I love the challenge of sober living. It is the ultimate challenge - never ever escaping from any tough or uncomfortable emotion. Stress comes, so does anger and sadness and disappointment and frustration (etc etc).. but I deal with it now - it's there for a reason! - and then it passes.
I don't have a knee-jerk reaction to reach for something to make it go away. I am much, much, much better now at letting those emotions be and then letting them pass by. I just AM stressed and then I'm not.
Sometimes I do get really stressed!! For goodness sake I have 3 young boys who are noisy and demanding and argumentative (and gorgeous of course!) and they can really push me to the limit at times. I also have a busy job and a house and husband and PUPPY to look after... so of course I get stressed.
I'm also a 44-year-old woman with complex emotions and a busy brain.. but now I live connected to myself in ways that I have never been ever before in my life. I am much more firmly rooted in my body and on the earth that holds me up.
I know how to focus on my breath and the sensations in my body to bring me out of my mind and down into the present moment. I know how to do this because I have worked on it since I got sober.
I wouldn't be like this if I was still drinking daily. I wouldn't be like this if I was still drunk all the time.
I wouldn't have such a healthy relationship with my thoughts (in that I don't believe them as facts or let them control me) if I was still blurring my brain with alcohol daily like I used to. I'd have messed up body chemistry and unfocused thoughts.
I know I've said it before and I'm sorry that I'm being repetitive and that this is a waffly post but I need to say this because I feel it so keenly right now.
I am so utterly completely profoundly grateful to be sober.
Love, Mrs D xxx
And in my experience it keeps getting better as the awareness sharpens and expands -- a brilliant sober 2016 to you, my friend!
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. D! TOday's blog by you was the first thing I read this morning and filled me with so much gratitude for this sober journey. YOU ARE RIGHT! To have let go of that incessant voice in my head that wanted a drink is the greatest freedom of all. I don't know when it happened but that moment changed my life forever. So grateful now at 301 days and counting (I like counting!!)
ReplyDeleteI am happy for you! I am happy that I quit! :-) Thank you for walking this road before me / us and sharing your experiences and knowledge. I do not think I would be sober if there was no sober blogosphere. So yes, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
ReplyDeletexx, Feeling
I'm profoundly grateful that you are sober, too. If you weren't, I might not be. If you had waivered in those early days, I might have waivered, too. That is what the sober community is about, standing shoulder to shoulder, staying strong for others and depending on them to stay strong for us when we need it. Happy New Year, Dearest Friend!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Mrs D...and thank you for continuing to post here. I was introduced to you through your book which really helped boost me in the earlier days. I am today 118 days sober which isn't that long but feels huge to me. I can honestly say I didnt waver once over the holidays and I amazed by this. Unfortunately Ive been poorly with a stomach bug and a nasty cold, I can't even imagine he rough I would have been if I was still drinking!! This just feels like a lifestyle choice which I'm so happy I made. Thanks again for this blog and the going within one too....xx
ReplyDeleteI am happy you are sober, because you were one of my lights!
ReplyDeleteNow I am sober, too!
16 Months on Monday!
And I am happy I am sober, too!
xo
Wendy
I too am sober. for 10 years but don't need to talk about it all the time, never did
ReplyDeleteLife is up and down sober or not. But all the best.
Great post. I'm fairly new to being sober but I love the thought of "living life 100% in the raw"! In fact, instead of the word SOBER I like to call it SO PURE, as in living my life pure, unfiltered, unaltered. All my thoughts, emotions, actions are PURE and all me. "sober" is such a serious word sometimes... so pure!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm super glad you're sober too as you've been a start for me to follow! It's lovely to read these reminders of how happy you are with being sober, and how it keeps getting better for you! Happy new year to you! Big hug my friend xo
ReplyDeleteThank you for this...I needed it right now :(
ReplyDeleteI just celebrated 5 months sober and there is no greater feeling in the world.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your sobriety. Unless someone's been though this themselves, they will never know how hard it is to stop drinking. It's fortunate you have a family who supports you on your journey, because, as you know, the journey never ends. Again, congratulations, you deserve to hear it more than once.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Smith @ Ranch Creek Recovery
You are definitely on the road to recovery. Too many people at your stage hate the daily battle, and often lose the fight to their demons. You seemed to have embraced this issue, and you know that it is a daily struggle too. I think you are well on your way to finally kicking this habit to the curb for good.
ReplyDeleteKim Hunter @ KHunterLaw
What a great example you are! Your journey has been so inspiring and I think you've hit the nail on the head. Being sober is such a good place to be. It is a huge challenge to learn to deal with our emotions. To learn to accept what we are feeling and to know that they, too, shall pass.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Waters @ Chastaine Law