Acting Out: Choosing Recovery Over Impulse

Not all of us came into recovery with both feet in.
 Some of us arrived half-heartedly—tired, broken, and full of doubt.

Sure, the drugs and alcohol were causing us real problems.
 We wanted the chaos to stop.
We wanted the consequences to end.

But deep down, some of us still wanted to get high.

And that’s the truth many of us had to face:

We can’t keep using and expect the problems to go away.
We can’t have it both ways.

The Turning Point

Even though part of us still craved the escape, we didn’t pick up.
 We remembered the pain.
 We remembered the cost.
 And we decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.

Little by little, with effort and time, things began to shift.

We stayed clean and sober.
 We showed up to meetings.
 We worked a program.

And somewhere along the way, the obsession lifted.

We found ourselves staying sober not out of fear, but because…

We genuinely wanted to live a life without drugs or alcohol.

But What About the Impulses?

Just because the substances are gone doesn’t mean the impulses are.

Old patterns still try to creep in.
 That voice in your head might whisper:

• “Go ahead—lash out.”
• “Do something reckless.”
• “You deserve it.”

These impulses are sneaky.
 We’ve acted on them before—sometimes we thought we got away with it.
 Other times, we paid dearly.

But here’s the truth:

We don’t have to act on every feeling.

If we’re not willing to pay the price of that decision, we don’t have to make it.

The Hardest Work Comes Later

Sometimes resisting these old behaviors feels just as hard as early sobriety.
 It takes just as much strength—not to drink, not to use, and not to act out.

But you’re not alone in that struggle.

Others have stood where you’re standing.
 Others have faced that same heat… and made it through without exploding, escaping, or sabotaging their progress.

How?

They shared about it.
They reached out for help.
They turned to a Higher Power and the recovery community—and found freedom.

Today: I Don’t Have to Act Out

I can sit with my feelings—no matter how strong, uncomfortable, or overwhelming they are.

This, too, shall pass.

With the help of:

• My recovery buddy
• My friends in the fellowship
• And my God...

I have the power not to act out.
I have the freedom to choose peace.

And that, today, is one of the greatest gifts of recovery.