Where Rubber Meets the Road

Hopeless alcoholic and drug addict turns life around. What a great heading! Is it frontline news? Well, not in the Sun Sentinel. At certain times during my sobriety, I’ve felt there should be a parade in my honor. There should be parties and a band celebrating my triumphs. I mean, look at how well I’m doing! I’m young and sober. Days have turned into months and years.

I finished a commitment for the first time in my life! I completed treatment at a women’s treatment center and stayed in an all women’s halfway house. I got a sponsor and worked ALL twelve-steps. I started sponsoring other women, started taking them through the steps. Slowly but surely, I’ve begun to understand the concepts behind the twelve-steps and utilize them in my daily life. Life is good.

I have a relationship with God. I have my family back and we have a better relationship than ever. I have more friends than I know what to do with. I haven’t thought about a drink or drug in quite some time. For some, though, there’s still something missing. I feel like a piece of the puzzle is still in the box, on the shelf, out of reach. I can’t put my finger on it. Then, one day, I thought “I’m sober, now what?”

I’m Sober, Now What?

That question hit me hard. It was the combination of all my fears and anxiety. I have a program of recovery. I’ve gotten back everything I lost through active addiction. But I still feel like summer camp is over!

It’s time to sit down and figure out what else there is. What else did I want from life?

It’s time for me to sit down and figure out what goals, dreams, and ambitions I have.

It’s time for me to sit down and figure out who I am and what I really want.

So, I started to think about what I want from life. First, I want to go back to school. I want to get an education and expand my academic horizons. Let’s start there. Well, I went back to school. It was great! For the first time, I was in college because I wanted to be, not because I had to be! After a few years, I graduate with a B.A. in a field I love.

I start to advance at work and land a job with a decent salary. I begin to learn a lot, both inside and outside of recovery. From here, I expand my goals. I want to open my own business, helping sick and suffering women. So, I do. I learn more, and am more fufilled, by helping others than by anything else.

A lot of times I sit down and talk about life with people in recovery. After a certain point, I believe everyone hits a period on their life where, if all their ducks are in a row, they feel the end of summer camp. At this point, it’s important to remember the sky’s the limit!

Yeah, it sounds cheesy, I know. It’s true though! I never imagined I’d have the life I have today. What about you? Did you ever think you’d have the life you have today? Sobriety is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. BUT, I need to know about life after sobriety!