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[soberasabird]

[soberasabird]

[soberasabird]

Your Bottom Is Your Savior

When this ultimate crisis comes... when there is no way out — that is the very moment when we explode from within and the totally other emerges: the sudden surfacing of a strength, a security of unknown origin, welling up from beyond reason, rational expectation, and hope.

— Émile Durkheim

Sometimes, it takes a long time to "get it" when you're trying to kick drugs or alcohol. That's why my least favorite question about my drinking problem is why don't you just stop? I'm sure my response seems dismissive to the non-alcoholic. Why don't I just stop drinking, you wonder? Seriously? If I had the answer to THAT question, I wouldn't be in this perpetual state of turmoil! When some well-wisher poses this notion to me, I usually give out a big sigh and eye roll. Of course, this gesture makes me appear aloof or that I don't care, which is absolutely not the case. This is my life we're talking about, after all. No, it's just that I have a terrible poker face when I'm asked such a stupid question. What if my response was more like: yeah, I should quit drinking, but I'm loving my life too much right now, with no job, car, place to live, or partner. If it was that simple, nobody would be an addict or alcoholic, right? I'm getting off track of my original statement about how long it takes to reach a stable sober existence. Everyone is different, but I must warn, it might take a person many years, perhaps more than a decade to train the brain to live without mood altering substances. To make this easier to understand, consider the brain as you would an injured spine. Until you're ready to do the hard work of rehabilitation, you may not walk again. With that said, being and staying sober is hard work on the SELF. Expect it to be difficult and uncomfortable. You won't "get it" right away. But, I'd be willing to wager that if you keep trying, no matter how many times you fall, the other You WILL emerge.

[soberasabird]

Recover Your Freedom, Awaken Your Heart

The process of recovery will slowly transform us, stirring up all our impurities, bringing all the muck to the surface, where it can finally be healed. This is a path that heals the heart and transforms the mind, leaving us with an “awakened heart and mind.” We have always had good hearts. They were just so badly covered and obscured they were lost to us. By returning to this lost aspect of ourselves, we recover. Many would call this a spiritual awakening, enlightenment, or liberation. Although it may be all these things, it is also just a simple psychologically based process of seeing clearly what is true and, then, learning how to respond appropriately. The appropriate response ends suffering. The appropriate response allows us to recover our freedom. ― Noah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction

[soberasabird]

Everything is unfolding based on causes and conditions. Our happiness or suffering is dependent on how we relate to the present moment. If we cling now, we suffer later. If we let go and respond with compassion or friendliness, we create happiness and well-being for the future. ― Noah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction