Thank you, Conquest, I find plenty of inspiration here. Here comes a long ass Briar story time I'm sure you all missed
:
I'm seeing the importance of being part of a community that values recovery. I was feeling a bit lost at sea earlier this year, and I seriously considered drinking again. I acquired and threw away bottles of wine, going back and forth about whether I wanted to take the "easy" way out, obviously by making my life much harder. AV logic.
I wasn't valuing my recovery. It had become old news, the new normal, easy to undervalue. I wasn't getting any reinforcement from my support system because everyone has accepted that I don't drink, and it isn't a big deal to them. Which is beautiful in its own way, but when it wasn't a big deal anymore, it seemed to lose some of its importance. It was easy to take it for granted.
I didn't grasp this until today when I was on the phone with a lady from my employee benefits program. We were going over some health stuff, and she asked how much I drink. I told her I'm in recovery and have been sober for about two and a half years. She perked up and started carrying on about how I've done a very hard thing, I should be very proud, I should never minimize this accomplishment, and I have given myself and my family an incredible gift.
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting all that! It really meant a lot to me. It struck me how important it was for me to hear that at this point in my journey, and how lucky I was to encounter someone who would give me the message. Weird how these things work.
From there I realized how important it is for me (and all of us) to be among a community where the value of recovery is never taken for granted. It is always present and always celebrated. I get it now.
So a big thanks to you guys, and to Mindy the benefits lady who benefited me more than she realized.