You go, girl!! It takes courage to stop numbing out (with substances, dissociation, whatever ... pick your poison) and start living life on life's terms. I hope mustering the courage to share your story – and your wounds – with others helps you on your journey ... one day at a time.
Thank you for the encouragement Larry! My relationship with it has been more of a shift from avoidance to embracing what's here. Living life on life's terms is definitely a work in progress, there's so much always arising each day. All I can do is try to see it as a puzzle I can solve. Alcohol is one less puzzle to try to solve. Life is better without it
Jen, I occasionally hear cancer patients say, "Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me." (I had cancer and am working on an essay about that.) Through their ordeal, they learned so much about themselves and about Life and, in retrospect, the hell they went through is seen as a gift.
Perhaps, one day, you'll see your relationship with alcohol in the same light. Given that you're in recovery so recently, that must be a hard idea to embrace. (If I were in your shoes, I might even be saying, to my point: "Um ... bullshit..." )
In any event, I'm glad you're staying the course, and staying away from that poison. Keep on keepin' on!!!
I hear you, Larry, and I really admire the strength in your story. For me, alcohol wasn’t an addiction, but more of a shortcut and crutch I leaned on in the past. I’ve since realized life feels clearer and aligned without it. I just wanted to clarify that I don’t consider myself in recovery. It’s more of a transition away from a pastime I took part in for a decade and have now chosen to step away from.
That's so funny, I was just going to highlight the same lines that Christina did "Instead of cracking open a cold one, I bond with people over shared interests." and that was just after I happened to read Christina's last article about her similar journey, and then Christina was here commenting. It's fun to see how on this very expansive platform the way we express ourselves naturally pulls us into eddies of community, circling one another's growth and being able to cheer one another on.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story Rick. And yes that is serendipitous feeling how the platform expands in such a way. I appreciate you highlighting the wonky beautiful ways that the Substack world works. I now need to go read christina's last article too now!
Totally, I'm right there next to you, sister! Definitely allows for less tempting vices in life transitions like we are :) Thank you for reading Melissa ❤️
Happy 1 year to you and John! I did see you making some tasty mocktails so I was curious what you were up to ;) I am glad that this brought some resonance to you. Relationships like these are like teeter totters, ebbing and flowing with experimentation, but this one is clear on how it makes life better rather than going back.
congrats jen!!!! what an accomplishment! going on my own sobriety journey, it's so heartening to read about your experiences, and i totally relate to feeling everythinggggg! I especially loved
"Drinking was my highway to happiness by numbing my sensitivity.
But why silence a superpower?
Instead of cracking open a cold one, I bond with people over shared interests.
And the biggest perk? Life feels real now. I feel more alive."
Aww thank you christina! And yes that was such a fun part for me to write. It was an insight that only just came to me this week, on reflecting on what's shifted in my life apart from my hobbies and friends. Cheering you on in your own sobriety journey!
You go, girl!! It takes courage to stop numbing out (with substances, dissociation, whatever ... pick your poison) and start living life on life's terms. I hope mustering the courage to share your story – and your wounds – with others helps you on your journey ... one day at a time.
Thank you for the encouragement Larry! My relationship with it has been more of a shift from avoidance to embracing what's here. Living life on life's terms is definitely a work in progress, there's so much always arising each day. All I can do is try to see it as a puzzle I can solve. Alcohol is one less puzzle to try to solve. Life is better without it
Jen, I occasionally hear cancer patients say, "Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me." (I had cancer and am working on an essay about that.) Through their ordeal, they learned so much about themselves and about Life and, in retrospect, the hell they went through is seen as a gift.
Perhaps, one day, you'll see your relationship with alcohol in the same light. Given that you're in recovery so recently, that must be a hard idea to embrace. (If I were in your shoes, I might even be saying, to my point: "Um ... bullshit..." )
In any event, I'm glad you're staying the course, and staying away from that poison. Keep on keepin' on!!!
I hear you, Larry, and I really admire the strength in your story. For me, alcohol wasn’t an addiction, but more of a shortcut and crutch I leaned on in the past. I’ve since realized life feels clearer and aligned without it. I just wanted to clarify that I don’t consider myself in recovery. It’s more of a transition away from a pastime I took part in for a decade and have now chosen to step away from.
That's awesome.
And since it's clearly working, don't "fix" it!
That's so funny, I was just going to highlight the same lines that Christina did "Instead of cracking open a cold one, I bond with people over shared interests." and that was just after I happened to read Christina's last article about her similar journey, and then Christina was here commenting. It's fun to see how on this very expansive platform the way we express ourselves naturally pulls us into eddies of community, circling one another's growth and being able to cheer one another on.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story Rick. And yes that is serendipitous feeling how the platform expands in such a way. I appreciate you highlighting the wonky beautiful ways that the Substack world works. I now need to go read christina's last article too now!
Congratulations on the milestone! A life of no alcohol has meant better sleep, emotional regulation, and more clarity (at least for me!).
Totally, I'm right there next to you, sister! Definitely allows for less tempting vices in life transitions like we are :) Thank you for reading Melissa ❤️
I love this! John and I have been sober since June 7th, 2024 and we're loving it so much. I so resonate with these reflections
Happy 1 year to you and John! I did see you making some tasty mocktails so I was curious what you were up to ;) I am glad that this brought some resonance to you. Relationships like these are like teeter totters, ebbing and flowing with experimentation, but this one is clear on how it makes life better rather than going back.
congrats jen!!!! what an accomplishment! going on my own sobriety journey, it's so heartening to read about your experiences, and i totally relate to feeling everythinggggg! I especially loved
"Drinking was my highway to happiness by numbing my sensitivity.
But why silence a superpower?
Instead of cracking open a cold one, I bond with people over shared interests.
And the biggest perk? Life feels real now. I feel more alive."
Aww thank you christina! And yes that was such a fun part for me to write. It was an insight that only just came to me this week, on reflecting on what's shifted in my life apart from my hobbies and friends. Cheering you on in your own sobriety journey!
Maybe the best decision you'll ever make.