Early recovery is a scary time. We get past the physical nature of cravings in relatively short order. But then we realize that psychological triggers linger.
The entire experience becomes a pure mind game.
But it’s a game that people win all the time and you can too. You know the drill: Steer clear of old associations — people, places, and things; go to meetings, work those steps, stay completely honest, hang with your higher power, serve, help others.
But at some point, recovery becomes less about what you can’t and shouldn’t do and more about what you can and should do.
It’s kind of comical sometimes to hear other people say what we once said. Like when they express their fears of not being able to watch football or eat crabs ever again.
LOL.
People in recovery watch football — and remember all the plays — and they love crabs just fine. And the funny thing is that all these things — and all the other things in the world — are far better when we have clarity of mind.
Everything’s better: food, sex, mornings, nature, fitness, work, play, relationships, finances, sex, coffee, conversations, laughter, sex, pursuits, confidence, trust, respect, skills, hobbies, and even sex.
Everything’s better when you aren’t punching addiction’s time clock and acquiescing to all its dictates.
So here’s the best part.
There comes a time when recovery starts being more about all things you can do and less about the things you can’t do.
In a word, we’re talking about purpose. Purpose is that thing we seemed to lose in addiction. Most of us even said things like, “Nothing matters anymore. Life is meaningless.”
Many are the stories of people who committed suicide and just as many the stories of people who were at the brink.
Sometimes we hear those stories so often that we become desensitized to the magnitude of it all. But think of it. Addiction robbed otherwise good people of everything, right down to their very purpose in life.
But now you’re in recovery. Now you can appreciate life in all its amazement and even all its nuances. Every aspect of life has its own powerful contribution to meaning and purpose.
If you’re still in early recovery, please know that those old and silly fears about crabs and football will eventually go away. And not only will such fears sound funny some day, you’ll move on the bigger and better things.
Don’t believe me? Just watch.
Source: Impact Recovery
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