One of my Favorite Things About Sobriety
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: California
Posts: 2,693
One of my Favorite Things About Sobriety
Two of my favorite but often not discussed benefits to sobriety?
I know where my keys are every morning.
I know where my worke ID badge is every morning.
I just thought of these two brilliant things as I hung them up on the hook by the door. As I go out the door in the morning I grab them, hang the badge around my neck, and carry my keys to the car ready to go.
Pretty simple right? Wrong. When I was pass out/blackout drinking every night these two situations were incredibly complicated and difficult. Any reasonable person would think I would've left my badge and keys right on the counter where I set down my things 20 seconds after walking in the door to pour my first drink. Right? They'd be right there when I'd "come to" with a debilitating headache, cotton mouth and burning eyes. Right? Wrong again.
I still can't wrap my head around it or the science of it but after pouring that first drink my keys would seemingly grow legs and walk away and hide under pillows, under mattresses, outside on the deck, outside on the deck under a chair, under a pile of laundry, under my bed, in my bed, in a drawer, under my computer, under a pile of mail, on the front porch, on the back porch, outside in the rain, or 1 million different other places. And the badge and keys didn't like hiding together. They'd split and hide separately. One inside. One outside. One in a bag. One in a drawer.
Grab the spare, right? The spare was lost last time I used it. And believe it or not in my house they were probably two or three work badges. Over the course of a few years of drinking I had replaced it more than once. The spares were long gone. Or was I using the spare badge? Oh that's right. I think I ended up losing my new one and found the old one one night when I was drunk. But often they were both lost. Or was it three? All three were lost. Until I would find one of them.
Sometimes if I had had just enough to drink but not enough to completely blackout or pass out, I would begin looking for them at about midnight. And mind you, I would continue drinking as I looked. Often I would look for probably an hour. Needless to say, my house was a wreck so there were 1 million places for my key and badge to hide. And boy did they hide. I would turn the house upside down like a burglar looking for jewelry.
I will never forget my boss said once that we had to start wearing our badges every day at work. And we could even be written up if we were not wearing it. Oh boy, I certainly wasn't going to show up to work without my badge so when I got home I promptly got drunk and set my badge under a pile of newspapers in the garage. I think my keys ended up in a pizza box in the backseat of my car, unlocked all night. You should have seen me the next morning. After snoozing the alarm two too many times I ran around the house like somebody would if the house had no oxygen in it and they were looking for a hidden oxygen tank. I think I ended up finding the badge but couldn't find my keys. One more time calling work telling them my car battery had died. I think I found the keys about 15 minutes later than I should have found them to make it to work on time. Did I mention that when I got to work I probably had what I can honestly say was the worst hangover in the history of mankind?
That was a great day.
And sad to say, that day repeated itself many many times.
My entire life was chaos at that point but I have to say the one thing that made me more angry, panicked, and depressed, was not being able to find my keys in the morning. I thought that it kind of outed me at work as being alcoholic. I look like the crypt keeper when I would run in like Jackie Joyner-Kersee 10 minutes late.
I was a wreck.
As I lay here in bed, my keys and badge or hanging right next to the door.
Did I mention I know longer sleep in too late? Did I mention I'm no longer late for work every day? Again, the panic of trying to make every green light and running yellow lights and wait, that light wasn't red was it? OK I don't see any cops in my review mirror. Phew. Now I can go on with my day battling this hangover, unable to concentrate on simple tasks, on the verge of tears, and wondering if that half liter of vodka I drank the night before was still on me? What a way to start the day. I never took a morning drink in my life but I would often drink until midnight or 1 AM and then wake up at 7 AM. My God I was playing with fire.
Well, I could go on and on and on.
But I will just say again it is so nice to have my keys and work badge in the same place every night and every morning.
I know where my keys are every morning.
I know where my worke ID badge is every morning.
I just thought of these two brilliant things as I hung them up on the hook by the door. As I go out the door in the morning I grab them, hang the badge around my neck, and carry my keys to the car ready to go.
Pretty simple right? Wrong. When I was pass out/blackout drinking every night these two situations were incredibly complicated and difficult. Any reasonable person would think I would've left my badge and keys right on the counter where I set down my things 20 seconds after walking in the door to pour my first drink. Right? They'd be right there when I'd "come to" with a debilitating headache, cotton mouth and burning eyes. Right? Wrong again.
I still can't wrap my head around it or the science of it but after pouring that first drink my keys would seemingly grow legs and walk away and hide under pillows, under mattresses, outside on the deck, outside on the deck under a chair, under a pile of laundry, under my bed, in my bed, in a drawer, under my computer, under a pile of mail, on the front porch, on the back porch, outside in the rain, or 1 million different other places. And the badge and keys didn't like hiding together. They'd split and hide separately. One inside. One outside. One in a bag. One in a drawer.
Grab the spare, right? The spare was lost last time I used it. And believe it or not in my house they were probably two or three work badges. Over the course of a few years of drinking I had replaced it more than once. The spares were long gone. Or was I using the spare badge? Oh that's right. I think I ended up losing my new one and found the old one one night when I was drunk. But often they were both lost. Or was it three? All three were lost. Until I would find one of them.
