Trying to plan for a sober life
 

Now the worst of the physical withdrawal seems to have passed and I've had a little time to myself, I've started thinking about what I want to do with the rest of it.

My last post I said I was starting to feel like a grown up, so I guess this is me trying to figure out what I want to be when I'm all grown up. The truth is, I have absolutely no idea, at all.

I've got this strange sense of not really understanding what my life is about, what I'm aiming for, what I want to do with my time. So far I've never felt that, I was a kid so I didn't think that way, then I was a drunk so my life goals were simple: get drunk. Then I was withdrawing, I was just trying to get through.

Now what?

The only thing I could think to do that was good is I joined this charity where you give up your time to talk to lonely elderly people who have no one else. It's not really a plan, but it feels like something that I can grasp in my mind and go "that's a good thing, there's a point to it".

As for everything else, I have no idea . Maybe if I think of one good thing to do a week I'll start to find an answer.

Volunteering is a great idea. I really liked volunteering with animals at a shelter, and later at a veterinarian's office. Food banks might be another good idea.

I was pretty low-key for the first couple months. I treated myself like I was recovering from an illness. If you can do that, there's no reason not to. One day at a time, friend.

Volunteering is a great idea. It's a win-win situation. I thought I had something to offer when I began volunteering, but I never imagined the love and gratitude that I received. And, one of my volunteer jobs turned into a paying job.

I think a big part of any plan for someone in early recovery is to connect with as much support as you can. That could come in many forms, sober friends, family, SR, AA, etc. That would give you a foundation to work from. Adding things on to that like talking to the elderly (nice idea) and other activities that you are interested in to help build a healthy and positive sober life would be real important IMHO. These changes don't happen overnight. It takes time, patience , determination and keeping a positive outlook. Get that foundation set and you're on your way. It's an adventure!! John

Yeah, I have a few months where I have quit a lot of spare time free. So I think using up some of that time volunteering will be really helpful, boredom is the enemy of the addict after all.

sounds like a good plan.

I haven't planned a sober life yet myself. I just planned to be sober and let life happen. When I'm positive I'm ready to move forward, I will make plans. Until then, I accept life and adjust accordingly. For now, there are too many variables, too many unknowns and a lot of past demons that need to be sorted out before I can make plans. I'm content with being sober and learning how to live for now.

That's a great move Resetti here is some SR plan building links & some other links to help with plan building