I’ve been sober from alcohol for 8 months and I’m so grateful for the peace and stability it’s brought me. The trouble I’m having now is a feeling of having reached a plateau. I feel like I’ve leveled off and stopped growing and I’m not doing as much to improve my well-being as I originally did when I fought so hard to get here.
I kind of feel like an author who wrote a best-seller last year and is now suffering from writer’s block and living off my savings account.
Has anyone else struggled with fresh thriving after a past victory? Any thoughts on finding new direction?
Remember that we’re not striving for perfection, only progress… Even at a snails pace.
There’s no pressure for you to hit milestones faster than anyone else. It’s more now about rediscovering who you are genuinely and that takes time to learn. For me… It’s been a very long time for some things while others came quickly.
What you’re hearing is the addiction trying to pull you back in. Don’t listen to those voices.
I can relate for sure. I do think there are natural ebbs and flows when it comes to our development and growth. This time of year for me things tend to slow down a bit and I hibernate somewhat. I think if you are getting curious about yourself (which it sounds like) then you’re learning about your own patterns. Stay curious and if you feel like things have gotten stagnant then maybe look at areas for growth that you haven’t considered before, try a new activity or switch things up to get a fresh feel in your life. Even switching routines around can feel new and give you a different perspective.
I think slow yourself down, relax and dont put so much pressure on yourself then try to go with your natural flow of what interests you and then maybe try some new things…when i hit a year sober i had a full list of everything i was going to do for my recovery but then i realised i was putting way too much pressure on myself…one thing that was niggling me was if and how my health had suffered after all the drinking so for the last 4 months or so ive been concentrating on that as part of my recovery, one thing at a time does me fine for now
I appreciate you guys. I want to send you some love for sharing your thoughts. I can use your perspectives to get a better understanding of my circumstances and that helps me respond to them. Thanks again.
For me i started to share my experience with others and was willing to help that enhanced my growth in sobriety ,visited prisons helped at halfway houses took guys to meetings gave me a new outlook in my sobriety , gave a bit back so i could grow wish you well