Recovery Affirmations

Affirmations have been used by people for thousands of years to help make desired changes. Affirmations are statements of fact that you want to be true. Repeating them daily and thinking of a positive emotional experience at the same time conditions your brain to help make the affirmation a reality. Read the book Liberating Greatness to understand the process more fully.

These affirmations are drawn from material in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, and are designed to be especially helpful to recovering addicts. Read through them and pick three or four that resonate with you. Then begin practicing them, repeating them twice a day for at least four weeks. Let us know how it goes by sharing your affirmations/experiences on the Share Your Affirmations page.

1. I am a sober alcoholic/addict.
2. I painstakingly practice the 12 steps.
3. I am amazed at my recovery.
4. I know a new freedom.
5. I know a new happiness.
6. I do not regret the past.
7. I keep open my mental door to my past.
8. I comprehend serenity.
9. I now know peace.
10. My experience benefits others.
11. I feel useful.
12. I feel connected to all that is good.
13. My life is centered on helping others.
14. I have a keen interest in my fellow man.
15. I project a positive attitude on life.
16. I am confident.
17. I project an image of great confidence.
18. I easily embrace new people I meet in the program.
19. My life is in God’s care.
20. I am free of fear.
21. I now know how to handle things that used to baffle me.
22. God’s power in my life helps me overcome all obstacles.
23. I work the steps every day.
24. I am energized by my quiet time with my Higher Power.
25. I am patient.
26. Because of my daily acts of kindness, I am filled with joy.
27. My joy doubles as I share the richness of my recovery with others.
28. I eagerly give myself to AA’s simple program.
29. I am rigorously honest with myself.
30. I want what the people in AA/NA have.
31. I am fearless in my examination of my past conduct.
32. I abandon myself to God’s care and protection.
33. I enthusiastically give a full measure of myself to my program.
34. I am growing along spiritual lines.
35. I am a spiritual work in progress.
36. With God’s help I can manage my life.
37. My Higher Power relieves me of my active alcoholism/addiction.
38. I find it easy to seek God’s help in any moment of need in my life.
39. My sober life is good.
40. I am spiritually well.
41. I am physically fit.
42. I am well balanced mentally.
43. Because of my thoroughness and honesty my inventory is complete.
44. Because my life is free of resentment my days are filled with joy and wonder.
45. I am happy.
46. I find it easy to project an attitude of happiness.
47. I am bathed in the sunlight of the Spirit.
48. Drinking/using is death for me.
49. I am free of anger.
50. I am powerless over people.
51. I am powerless over my children.
52. I am tolerant of my spiritually sick friends.
53. I quickly ask God to save me from my anger.
54. I avoid retaliation.
55. I avoid argument.
56. With God’s help I list my faults on paper.
57. I rely on a Higher Power.
58. I trust the God of my understanding to guide me through today.
59. I rely on a Higher Power.
60. I trust the God of my understanding to guide me through today.
61. I humbly rely upon God.
62. God’s power in my life enables me to match calamity with serenity.
63. I never apologize for God.
64. My Higher Power demonstrates through me what He can do.
65. I am outgrowing fear.
66. My need for sex is God given.
67. Because of the God-given nature of sex I am considerate with the needs of others as I seek to fill my need.
68. My sex powers are God-given and therefore good.
69. I turn to God in prayer and meditation with my sex concerns because God will provide the right answer.
70. God alone judges my sex situation.
71. I am as well as my darkest secret.
72. In my heart I know I deserve my good reputation.
73. Because of my complete honesty with somebody in my fifth step I am living happily in this world.
74. In my fifth step I am hard on myself and considerate of others.
75. Because I wish to be free during my fifth step, I pocket my pride, illuminate every twist of my character and every dark cranny of my past.
76. Because I want to look the world in the eye, I am comfortable withholding nothing in my fifth step.
77. My drinking/using problem has disappeared.
78. I am on the Broad Highway walking hand in hand with the Spirit, the Universe.
79. I am ready to let God remove from me all things which I admit are objectionable.
80. My Creator, I am willing that You should have all of me, good and bad.
81. Because God has removed from me every single defect of character, I am useful to God and my fellows.
82. I am strong because I do God’s bidding.
83. I am ready to go to any lengths for victory over alcohol and other drugs.
84. I am maximum service to God and the people about me.
85. Because amends are vital to my recovery, I readily go to those I have harmed, who may have harmed me, with a helpful and forgiving spirit.
86. Because God gives me strength and direction, I do the right thing.
87. I live my spiritual life.
88. I continue to take personal inventory.
89. I am growing in understanding and effectiveness.
90. Now that love and tolerance is my code, I have ceased fighting anything or anyone – even alcohol and other drugs.
91. I recoil from alcohol/drugs like a hot flame.
92. My alcohol/drug problem is now gone.
93. I am a spiritual program in action.
94. Because of the maintenance of my spiritual condition, I am reprieved from the urge to drink/use.
95. I am in alignment with God’s will for me.
96. God’s spirit flows in me.
97. I am forgiven and correcting behavior comes easily.
98. I am inspired by God’s presence in my life.
99. Right answers to problems come easily to me.
100. Every day in every way my thinking becomes more and more on the plane of inspiration.
101. Because of my reliance on a Higher Power, I am free from self-will.
102. I am no longer running the show.
103. Because I am no longer burning energy to arrange life to suit me, I am tireless.
104. Because of my intensive work with other addicts, I ensure my immunity from drinking/using.
105. I know a new meaning in my life.
106. Because of my self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action, my faith is vital.
107. I help others because it is the foundation stone of my recovery.
108. I depend upon God and I am sober (clean).
109. I trust God.
110. I am sober and I am of maximum helpfulness to others.
111. Because God will keep me unharmed, I am confidently on the firing line of life.
112. In God’s hands, my dark past is the greatest possession I have.
113. My dark past is the key to life and happiness for others.
114. My spiritual progress determines my internal well being.
115. I give and that is the guiding principle in my life.
116. I am entirely ready to have God remove my shortcomings.
117. I change me.
118. I am a winner.
119. I am a miracle in progress.
120. I let go and let God.
121. I am powerful because I rely only on God’s power.
122. The kingdom of Heaven is within me.
123. My Higher Power lives in me.
124. I am free; I am humble.
125. I enjoy attending meetings.
126. I am a child of God.
127. I am God-centered.
128. I am willing, because this is the key to recovery.
129. Only I can make me happy.
130. I project an attitude of gratitude.
131. Because of a sense of humor, I am mentally healthy.
132. My resources are unlimited.
133. I am blessed with freedom of choice.
134. I am still and know that he is God.
135. I am of service to God and my fellow man.
136. I am a valuable human being.
137. I rely on my telephone to be free from the feelings of loneliness.
138. I help others by asking for help.
139. Because God forgives me, I forgive myself.
140. I like myself.
141. I am not God; I am human.
142. All that I am is all that has happened to me.
143. Life is my greatest high of all.
144. I am getting to be who I want to be.
145. I am a product of God’s amazing grace.
146. I am humble because I seek and do God’s will.
147. I learn from my weaknesses.
148. I am grateful to be alive and recovering.
149. I am powerless over alcohol/drugs.
150. I have an open mind.
151. I practice the AA/NA program enthusiastically.
152. I believe in a power greater than myself.
153. I am dependent on God and this gives me true independence of spirit.

Crafted from the Big Book by Dale D.