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Old 04-03-2016, 06:57 AM
  # 10 (permalink)  
IvanMike
NA Member - Atheist
 
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Middletown CT USA
Posts: 770
Good job.

When I got clean I had a few gigs left on the books that I honored and played. I'm lucky I made it through them. They were all bar gigs, and in very early recovery my head was all over the place. Most of them didn't bug me all that much, but at the last one I started to realize that i was in the wrong place. There were a lot of "paired stimuli" that were making it feel quite natural to have a few drinks, pop a handful of pills, and get rolling.

I've continued to play with one band in the summers, but we do fairs and such so it's a different atmosphere. I made the decision to lay off of the bar gig scene for a while.

With some time clean I have been feeling the urge to play in some more bands. This is something I'm going to explore very carefully. I've had some experiences being around people using, (drinking in this case) recently at a function for another one of my hobbies that I put on the back burner that humbled me. It was more uncomfortable than I would have expected. It looked repellent and attractive to me at the same time and caused some spiritual and emotional unrest.

That experience prompted me to talk with my sponsor. I had forgotten some simple things like bringing someone with me, letting people in recovery know where I was, calling someone when I felt uncomfortable, and having an escape plan. - All of this is stuff I'd have to incorporate into doing bar gigs again save for the escape plan. - That last part is the kicker.

Part of my dilemma is that playing live music for an appreciate audience feeds my spirit, but watching others get loaded does not. If anything, being in the proximity of people using, (especially when it's obvious that they are addicts/alcoholics, or at least using to excess) damages my spirit.

I have found that being in bars or around people getting loaded isn't just about it being dangerous for me, I also realize that there's nothing there for me any longer. - This is something that I haven't figured out yet, as I really miss playing live.

I have musician friends in recovery who play out and are ok with it, and others who avoid it for the same reasons that I have. In both cases these are people with more time than I have, some by a long shot. - It's something that I'm going to explore, but with a lot of safeguards and accountability.

That wasn't supposed to be all that long winded and all about me, but that's what came out! - Glad you made it through the gig. If I were you I wouldn't do any more without bringing some people in recovery with you who have some time and who would be committed to staying with you. I hope you're involved in NA or AA or some other face to face support where you have access to "live bodies". We can be with you virtually, but in a gig situation that might not help.
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