[KenL]

Hi everyone,

There are many thoughts I see being expressed on SR that to me become genres of thought. One that comes to mind is the genre of sobriety as being a burden as opposed to being a gift.

For some, sobriety seems to be viewed as something that we have to put up with and that it leads to a static life. It's a thing that is hoisted upon our shoulders and acts like a burden that we have to carry for the rest of our lives. It may me mental, emotional, spiritual or even behavioral. Those of us who feel and think that way look at sobriety as being a "state of stuckness." They relegate themselves to being somehow unfulfilled and find that counting days and weeks and months is all they seem to end up living for.

There are those on the other hand who view sobriety as a gift, a God-send or an emancipation. To them, sobriety is not a burden but rather an enlightenment. It is a change in their very selves, their identity. They are not affected by any "sobriety fallout". There is no emptiness nor need to fill something with something else. Indeed, that which was too much is now gone and serenity is put in its' place.

I wish that everyone's sobriety could be dynamic and not static. To me, sobriety is not the end of something that leaves us with something else we are forced to live with. It's the beginning of something else that allows us to live with something that sets us free to be whoever we choose to be. This is what I hope for all who suffer from addiction.

This was also posted in Newcomers forum for greater feedback purposes.

Peace,
Ken