Try to remember what bothered you a week ago

"Try to remember what bothered you a week ago. Since you can't, should you let what's bothering you today make you drink or use?"

Is what's bothering you causing a craving? You probably will forget what's troubling you, but you probably won't forget if you let it make you drink, eat, drug, spend hours on the internet, ruin your sleep, make you lose interest in things you used to enjoy, and otherwise ruin your day. Most times, it is the initial shock that hurts when we are confronted with an issue. Often, it is a little thing that starts us spiraling downward. It is important to not "sweat the small stuff." It is important to nip bad feelings in the bud.             

---

To-do:

As soon as you feel depressed or stressed, you should use a recovery tool to get over what's bothering you, like sharing the problem with a friend, going to a meeting, journaling, deep breathing and more. Writing down something that bothers you and throwing it in the trash might help. Don't sweep your problems under the rug, deal with them one at a time. But there is a time to forget about them. Writing down 5 things you are grateful for (like being able to walk, living in a safe place, having food, etc.) may change your attitude.