My recovery requires me to form new habits. It takes time to develop a new habit. The accountability of a daily check-in was absolutely necessary for me to get the momentum required to make something routine. But, even this was not enough to motivate me to be consistent. I shared my struggle with another member and we had a new idea.

At the beginning of the day, we make an effort to spend at least five minutes engaged in the Recovery activity we feel least like doing. As soon as we are done, we text the other person, reporting what we did. We challenge them to engage for at least five minutes in whatever Recovery activity they feel least like doing. When the challenge is met, we text the challenger back for accountability. We give absolutely no consideration to whose turn it is, or what time of day it is. This means that if I get a text at 4 a.m. that he just spent 15 minutes on his 4th Step, then I need to get out of bed at 4 a.m. and spend at least five minutes on my 10th Step and text him back. The inconvenience is part of the reason the tool works.

We’ve been consistently challenging each other for over a month now. The spontaneity of this routine has invigorated my program with excitement and fun. Most importantly, my daily consistency has never been more solid in the six years I’ve been working this program. As a result, I’ve never been more at peace.