NEOMARXIST

There can be many theories/programmes/philosophies about getting and staying sober but what it boils down to fundamentally is that sobriety has to be thought of as a lifestyle choice. Just like getting f*cked up is a lifestyle choice.

For me this is why staying sober is a very difficult task at any age. There will never be the 'right' time to get sober. You have to take hold of the reins and choose the path and absolutely stick to it like glue.

This means that very difficult decisions will have to be made and sacricfices will have to be made. There are sacrifices to be made regardless of what people already with sobriety will tell you. You can only gain the clarity of seeing the choices as not being sacrifices once you have some decent length of sobriety under your belt.

The point of this post is that if you want to stand any chance of staying sober then you have to embrace the sober lifestyle as a way of life. This goes so much deeper than merely the act of not drinking. This means changing who you can hang around with, this may well mean much more time spent alone with yourself to keep away from slippery people/characters.

This means staying out of places where you used to drink and drug and where others are participating in this behaviour. This also means making sure that you don't romanticise drinking/drugs when talking to non-alcoholics/addicts as they simply are not like you.

This means total acceptance that you're an alcoholic/addict so drinking/drugging is not even an option 'just for today'. It means changing your recreational behaviours and downtime activities to accomodate total sobriety away from any temptations or triggers.

So it is not an easy task and I guess it's why so many people fail. But it is absolutely worth it and the peace, serenity and sense of clarity gained from knowing with absolute certainty that you have chosen and are living the right lifestyle choice for yourself, is priceless.

Grateful to be a recovering alcoholic.

Peace x