Reminding myself of alcohol’s wreckage helps me grow into sobriety ,,Image by nonmisvegliate from Pixabay There isn’t one thought or idea or goal that I can pinpoint as the real deal-breaker in my relationship with booze. It might have been the hangover I had on that fateful Sunday that kept me from going running. It could have been the shame I felt because I had promised myself I would not get drunk again. It may have been that every hangover, every broken promise, every failure, every letdown, and every fear of never getting out of the hell that alcohol created in my head finally culminated ..read more

To Avoid Relapse — Focus on What You Can Control The spread of the Coronavirus has many of us on edge. I’m certainly freaked out over it. It’s not that I’m afraid I will catch it and die; I’m fairly certain I’m too healthy to expire because of it. I’m a moderate runner, I eat a predominately plant-based diet, and I go to the gym and throw weights around periodically — and sleep is one of my favorite pastimes. My immune system is ready to fight — as long as I stay on track. What I am discovering is that I’m disenchanted with how a crisis brings people together when they initially need help or ..read more

Throughout the majority of my adult life, my vacations started with drinks at the airport, followed by drinks on the plane, and more drinks when I reached my destination. And then there were even more drinks all throughout the vacation. I often chose vacations that were “all inclusive,” meaning that booze and food were included in the price. I also chose vacations centered around drinking, such as beach vacations. When I didn’t fly to my destination, such as when we go on hiking trips, a cooler was filled with beer and stashed in the trunk of my car. If someone else was driving, I might even ..read more

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein Maintaining sobriety is hard. And part of what makes it even harder is that the brain chemistry of problem drinkers may be playing a crucial part in whether or not we eventually succumb to cravings and relapse. During my first month of sobriety, I stumbled across This results in an “overwhelming compulsion to drink.” Although this particular study was conducted on mice, there are a plethora of other scholarly articles on the subject of neuroplasticity and addition. Neuroplasticity has to do wi ..read more

Sobriety no longer equates to doom and gloom with so many new options for support Since the inception of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1935, two main groups existed when it came to the consumption of alcohol, the stereotypical alcoholic — and everybody else.The stereotypical alcoholic was described as a person who could not control their drinking, could not hold down a job, had excommunicated all loved ones, was in poor health, saddled with financial troubles and had reached rock bottom. They were doomed to eventual death from drinking, probably in a gutter somewhere. Or if they managed to qui ..read more

I’m early in my sobriety and I am craving a drink. Over the past weekend I started my blog about getting and staying sober. I jumped headfirst into this venture without a real plan and without taking the time to make my blog look and function exactly as I would like it to. Shortly after my site went live with my first post, I became overwrought with self-doubt and fear. I wanted to bag the whole thing and crawl up in a ball under the covers in my bed. What if I am a crappy writer? What if I have nothing of value to share? Will others judge me harshly and how will I deal with that? What if I f ..read more

And Helped Me Learn to Face Difficult Emotions In May of 2019, I wrote a journal entry stating I was going to undertake a 100-day sobriety challenge. According to my entry, I was certain this was going to be the action that would ultimately catapult me into long-term sobriety.Three days after that entry, I wrote, “I had three beers yesterday. I guess three isn’t bad, but I didn’t make my 100-day challenge. I suppose one of these days I will quit.” Since the summer of 2014, I made numerous journal entries of this nature. Lofty goals followed only days later by justified failure. I became incre ..read more

Photo courtesy of Bruce Mars on Unsplash There is strength and joy to be found in music. It is uplifting in times of sorrow, helps to set the festive tone of a party and assists us with expressing feelings. The right music helps us have a great workout, and elevates our mood. In my case, music helps me through periods of self-doubt (and cravings) and in the long run (pun intended) helps me to maintain my sobriety. There are several articles on the Internet which list popular songs about addiction. This is not one of those lists. Instead, it is a list of the uplifting songs that help me to kee ..read more

Consider Adding These Tools to Your Approach Image by Nico H. from Pixabay To conquer addiction, it is imperative to incorporate multiple methods. You can bring a knife to a gunfight, but only if you’re a skilled ninja. Ideally, we need an array of tools in our arsenal if we have any hope of winning our own personal wars. The methods you use are a very individualized choice and all of the below may not speak to you. Nevertheless, here are the tools I reach for in my holistic approach to recovery. “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” — Abraham  ..read more

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin Knowing that you have a drinking problem doesn't necessarily mean acting on it. It took me a long time - five years - from realization to quitting. During that period and beyond, I read countless memoirs and self-help books, some specific to recovery and others that gave me ideas to incorporate into my holistic approach. These are a selection of the books that I feel were the most helpful and are still on my bookshelf. I revisit them whenever I need a boost. Recover! by Stanton Peele, PhD I discovered this book while in N ..read more