Complacency in sobriety is a wily thing: we get a little time under our belts, start feeling comfortable in our skin, finally get the girl or the guy, land the job, and basically get all of the “stuff” we thought would mean that we’d “made it,” and then, boom, our tornado-like behavior has seemingly faded into the past. Before we know it, we’re suffering from selective amnesia. It’s true, we get busy. It’s the inevitable result of getting our lives back. Our schedules become harried, and before long, we are so far removed from anything recovery related, we find ourselves spiritually and sometimes physically isolated. The truth is, there are a slew of things you can integrate into your daily routine that will take care of all three sides of the triangle (Unity, Recovery, Service):
- Be of service, whether in a meeting or carousing through your day-to-day lives–that can mean anything from picking up those nasty cigarette butts,volunteering at your local shelter, or reaching out to someone in the office. In other words, get out of yourself for a while and see what magic can happen.
- Develop your spirituality: start meditating regularly and learn how to manage all that thinking that happens, or go to the religious organization of your choice and sink into the quiet often found in those spaces. It’s incredible what healing happens when we still the mind for a spell.
- Surround yourself with the wise-minded: those walking a similar path, readily able and willing to sweep up their wreckage if/when necessary, remembering that often times, “friends are the family you choose yourself.”
Getting sober is one thing, but staying sober is something else. We are essentially going against the grain of our addict thinking, and to combat that, contrary action is necessary. Nothing is impossible, but it does takes a lot of work–work worthy of our greatest efforts. I am reminded of how important it is to nurture ourselves and our sobriety the way we did our addictions. It would be highly beneficial if that obsession with getting high was transformed into a similar passion for staying sober, because life is innately better when we aren’t trying to dance with our addictions.
So, what are some things you do to stay sober and in the moment? How do you contribute to your recovery? We’d love to hear from you!
