Bookending
We bookend by calling or texting another member before and after an online activity or a triggering situation.
Limiting access to technology
We let go of apps, accounts, and devices that have enabled our technology addiction, trusting that we can live a fulfilling life in their absence.
Offline alternatives
We consider ways to accomplish our goals without turning to tech, and we may find that analog tools meet our needs just as well or better than their digital equivalents.
Taking time away from technology
We take time away from all screens when we are feeling shaky, allowing ourselves space to restore our footing and improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power.
Journaling
Journaling about our feelings, struggles, and goals, whether through freeform writing or daily 10th Step inventories, helps us develop perspective.
Reviewing relapses
If we relapse, we gently review what happened, identifying the factors that led us to slip and what may need to change in our recovery program moving forward.
Physical self-care
We prioritize our physical self-care through exercise, sleep, diet, hygiene, and medical care.
In-person community
We connect with and deepen our relationships with friends, family, and our broader community in person.
Developing Hobbies, Passions, and Activities
In sobriety, we invest our time into new or neglected interests and passions, bringing greater fulfillment to our lives.
Recognizing other compulsions
As we find abstinence in ITAA, we may notice other compulsive behaviors arising and we seek guidance from others in addressing them.
Outside help
We make use of outside resources, including other Twelve Step fellowships and professional help.
This page has been written by ITAA’s Web Content Committee. If you would like to share feedback or contribute to our efforts, we would love to hear from you or have you join one of our meetings. More details can be found on the Service Committees page.
Page last updated on August 26, 2023
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