Fearlessat50

I was thinking on my long run this morning about so many things. I had enough drama in my life this week to justify drinking myself into the ground. But that was the way I used to think. Every bad thing and every really good thing was an excuse to drink. We are socially programmed and told “you’ve had a long day, go have a glass of wine”or “it’s been a great day (for no particular reason) so let’s go celebrate and enjoy a glass of wine.” I started to experience every single event, good or bad, as a trigger. But I’ve come to realize there’s really no “triggers” and everything is just life. Life is sad, happy, beautiful and ugly, etc all at the same time, and we are all going through it. We can choose our response to life. There is so much power in that. On my run, I thought about my strength in running and how I can apply that to life. . When running gets difficult, I take some deep breaths, think positive thoughts and find my strength and I keep going for the distance. I am running my own race at my own pace. I am not comparing myself to anyone else and I am doing what’s best for me. Running is more of a mental sport than a physical sport. There are so many analogies to life. Plus, the combination of running and music produce the best natural high, which is better than any alcohol or drug induced high! I’m so grateful that I am in good health and can still run.
I hope everyone is having a good sober weekend!

kevlarsjal2

Thanks for sharing that Fearless! You're so right about there being no triggers really, it's all just life. The boring and mundane everyday tasks as much as the tragic and the happy events. It's all part of it.

I loved reading your post cause I could identify so much with it, it reminds me so much of how I feel when I go running. Which I discovered for myself only when I got sober, hated it before. But I guess it was because I never saw the mental aspect in it. I ran 2 k and was exhausted cause I started at a too fast pace.

Then there was this day when I was sober for a few months and I felt so ****, anxious, panicky and I decided to try it again with a run. I started going with the intention of just running with no goal, just to see how far I can get. I guess I took it one step at a time, like my sobriety. Whenever I felt like I got tired, I slowed down but never stopped. I found my own pace. And I ended up running 10k. It was magical and the kind of clarity one gets when thinking about life on a run... I love it! Like the runner's highs!

I really miss running, I couldn't run for ages. First I broke my foot last summer and this summer I have a broken leg. But I hope to be able to get back into it soon. Was nice to read your post and experience the magic of running second hand at least!

january161992

nice post

im sure youre right and thats probably true for most people

not my experience though

i only drank isolated drapes closed to shut off from hate rage resentment and F the world!

this is why listening for the similarities and not the differences was paramount for me when i was new

Fearlessat50

[QUOTE=january161992;6961123]nice post

im sure youre right and thats probably true for most people

not my experience though

i only drank isolated drapes closed to shut off from hate rage resentment and F the world!

this is why listening for the similarities and not the differences was paramount for me when i was new

Hi January,

I have been on that side too so I do know what you mean Before I stopped for good, I told everyone I no longer drank. Then I’d be at home mad at the world,and I’d drink 1 or 2 bottles alone. It was horrible because I was still so angry and depressed and anxious, and the alcohol and this kind of drinking made it all worse.

MissPerfumado

Yep, running is amazing! Just finished a 13 km run this morning in the cold (it's winter here) and it was exhilarating. When I run long distances, particularly in a road race, I'm acutely aware of how much determination and mental strength is involved in keeping going. There's no-one who is really making you carry on running when you are out of breath and your muscles ache, whether you do so is up to you and you alone. You know now many more miles there are to go but there is only one way to cover the distance - one step at a time. How you manage to do it becomes a test of mental resilience.

My running boosts all other areas of my life - when I have doubt about whether I can achieve or finish anything, I think to myself - I have run distances I never thought I could, so I know I can do anything I set my mind to. It's very powerful.

entropy1964

You are so right Grasshopper (TV reference Kung Fu.....God I'm old). Everything is a trigger or nothing is. It's a matter of perspective.

The gem of knowledge, that I choose how I respond, is so powerful. So simple. Hard to believe that this simple fact eluded me for so long. now it is so stunningly basic.....does take a lot of maturity.....which took me an awfully long time to acquire. Still working on it

StellaBlu

It's so nice to read everyone's running stories!

I truly believe that running has saved my life. It was (and still is for the most part) the thing I do to keep me sane and going.

I've tracked my miles over the years and it's clear that, historically, I logged more miles after stressful events in my life: painful breakups, family stress, stress at work etc.. I think now I just try to make it a habit.

I hope that we can all continue to run for many years to come! I try not to take it for granted.