My Recovery Journey - Early Days of Sobriety (2 of 4)

My Recovery Journey

Sobriety

 Early Days of Sobriety 

2017 was the year I finally got free from drugs & alcohol. There were periods of sobriety before this, but this was the final time I would abuse or take any substances. I couldn’t believe it, finally free from active addiction and from a negative mindset that was out to kill me. There was no residential rehabilition, but community rehab treatment through 12 step fellowship.

So, what now I thought. I only managed to get clean & sober by following a 12-step programme that detached me from everything I knew, good as well as bad. Leaving behind the old behaviours, old negative mindset, and places that were linked to my using – pubs, clubs, parties etc. was the easy part. What I found hard was leaving behind good friends, not the ones that were only looking for a using buddy (there was many of them), but the great friends who I cared about and they cared for me. You see, the only way to survive early sobriety was to detach from everything, not pick and choose who or what was relevant from my programme, and it was quite clear that I couldn’t hang around with anyone who used drink or drugs, even in small doses.

There was no getting away from it now, I had to face life sober, what a terrifying prospect that was. I didn’t even know who I was, what I liked, or what sober people done. I remember being terrified of everything in early sobriety, meeting new people or trying new things. I still had a long journey ahead of rebuilding a shattered soul and mindset, but where to start.

I met an amazing small circle of friends on the same journey and had an amazing and supportive family. We were all in the same boat, what to do now. We agreed to step outside our comfort zone and go at a few new things – education, new jobs, golf, canyoning, jet skis, quad biking, day trips, holidays, hill walks, football, gym, canoeing, cold water therapy, meditation classes, among a host of other things.

Glasgow meditation centre 

Activity Centre - Pitlochry

My life hadn’t ended, it had only just begun.

If anyone is struggling with early sobriety, share what is holding you back, or if you have the experience of continued sobriety, how did you rebuild your life? What new path, hobby, or direction, did you go?

This blog is 2 of 4, the next is ‘Fun in Recovery’. 

Comments

  1. Karen Wallace10 March 2023 at 03:15

    Loving reading your journey. Well done you and look at all the exciting stuff your doing instead of sitting in a pub. Absolutely brilliant 💪🏽

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elaine Higgins12 March 2023 at 14:31

    Brilliant blog. Very honest and an inspiration to so many people.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous23 March 2023 at 09:11

    This isn’t something that I’d ever considered in sobriety, giving up more than just mood altering substances. The struggle with that alone must have been enormous, but to also have so many other factors that are impacted too? My experience in this isn’t quite as direct but has made me reflect on it a lot and all of the unknowns. The assumptions made… A great read.

    ReplyDelete

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