Would You Rather Be Right or Would You Rather Be Happy?

Even after we go to Above It All Treatment Center, AA, or alcohol centers  we can still be stubborn as alcoholics. Many of us have a hard time letting go of the need to prove we are right or that we were treated unfairly. But what we fail to realize in the meantime is that we are sacrificing our happiness in order to be “right”. Most of us are hell bent on having people see “our side” of things that we forget that what we truly want is to just be happy. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the details that we miss out on the beauty of life. We have to ask ourselves what good it does us to have the final say, the last word, or the knowledge that we have “won” an argument when we are still left discontent. Through sobriety and receiving rehabilitation we learn that everyone has the right to be wrong. We can begin to see that everyone is doing the best they can in that given moment and just because our truths or realities resonate with us does not mean that they are other people’s truths or realities too. If we continue to keep our side of the street clean, allow others to be themselves, and cease from fighting people, places, and things, then we can be free and have a sense of peace and serenity that we never had before we got sober.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously During Sobriety

As important as it is that we take our sobriety seriously it is also important to remember to laugh and have fun. When we go to Above It All ,AA, or other 12 step programs and get sober there is a long journey ahead of us. But this journey is also lined with joy, fun, and happiness. Sobriety isn’t just about work or just about fun, but about balance. It is about laughing when things are getting too serious. It’s about packing as much as we can into the stream of life and living. We know all too well what it is like to be isolated and miserable in our disease but now that we have received drug addiction detox and are in recovery we get to enjoy every moment. It is imperative that we take time to enjoy life’s little moments. Whether it’s something small like going to see a movie with friends, or something big like taking a trip, we get to appreciate the memories and relationships we build. Nothing helps more than a good laugh to get you out of the worst of moods. Many of us get sober and feel broken, crushed, and defeated but over time those tears and discomfort will turn into laughter and a light heart. We escaped the hell that we were in and now we get to celebrate. We get to do the things that we have always wanted to do but never got to. We get to create a life beyond our wildest dreams and share the message of hope with others.

Faulty Emotional Dependencies After Recovery

When we were getting loaded there was that fear for most of us that there would not be enough of what we needed or wanted. Most of us worried about the party being over or running out of booze or drugs or the means to get them. This type of “got to get mine” thinking doesn’t necessarily stop just because we go to Above It All, AA, or other 12 step programs and get sober. Those thoughts that lead to us seeking elevated moods can also lead to us having faulty emotional dependencies on people, places and things. Even after receiving drug addiction detox, many of us can relate to having the thoughts that if we had “a certain something” then we could be happy. If we had the car, house, partner, or job then everything would be good. The problem with this is that those people, places, or things often fail us and we are left burnt up and resentful. When we play the director in our lives there is little room for a power greater than ourselves to step in. When we get sober we learn how to let go of our faulty emotional dependencies and have faith that things will turn out exactly how they are supposed to be in the end. We can begin to let go of what we think will make us happy and be able to see what it feels like to find true happiness. We learn that true happiness does not stem from things around us, but rather from within. It is a happiness and inner peace that cannot be taken away.

Learning How to Treat Ourselves and Others

Prior to receiving alcohol detox many of us did not know how to treat ourselves or others well.  This was mainly due to the fact that we had little or no connection to ourselves or a power greater than ourselves. How could we make healthy loving connections with others when we couldn’t have one with ourselves? How could we treat others well when we treated ourselves so poorly? Most of us prior to going to AboveItAllTreatment, AA, or a recovery center were used to just trying to get our fix regardless of the cost or consequences. Many of us were not too concerned with building meaningful bonds because we were wrapped up in the bondage of self that stemmed from this seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. We were enslaved to this disease and many of us were just trying to survive. We did what we felt we had to do in order to stop the craving and need for drugs and/or alcohol. When we get sober we get to start repairing those relationships that were broken. Starting with the relationship we have with ourselves. We get to right our wrongs and clean up the wreckage of our past without creating more damage in the present. We get to approach situations trying to see what we can bring to the table instead of what we can take. We get to start showing up for life, ourselves, and others. We get to become the type of man/woman that people can depend on and as a result we get to experience what it’s like to truly be happy, joyous, and free!

Changing Our Perspective in Rehabilitation

Sometimes when we are having a hard day or a hard time in general it can be as simple as needing to change our perspective. As alcoholics both before and after going to alcohol detox, AA, or Above It All Treatment we can go to extremes when it comes to our emotions. Everything in our minds is either really great or really bad. There is rarely an in-between for us. What we need is balance and stability, but most of us don’t know how to achieve that. When we receive rehabilitation we can begin to think in Technicolor as opposed to black and white. We can begin to see that while things may not be the way that we want them too that it doesn’t mean everything is horrible, it just means that we didn’t get our way. We are also able to start living in gratitude for the things we are blessed to have instead of focusing on what we don’t have. Many of us begin to see that if we want what we need then we will always have what we want. We start having faith and building a relationship with a power greater than ourselves. Through this relationship we are restored to sanity and see how sometimes all we need to turn a negative situation into a positive one is a change in perception. Through sobriety we are able to let go of being closed-minded, learn how to remain teachable, and continue to work towards growth and acceptance.