Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Recovery from Alcoholism-I didn't know how to do sober

Reflections....
....on the road to recovery
I didn't know how to do sober

I was at a meeting one evening when a speaker told his story of recovery.  He spoke of being in a treatment center, then like so many others, he left and was out in the real world... beginning  a whole new way of life. A sober life. No alcohol or drugs to be used as coping mechanisms.

He went on to say that, after a brief few days, he had a shocking, and terrifying realization come to him:  He did not know how to do sober. 

I have heard people on many occasions explain this challenging situation that occurs early in recovery.  However, the description, I didn't know how to do sober really struck home and still does.

Translation:

I had to learn how to - be a father, a husband, a brother, an employee; a person who gets angry, has hurt feelings, gets depressed, gets lonely, has a miserable day, has things happen that causes waves of fear; a person who needs to socialize at social events, who wants to enjoy sporting events, concerts, picnics and parties.

Hard for us to do all these things without the crutch of alcohol and drugs. Without numbing ourselves and missing the full experiences of life.

How are you doing "doing life sober"?

2 comments:

  1. For me to "live sober" I have to go SLOW. When my mind is racing or my emotions are high I tend to slip back into old thinking patterns, which can be dangerous. I pray alot...I try to handle one thing at a time, so I don't get overwhelmed...I try to maintain a balance in my life and most importantly I strive to improve my relationship with God every day!

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  2. As i get older my body sure is slowing down. But my brain races on with all kinds of thoughts- some which are not good for my mental and spiritual well being. I really like the emphasis on slow. Thanks Steve

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