Sobriety Snippets

Addiction tends to conjure up extreme images, like people slumped in dark alleys or staggering around yelling and throwing bottles. So it can be surprising for some people to realize how common and how diverse addictions are. Working in the field of substance use disorders, a survey of all the different ways we can get hooked into destructive living uncovers a difficult truth — anybody can get addicted, and many individuals are. While most don’t hang out in dark alleys or throw glass objects on a regular basis, a large number of the population are struggling.

An addiction is a behavior that’s repeated for its rewarding effects, in spite of negative consequences. Best described as “a chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory.”

Facing my addiction was one of the hardest things I ever had to do — so was getting help. Things started to get better after that. What felt like the end of a bad road was really just the beginning of a new life. It’s ironic that the peace and joy I was seeking in addictions could only be experienced in recovery. I have been a part of the recovery community since 2015 and continue therapy to this day. My ritualistic recovery behavior compared to my addictive ritualistic behavior is what is saving my life. Meditation, exercise, nutrition, sleep, hygiene and finally the most important “journaling.” Self-reflection on a regular basis lets me know where I am at Body, Mind, and Spirit.Authenticity which I needed to recover has led to a rewarding search for truth in all areas of my life.

 — Danny Silvey  Sobriety Date: 8/5/15

 

Success  ….. a day at a time

My journey began laying on a steel table in the ICU, followed with a police officer handing me his card telling me that I would be hearing from him soon. At that moment I felt there was only one available option left — to be strong and choose to open my ears to those who were trying to help me. I was scared at first, knowing from my past, that going to treatment and starting everything over is difficult.

I knew for the first time I wanted sobriety and that is all it takes when the resources are available to you. The immediate results of abstinence were not enough to change my course, but after completing 6 months of counseling and treatment the gifts of recovery started revealing themselves.  After changing my daily habits and surrounding myself with supportive individuals, I was able to once again enjoy the things I used to prior to my addiction.

Music has always been close to my heart, and sobriety has given me the freedom to attend all the live performances I want with the sole purpose of experiencing the music. I am now attentive in my family’s lives as well as my own, being “counted — on rather than counted out.”

The past three years I have spent working in behavioral health has been extremely rewarding and positive for my life.  Helping others and being with people who hold me accountable day to day is extremely important and necessary for me and keep me going on the road to recovery.

— Grayson Daniels    Sobriety Date: 9/19/19