Escaping reality Weekender 10 - 12th March
saoutchik
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London
Posts: 16,198
Escaping reality Weekender 10 - 12th March
There are no two ways about it, modern life is scary. Gone are the old certainties of a job for life, a structured career path, a mortgage, 2.4 kids and clearly defined gender roles. In today's world we regularly have to deal insecurities and disappoinment about many aspects of our lives.
Understandably we wish to escape these fears which knaw away at our sense of well-being. In many countries, including my own, recent political developments speak of a desire or yearning to go back to some real or imagined age of certainty.
Most of us reading this post will have had a much faster and much more primitive way of escaping our worries via the path of blissful intoxication. We drank or drugged ourselves into that fleeting Nirvana so often that we became overseers of our own slavery.
Let us also do something modern and apply what economists call a cost benefit analysis of or escape reality method. As an alcoholic I drank fast, no sipping slowly between a meal, no uplifting conversation or maintaining a mild buzz. For me it was 90 minutes from the first mouthful followed by say 300 minutes of blackout, often fully clothed and a tomorrow of pain and despair, made worse by the fact that by about 6pm I would be thinking about doing it again. In tge end no amount of self deception coukd make this seem like a good deal.
Life is difficult but realistically I doubt there has ever been a significantly better age than now. There is nothing wrong with being a housewife but would you be happy if this was what was expected of you. Were those secure jobs in dirty and dangerous factories or mines worth it?
I do appreciate that some of you will have started drinking or drugging as a response to abuse or trauma. Of course I cannot put myself in your shoes but i reckon leading a drink and drug free life would be the best rebuke to those responsible.
Given the interconnectivity of information and knowledge there are probably as many opportunities as there ever has been but in order to seize them we need to be aware and informed not incoherent so ditch the shackles of addiction and whenever your personal weekend is give yourself a chance to follow your interests, it may even end up improving your personal circumstances.
Sorry for the epic length of this weeks OP, I could not seem to condense it without leaving things out.
Understandably we wish to escape these fears which knaw away at our sense of well-being. In many countries, including my own, recent political developments speak of a desire or yearning to go back to some real or imagined age of certainty.
Most of us reading this post will have had a much faster and much more primitive way of escaping our worries via the path of blissful intoxication. We drank or drugged ourselves into that fleeting Nirvana so often that we became overseers of our own slavery.
Let us also do something modern and apply what economists call a cost benefit analysis of or escape reality method. As an alcoholic I drank fast, no sipping slowly between a meal, no uplifting conversation or maintaining a mild buzz. For me it was 90 minutes from the first mouthful followed by say 300 minutes of blackout, often fully clothed and a tomorrow of pain and despair, made worse by the fact that by about 6pm I would be thinking about doing it again. In tge end no amount of self deception coukd make this seem like a good deal.
Life is difficult but realistically I doubt there has ever been a significantly better age than now. There is nothing wrong with being a housewife but would you be happy if this was what was expected of you. Were those secure jobs in dirty and dangerous factories or mines worth it?
I do appreciate that some of you will have started drinking or drugging as a response to abuse or trauma. Of course I cannot put myself in your shoes but i reckon leading a drink and drug free life would be the best rebuke to those responsible.
Given the interconnectivity of information and knowledge there are probably as many opportunities as there ever has been but in order to seize them we need to be aware and informed not incoherent so ditch the shackles of addiction and whenever your personal weekend is give yourself a chance to follow your interests, it may even end up improving your personal circumstances.
Sorry for the epic length of this weeks OP, I could not seem to condense it without leaving things out.
A simple guy making his way
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Maine
Posts: 7,867
Shotgun!!!!
Great OP Sao. In SMART recovery we do a "cost benefit analysis" as one of the tools. Always revealing to see.
I move this weekend into my new place. I cannot wait. I am fighting depression for certain but I will let it ride and cut myself slack.
K
Great OP Sao. In SMART recovery we do a "cost benefit analysis" as one of the tools. Always revealing to see.
I move this weekend into my new place. I cannot wait. I am fighting depression for certain but I will let it ride and cut myself slack.
K
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
Great introduction, Sao. Thank you.
I do think that this is the best age so far. Medically speaking, I might well have been dead years ago if not for today's advanced cancer technology.
So, too, am I benefitting from the emotional advancement I've realized since becoming sober. I'm achieving things I could never in a million years have done while I had a self-pitying drunken mindset.
I do think that this is the best age so far. Medically speaking, I might well have been dead years ago if not for today's advanced cancer technology.
So, too, am I benefitting from the emotional advancement I've realized since becoming sober. I'm achieving things I could never in a million years have done while I had a self-pitying drunken mindset.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 2,443
Thank you for the thoughtful post, Sao!
I am in for the weekend!
Another quiet weekend for me, recharging from a very busy work week.
I am going to try and not get too resentful that it is daylight savings time this weekend. I really, really, really, really dislike daylight savings time.
I am in for the weekend!
Another quiet weekend for me, recharging from a very busy work week.
I am going to try and not get too resentful that it is daylight savings time this weekend. I really, really, really, really dislike daylight savings time.
Sober-T- Dragon
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 8,759
The time change use to be somewhat stressful for me, we had a number of systems at work that needed their clocks changed. Thankfully that is no longer the case, they all take care of themselves now. But yea, it still sucks to loose an hours sleep.
saoutchik
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London
Posts: 16,198
Welcome to Weekenders slangking! Stick around
Ken and Behan, it is great to see you here. Ken I hope that you succeed in fighting off that depression, you are among friends here.
I don't like Daylight Savings on principle, it is not necessary in 2017. I do enjoy the lighter evenings though.
I hope the OP marathon doesn't put anyone off. Some things cannot be boiled down into a few pithy words (at least not by me)
Ken and Behan, it is great to see you here. Ken I hope that you succeed in fighting off that depression, you are among friends here.
I don't like Daylight Savings on principle, it is not necessary in 2017. I do enjoy the lighter evenings though.
I hope the OP marathon doesn't put anyone off. Some things cannot be boiled down into a few pithy words (at least not by me)
Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Ohio
Posts: 420
I am in!
I have been struggling lately with the constant meanness (it is a word now ) coming from my ex and his wife. It's been like 5 years now, and it just doesn't stop. I try to ignore it and send sunshine and rainbow back, but it is rough. I wish I could be a person who doesn't let it affect me so much.
Taking the kids to see Stomp this weekend - looking forward to that.
Have a great weekend everyone!
I have been struggling lately with the constant meanness (it is a word now
) coming from my ex and his wife. It's been like 5 years now, and it just doesn't stop. I try to ignore it and send sunshine and rainbow back, but it is rough. I wish I could be a person who doesn't let it affect me so much. Taking the kids to see Stomp this weekend - looking forward to that.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 28
Sao - just to repeat what everyone else seems to agree upon, your OP was great!
I'm looking forward to the weekend - the weather has improved today and it really makes a huge difference to how I feel. Tomorrow is recycling day here, and this morning I was getting the bins ready to go out. It was such a nice feeling not to have to hide the wine bottles at the bottom of the bin - there were no bottles! :-)
I'm looking forward to the weekend - the weather has improved today and it really makes a huge difference to how I feel. Tomorrow is recycling day here, and this morning I was getting the bins ready to go out. It was such a nice feeling not to have to hide the wine bottles at the bottom of the bin - there were no bottles! :-)
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