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CHECK IN TO SOBRIETY
CHECK IN TO SOBRIETY
WITH NO RESERVATIONS
We’ve said it a thousand times and we’ll say it a thousand more. Getting sober is hard. Staying that way is harder. There are many ways to quit drinking and using. Suck it up. Go to detox. Try to tapir. Check in to rehab. However you do it, you did it. But putting down that bottle or pipe or whatever is just the beginning. Before you jump into sobriety, there are a few things to consider. What kind of sobriety do you want and just how committed to it are you willing to be?
read moreI SO DON’T MISS THAT
I SO DON’T MISS THAT
THINGS SOBRIETY HAS LEFT BEHIND
THE HANGOVER
Remember those? We may remember those horrible mornings, but it’s pretty likely we didn’t remember the horrible nights before, right? It used to be kind of funny, in a way, wandering around in that fog with that headache and that inability to function fully. It was kind of fun to head right back out there for a Bloody Mary or whatever with that ridiculous excuse that a morning drink would solve the hangover problem. Funny until we started showing up at work with a hangover everyday or not showing at all, while watching our job security slipping away. Funny until we realized that that morning hangover drink was becoming two or three, and starting to last into the day and onto the night and repeating every morning with that funny hangover that slowly became not so funny anymore. The retching, the runny nose, the bloodshot eyes, the shakes, the loss of appetite, the sheer wreck of it all. Not so funny anymore. But, now blessed with recovery, we’ve left behind those hangovers and mornings have become a beautiful thing again. Leave them behind, but don’t ever forget the damage they used to do.
read moreLOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL PART THREE
LOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL
PART THREE
Dealing with a loved one in addiction or, hopefully, in recovery, can be exhausting, nerve-wracking, frightening, and potentially destructive to any relationship. Emotions can fly at us from all directions and with little notice. They can be very unhealthy, particularly for those trying desperately to provide support for a struggling friend, family member or lover. Keeping emotions in check is hard work, but also necessary for all involved. There are three emotions in particular that can run a relationship off the recovery rails if not tended to with care. Last week; grief. This week; guilt.
read moreLOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL PART TWO
LOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL
PART TWO
Dealing with a loved one in addiction or, hopefully, in recovery, can be exhausting, nerve-wracking, frightening, and potentially destructive to any relationship. Emotions can fly at us from all directions and with little notice. They can be very unhealthy, particularly for those trying desperately to provide support for a struggling friend, family member or lover. Keeping emotions in check is hard work, but also necessary for all involved. There are three emotions in particular that can run a relationship off the recovery rails if not tended to with care. Last week, anger, this week: grief
read moreLOVE AND ADDICTION
LOVE AND ADDICTION
CAN BE EMOTIONAL
Dealing with a loved one in addiction or, hopefully, in recovery can be exhausting, nerve-wracking, frightening, and potentially destructive to any relationship. Emotions can fly at us from all directions and with little notice. They can be very unhealthy, particularly for those trying desperately to provide support for a struggling friend, family member or lover. Keeping emotions in check is hard work, but also necessary for all involved. There are three emotions in particular that can run a relationship off the recovery rails if not tended to with care. We’ll tackle one for each of the next three weeks.
read moreIT’S HARD AT FIRST
IT’S HARD AT FIRST
EARLY RECOVERY CAN BE A STRUGGLE
Life without drugs and alcohol. Wow, this is great. But how do I stay this way? It’s been said many times that getting sober is hard. Staying that way is harder. For those new to sobriety, there are many challenges early on. Recovery means change in your lifestyle, relationships, coping skills, you name it. Change can be a struggle. Here are a few struggles we should work hard to avoid.
read moreTHE SOBER CLOSET
THE SOBER CLOSET
SHOULD I COME OUT?
You’re so very proud. You’re sober. It was hard getting there and staying there might very well be harder. But you’re sober. Your family is proud of you. And, perhaps a handful of close friends are too. But who else should know? Should you tell people at work? The neighbors? Should you just shout it to the world and post it? For many, this can be a really tough decision. Just the acknowledgment that you had a problem to begin with could be scary. Again, it’s a difficult decision and all of us need to work within our own comfort zones. But there are some pretty good reasons to come out of that sober closet if you’re interested in giving it a try.
read moreTEMPTED? DON’T DO IT.
TEMPTED? DON’T DO IT.
SOME VERY GOOD REASONS NOT TO.
It’s happened before and it will again. That gnawing desire to have a drink or use. Even when deep into recovery, we can still get that craving for just one. That one that will lead to another and another and, well, you know the rest. It’s hard not to be able to drink like a normal person, but we have no choice and we know it. Even with all the tools of recovery at our disposal, it’s still tough. The next time you’re tempted, give some thought to these reasons not to.
read moreRECOVERY. WHAT IS IT AGAIN?
HERE’S A REMINDER
Sometimes we forget what we’re here for. Sometimes we forget to keep it simple and maybe we make things more complicated than they need to be. Maybe sometimes we need to take a step back and remember just what it is we are trying to accomplish and maintain. It might be a good idea to do a little review of what exactly recovery is, how we achieve it and recognize whether or not we are really moving forward with it. Here are some key elements that help define recovery from samhsa.gov.
read moreTHANKS. I’M JUST GONNA HANG AT HOME TONIGHT
DON’T LET ISOLATION HURT YOUR RECOVERY
In sobriety, we are again able to do so many of the things we couldn’t or wouldn’t do while drinking and using. So liberating it is to be able to drive without worry, talk to others without slurring, work or study without firing or failing. We in recovery know we need to stay busy. We know we’ve got to have some structure and be active and stay occupied. We know we need to stay close to our support groups and peeps.
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