Recovery is a Journey not a Destination

It can be so easy to try and rush your recovery from alcohol addiction. It’s a mistake I made many times.

I just wanted to be ‘normal’ again as quickly as possible. I wanted to click my fingers, never drink again and forget about my alcoholic past completely!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. My recovery is a lifelong journey. I will always be in recovery. There will never be a point when I can tun around and say, ‘I’m fixed’! But I’m okay with that. It’s a part of me and always will be. If anything, it’s making me a better person now.

When you are at rock bottom and in your first few fragile days of sobriety, it feels like all the odds are against you. The tidal waves of different emotions pound against your head constantly.

Emotions that you haven’t had to face for a long time whilst you were actively drinking. The shame, guilt, embarrassment, anxiety and hopelessness are almost unbearable.

It’s natural to want to rush the process of recovery and regain control of these emotions. But too much too soon can be fatal. It takes time for all these emotions to become balanced again. It takes time for your body to heal. It takes time for people to trust again. It takes time for bridges to be rebuilt. Everything takes time, but for me personally, time was definitely a healer!

For the first 18 months of my recovery, my head was all over the place. I was rediscovering who I was. I’m pretty sure I hadn’t matured in years due to the constant stream of alcohol running through my veins. But for once, I was patient and I knew it couldn’t last forever. And it didn’t!

As the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months, everything got that little bit better.

You have to be patient and not expect any quick fixes. There aren’t any! But one thing I can promise, is that time really does heal. Don’t force your emotions, don’t put yourself in any situations that you know are dangerous for you, and don’t bottle anything up.

 A sober life is a wonderful life, and mine just keeps getting better and better. So can yours.

Thank you so much for reading.

Toby

***** You can follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts, by entering your email address in the ‘count me in’ box at the bottom of this page on your phone, or in the side bar on a tablet or computer!