Grateful for recovery on day 100.
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 81
Grateful for recovery on day 100.
A major change in my attitude towards and experience of life in recovery is the presence of gratitude that has replaced the despair, depression, anxiety, and powerlessness created and sustained by drinking alcohol. I am amazed by the growth and the daily changes experienced in my internal and external life, fueled by the simple but intentional act of not drinking. 100 days ago I chose to drink from early evening to 2:00 am/3:00 am nearly every morning and would sleep until noon/1:00/2:00 pm, wake up with paralyzing hangovers that made it extremely challenging to study/participate in online college courses while working on attaining a BS degree. I isolated beyond COVID safety guidelines and suffered from both depression and anxiety. My day was structured around hangover sickness and planning where I would buy wine (I rotated purchasing at several stores due to paranoia) and when I would "allow" myself to start drinking.
Today in recovery, I get up at 5:30 am to prepare for my position as a Supervisor at a start-up gourmet grocery store and shifts that begin at 7:00 am and 8:00 am. I work out prior on the 8:00 am days. I have grown in my position in leaps and bounds, and have already received a raise in pay after 6 weeks of employment. I actually look forward to work every single day, and my feelings of gratitude for my job overwhelm me at times. I have moments throughout my day of work where I stop and give thanks to the protective higher power that I believe protected me from killing myself with alcohol, and strengthens me daily to continue living life in sobriety. No longer isolated, I live my days surrounded by the funny, kind, and supportive community of coworkers, friends, and neighbors....many of whom know that I am in recovery and support me 100%. My life is simple. I value having a job that is physically and mentally challenging essential work at a grocery store, and I do not take it for granted. When I am facing a challenge that triggers the old habitual pattern of using alcohol, I say it out loud to disempower it; talk/text with a sober friend while walking it off outside in the cold, and then crack open a sparkling water or root beer. I have shared my recovery with a handful of my managers/owners of the company and they have offered not just support, but encouragement for my new way of life. I know that I am talking alot about my work, but this good, honest, and hard work is helping me sustain my sobriety!
I am still trying to connect with a therapist through my PCP, and my next big step is figuring out how to reconnect with immediate and extended family and hopefully begin the work of repairing severed relationships.
Love and appreciation from me, to everyone in this community of recovery. You are all in my heart and mind as a resource of strength, hope, and compassion.
Thank you!
-KittyMama00
Today in recovery, I get up at 5:30 am to prepare for my position as a Supervisor at a start-up gourmet grocery store and shifts that begin at 7:00 am and 8:00 am. I work out prior on the 8:00 am days. I have grown in my position in leaps and bounds, and have already received a raise in pay after 6 weeks of employment. I actually look forward to work every single day, and my feelings of gratitude for my job overwhelm me at times. I have moments throughout my day of work where I stop and give thanks to the protective higher power that I believe protected me from killing myself with alcohol, and strengthens me daily to continue living life in sobriety. No longer isolated, I live my days surrounded by the funny, kind, and supportive community of coworkers, friends, and neighbors....many of whom know that I am in recovery and support me 100%. My life is simple. I value having a job that is physically and mentally challenging essential work at a grocery store, and I do not take it for granted. When I am facing a challenge that triggers the old habitual pattern of using alcohol, I say it out loud to disempower it; talk/text with a sober friend while walking it off outside in the cold, and then crack open a sparkling water or root beer. I have shared my recovery with a handful of my managers/owners of the company and they have offered not just support, but encouragement for my new way of life. I know that I am talking alot about my work, but this good, honest, and hard work is helping me sustain my sobriety!
I am still trying to connect with a therapist through my PCP, and my next big step is figuring out how to reconnect with immediate and extended family and hopefully begin the work of repairing severed relationships.
Love and appreciation from me, to everyone in this community of recovery. You are all in my heart and mind as a resource of strength, hope, and compassion.
Thank you!
-KittyMama00
Member
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Midwest
Posts: 26
This is amazing Kitty, congratulations on 100 days! I’m only on day 8, but I can truly relate to the sense of gratitude for having a job that we find meaningful, and the simple life and routines that comes with it. I’m so happy for you.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 81
Thanks Dee! I appreciate how you first welcomed me to Newcomers and that you responded to this post. I appreciate the work that you do to help everyone, in all of our different stages of recovery without judgement, but with love and compassion. Thank YOU.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 81
Thank you QuitWhileAhead! I received an email from my manager yesterday acknowledging my work and notifying me of a raise in pay, along with my new job description with many new job responsibilities! I am excited and nervous, but grateful that I have an appointment for an intake with a psychiatrist the last week in December. Self-sabotage is part of my past, and I know that I need the help of an addiction specialist to help me navigate life in sobriety. I have either sabotaged or walked away from so many career opportunities in my past, and I do NOT want to repeat that self-defeating pattern that begins with drinking.
I so appreciate the sober recovery community, and the transparency that is encouraged!
I so appreciate the sober recovery community, and the transparency that is encouraged!
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