Sometimes if I had had just enough to drink but not enough to completely blackout or pass out, I would begin looking for them at about midnight. And mind you, I would continue drinking as I looked. Often I would look for probably an hour. Needless to say, my house was a wreck so there were 1 million places for my key and badge to hide. And boy did they hide. I would turn the house upside down like a burglar looking for jewelry.
I will never forget my boss said once that we had to start wearing our badges every day at work. And we could even be written up if we were not wearing it. Oh boy, I certainly wasn't going to show up to work without my badge so when I got home I promptly got drunk and set my badge under a pile of newspapers in the garage. I think my keys ended up in a pizza box in the backseat of my car, unlocked all night. You should have seen me the next morning. After snoozing the alarm two too many times I ran around the house like somebody would if the house had no oxygen in it and they were looking for a hidden oxygen tank. I think I ended up finding the badge but couldn't find my keys. One more time calling work telling them my car battery had died. I think I found the keys about 15 minutes later than I should have found them to make it to work on time. Did I mention that when I got to work I probably had what I can honestly say was the worst hangover in the history of mankind?
That was a great day.
And sad to say, that day repeated itself many many times.
My entire life was chaos at that point but I have to say the one thing that made me more angry, panicked, and depressed, was not being able to find my keys in the morning. I thought that it kind of outed me at work as being alcoholic. I look like the crypt keeper when I would run in like Jackie Joyner-Kersee 10 minutes late.
I was a wreck.
As I lay here in bed, my keys and badge or hanging right next to the door.
Did I mention I know longer sleep in too late? Did I mention I'm no longer late for work every day? Again, the panic of trying to make every green light and running yellow lights and wait, that light wasn't red was it? OK I don't see any cops in my review mirror. Phew. Now I can go on with my day battling this hangover, unable to concentrate on simple tasks, on the verge of tears, and wondering if that half liter of vodka I drank the night before was still on me? What a way to start the day. I never took a morning drink in my life but I would often drink until midnight or 1 AM and then wake up at 7 AM. My God I was playing with fire.
Well, I could go on and on and on.
But I will just say again it is so nice to have my keys and work badge in the same place every night and every morning.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Phoenix AZ
Posts: 165
MelindaFlowers, U Are ROCKIN with your car keys and work badge!!! Nice description, Yeah! I have a ton of stuff too like this, but cannot think of anything now....I did notice w/ sobriety.. being able to wake up for work with alarm, and get there ON TIME and do a great job not hungover and ill...I noticed What a breeze this is, and work goes smoothly, and i made no mistakes. Theres one, MelindaFlowers! Wear your badge proudly....
Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Australia
Posts: 11,351
Great post Melinda :-)
Mannnnn could I see myself in your words, yet I did the same thing , never learnt my lessons from those hangovers from hell.
When I look back on it. I just don't know how I got through my workday hungovers from hell.
Mannnnn could I see myself in your words, yet I did the same thing , never learnt my lessons from those hangovers from hell.
When I look back on it. I just don't know how I got through my workday hungovers from hell.
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: fort worth tx
Posts: 1,373
I think people with our affliction could only understand the joy, relief, accomplishment and the adrenaline that comes with such a simple task melinda. Thanks for sharing with us. It brought back old memories of such despair while drinking. Keeps us grateful those days are gone. At least one more day. Thank you!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SE Arizona
Posts: 1,099
Great post Melinda! Memory is a funny thing. I'm now at the age (78) where I clearly remember things that happened when I was a kid growing up during WW-II but I can't remember where I put my car keys an hour ago.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Vashon WA
Posts: 1,035
I love the first breath of fresh air when I walk out the door. It is just awesome to not have a hangover. It is the last little vestige of my pink cloud that just won't go away. I hope it never does.
I love never having that dread feeling, you guys know the one, that doesn't even usually have a tangible cause, just baseless dread and loathing. Now I feel the opposite, so I almost have to ask myself, "What the heck are you smiling about?"
I love not being a scofflaw all the time anymore. I used to drive drinking or drunk all the time. I can get pulled over anytime now. I was involved in a fender bender a few weeks ago and it was a cake walk. Five years ago it could have been a disaster.
I have always been a patient man but it's even better now. My kids never annoy me.
I feel like I am growing up now (at age fifty!) and it doesn't scare me. I like it.
Thanks Melinda for this great thread and reminding me how great sobriety is!
I love never having that dread feeling, you guys know the one, that doesn't even usually have a tangible cause, just baseless dread and loathing. Now I feel the opposite, so I almost have to ask myself, "What the heck are you smiling about?"
I love not being a scofflaw all the time anymore. I used to drive drinking or drunk all the time. I can get pulled over anytime now. I was involved in a fender bender a few weeks ago and it was a cake walk. Five years ago it could have been a disaster.
I have always been a patient man but it's even better now. My kids never annoy me.
I feel like I am growing up now (at age fifty!) and it doesn't scare me. I like it.
Thanks Melinda for this great thread and reminding me how great sobriety is!
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