I just made a little exercise.
I love Instagram , and I’ve always used this app in search for inspiration , motivation or simply anything I want (cooking recipes , fitness workouts , epic travel photos , etc).
Hashtags are the easiest way to find something obviously.
So now I decided to search for hashtags related to sobriety , and thought it would be interesting to look at the pictures of people who used the #soberlife (or any related) , and mostly all I saw were naturally happy people , proud of themselves , active and fun. It truly made me smile.
And then I thought hey … I wonder what the opposite would look like so I searched for #SoberLifeSucks , and wow , all I saw were pictures of people feeling bored and in terrrible shape , useless pictures of bottles and dumb memes.
I don’t know , it kinda helped me get a visual idea of what I don’t want to “look like” anymore.
Just a random thing I did that turned into an exercise for me
@Otka that’s awesome to see the visual differences. There is so much truth in what you described. You spend so much in relation to alcohol. The work up to the euphoria, and in some cases the next 2 days recovering from a hangover.
I always like the sports motivations. I’ll cleverly think and put alcohol or addiction in the commentary. I’m a strange one for sure .
Yes, this is my reminder as to WHY I’m doing this. (It makes my stomach turn and is uncomfortable, but it’s my truth) If I start to throw a pity party about how life is hard in sobriety, I look at the first pic and remember…it used to be a lot harder. The second pic reminds me of the the things I had to let go of, what I walked through with God, the work I put in to become a better version of myself. Progress Not Perfection.
Wow , what a change! , thank you so much for sharing!. Actually it reminded me the one time I quit drinking (lasted about 2 months , years ago) , and it was because I took pictures of my bruised legs and knees after a really hardcore party night , after that I literally couldn’t move out of my bed for like a week , every bit of my body was in horrible pain. Remembering that and many many more , because of your picture , only makes me more determined!
Oh yes it does @Melrm. I can’t imagine ever letting go of this. I did before but I learnt my lesson. Plus I’m getting fitter and my thing is running. Seeing times come down and being in control of my life as opposed to the hell of addiction…there’s no comparison. I drank for 15 years hard and never enriched my life in any way. Now I simply prefer my life without it. More money …fitter …less guilt…not being controlled…but the biggest thing is I’m not kidding myself. Have a great day
Thats actually a great idea , get involved with extreme sports , or go hike mountains , all of that it’s great! … but you know what’s even greater about it? It’s REAL. Getting euphoric or super high on drugs or alcohol it’s a false sense of happiness , and that is why after getting sober we don’t find joy on anything , probably because we have no idea what real joy is. I’ve been thinking about that ever since I quit drinking , and it makes so much sense to me. We should definetly go search for new exciting activities to do. Go for it my friend!
Wish I could share the mountains we have in Chile with you right now!. But hey , am sure there is something you can do in your town , and if not , if you think that St.Louis is not what you want , if you want more , if you need more , then moving somewhere new might be perfect for you right now , if you have the chance then go for it. Actually making a decision that radical its incredibly exciting! , sometimes adrenaline doesn’t come from jumping off a plane or going rafting , but from something far simpler , like being anxious for starting a new life , meeting new people in a new place , and crazy curious for what’s to come! whatever you decide do it because it truly makes you happy (unlike stupid fake drugs) , no matter how crazy it may seem , jump off airplanes , move away , go travel. There is so much waiting for you .
Oh , and there is something I read here that i thought was great for getting rid of the anxiety that brings thinking that you will be sober forever , and you can’t do drugs or alcohol ever again. Just say I won’t do it TODAY. Take it step by step , day by day. .
glad you got some inspiration today.
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