The power of community...

Just checked and I am 655 days sober today!!!!!!  Woo Hoo!!!!!! I'm going to celebrate that random number by putting on my new frock (naughtily purchased regardless of the fact I still haven't received my thesis grade)..and heading out to a party tonight. Really looking forward to it because I'm driving a bunch of friends up the motorway to get there so it'll be a totally fun, community vibe.

'Community' is one of those magical words that carries so much positive, wonderful energy. Community is so important to me in my recovery and on my sober journey...(look how the sobriety jargon is tripping off my tongue). Here's another cliched word - gratitude.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The online sober community has been a hugely powerful force in my life since I started blogging 2 days after I drank my last drink. I had no idea that the blog I was starting was going to end up being all about community. No idea that it was going to turn into the wonderful, warm, supportive, inspiring entity that it did. For the most part people online are really kind and gentle and lovely.. but even when occasionally there is a bit of 'grit' about it's all healthy, robust discussion material I feel.

Drinking problems, alcoholism, sobriety, recovery, and all that jazz.. it's a ginormous topic loaded with emotion and bravery and fear and ... well, frankly baggage. It's real and it's deep and it's life at it's most raw. We open ourselves up and have to take what comes our way. This sober sphere is a wonderful place to be and I'm so happy to be here, even though sometimes I feel deeply vulnerable and wonder why I don't just crawl under the bed covers and hide. 

Then I read about Carrie doing so well and reaching 100 days sober, buoyed along by the amazing  Belle and her inspiring challenge, and RoS inspiring people to get out and run and being lovely giving props to ByeByeBeer who is two years sober today!, and the wonderful male bloggers -  Mr Al K Hall working to silence his destructive inner voice and Paul thanking the sober community, calling us 'lamp lighters' (I love that!).. there is MysteryGirl doing amazingly well on a sober holiday, my darling Sherry feeling exhausted but still strong, the gorgeous Kary May working so hard she's missing her online love (we love you Kary May!!!)..

I could go on and on... brave SoberJournalist, and DrunkyDrunkGirl...and Amy.. and Lilly...

I don't know why I'm doing this actually, it's taking me ages to go to their blogs and then copy the url to get the link then put it in and change the colour to red... I could just say GO CLICK ON ALL THE BLOGS TO THE LEFT OF MY PAGE! There's a whole world out there of us writing, wrestling, dealing with shit, not dealing with shit, getting grumpy, feeling great, lurching from one sober day to the next...

And because of all of you fellow sober bloggers, and you lovely commenters, and you lurkers out there too (yes I can see you in my Stats page. Four hits right now as I type from Australia! Three from Canada! Hello Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I won't crawl under the bed covers and hide. I won't retreat into my bunker. I'm going to stay here. Sober and present on the internet for all to see.

Now, off to get my dancing shoes on!

Love, Mrs D xxx