ESSENTIAL TOOLS
We asked three community members at different stages of sobriety to share the essential tools that support their ongoing recovery
BY PAULO MURILLO
SLOW DOWN
“A tool I learned is to slow down. it’s allows me to pause. As addicts, we love a dopamine rush, and we love impulsivity and spontaneity. Those things don’t have to go away, but when I lose sight of myself, if I don’t slow things down and proceed with caution, I can get lost in situations and circumstances. So I feel like one of the most beautiful tools that is really sunken into my value system is to slow things down. Before I got sober, if there was family conflict, or anything that had to do with fear, or insecurity, I would just pick up and go to the club. I’d be with people that I didn’t really want to hang out with in environments that I didn’t really want to be in. I was always the type of person that would say yes and not think things through. I threw caution to the wind in so many different ways, and now I can run into the wind. I can also use my tactics and use my tools to proceed with wisdom versus impulsivity.”
—Leonardo Martinez, sober since August, 9, 2018
SERVICE WORK
“A tool that helps me stay sober is definitely service work. I’m involved in lots of service committees. I volunteer whenever I can, even if I’m not asked to by participating in some sober activities. There is also a gratitude list. I make a gratitude list every day. I share it with three to four individuals every day. And the biggest tool, I think, is just knowing where I came from and how far I’ve come, even through my relapses. I always keep coming back. No matter what, you just keep coming back. It’s how you pick yourself up, not how you fall that matters. Before I got sober there were no tools. It was mayhem, self-seeking, lots of medical issues, being on the verge of death, and bankrupt mentally, spiritually and financially. That’s not my story today…”
—Gordon Lee, sober since January 22, 2026.
I STILL PRAY
“The one tool that helps me stay sober is prayer. I still pray every night when I go to bed. I still go to recovery meetings, because I think meetings are critical to stay connected to the fellowship. I still sponsor people. It has helped me more than it’s helped them. Some people have allowed me to help them a lot, and some other people have not, but they all have helped me to stay sober. When I was new, service was a critical part of how I stayed sober. They made me do a lot of service work. My sponsor and my friends would make me take commitments, and that kept me sober long enough for my miracle to happen.”
—Carlos Martinez, sober since October 19, 1991
THIS PAGE SPONSORED BY
