Achieving serenity in sobriety, now isn’t that the reason we kicked the booze and other substances to the side in the first place? That doesn’t seem like something too difficult to learn, but then again, easier said than done. A vast majority of us end up realizing our lives were miserable under the tyranny of alcohol. We decided that Step 1 of Alcoholics Anonymous did apply and we were indeed ready: “we admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.” So we dropped off all the narcotics and heathenish ways and were ready to embark on this stress-free journey of happiness. Well, the visions we have aren’t always conjured up the way we saw them. Some of us end up getting sober and then just getting hit with this brick of uncertainty and agitation. The reality of it is that when you’re living with a disease such as alcoholism or addiction, you don’t plan for a future. We use the substances as a numbing agent to obtain that serenity and our logic convinces us that it is our only way to find peace. Then getting sober takes away the thing we were now convinced was ruining it. False promises and smoke and mirrors. So what do you do when there’s nothing you can do but you can’t do nothing?
Do the Hokey Pokey and Turn Yourself About
Through my travels in and out of the rooms, the biggest change made to my life that kept me happy, joyous and free was changing my perspective on things. There’s always another side of the coin to any and every situation you find yourself in. It occurred to me at some point in time that I had been practicing this cynical frame of mind. Everything was always negatively affecting me even when it wasn’t. I was ill-tempered, constantly agitated, and just downright pessimistic about my outcome in this game of life. I would go out of my way to judge people and assume the type of person they were or what they did with their lives. Life has become this idea of a punishment almost and had long abandoned the idea of being this short gift that we need to relish in every moment of. Once I became aware of this, there were little changes to start being made.
First of all, I stopped selling myself short in all the scenarios I was putting myself in. As cheesy and cliché as it can be, you do only live that one short life. The bar had been set low and skating by with the bare minimum was the standard. This wasn’t just the case with work, but with relationships, eating right and even simply just the experience life had to offer. Becoming a “yes man” was one of the best things I could do for adding to my questionable happiness. Rather than isolate and do what I thought was right for me, I would venture out of my comfort zone and say “yes” to whatever was proposed at the time. Seize the day right? As this pattern continues, you begin to grow. You start learning things about yourself and become more introspective and intuitive. I was able to start figuring myself out a bit more and what would push me to certain emotional limitations- be they good or bad.
At some point in time, we’ve all heard the phrase, “happiness comes from within.” If you haven’t, then you must know some things about this famous quote. This saying pairs with the idea that happiness comes from within and also goes hand in hand with serenity in sobriety. If we wake up every morning and decide to be happy, despite whatever our current circumstances, we will be happy. On the flipside, if you wake up and decide to be negative, then all of your day will probably be like a wet blanket. We, as human beings, have the power to change our emotions. Once we get clean, we are reintroduced to these strange feelings. These so called feelings bring us anxiety and discomfort, but also pleasantry, and happiness. But for some of us, we don’t really know how to deal with them. We don’t see the black and white, but only the gray in the center. Nobody is forcing fear or anger upon us. These are the choices made by us in response to some sort of negative stimulus. Vice versa, there is the positive direction to that choice of emotion too. The idea is to become aware when we start feeling downbeat about things. Once you start to consciously recognize the emotion as it’s happening, that’s when the personal development keeps growing.
Another tool many pick up to create serenity in sobriety is giving. Yes, to simply put. Life is all about helping each other through it. No single person on this planet can make it through a plush and successful life without help. Acts of altruism and kindness go a long way and do wonders for the soul. It truly is internal medicine. This can be as simple as holding a door open for a stranger or helping a friend mop of 4 gallons of spilled milk. I may or may not have been in both situations at some point or another. Anyhow, my take on this life is that it comes in full circle. Whatever you put into life is usually what you’re going to get back. When we cheat ourselves short of what we’re capable of doing and the lives we have the ability to touch, then we’re barely living. In a sense, it all boils down to love. , and loving yourself enough to love others. Love makes us all giddy and is associated with happiness and other positive emotions. Love and happiness coincide with each other as we develop an ever growing selfless mindset. When you push this idea to its threshold, you’ll be amazed at the sense of purpose and accomplishment that comes with it.
Give Serenity a Chance
Sometimes when we’re deep in the thick of addiction and alcoholism, we get attached to the chaos and drama that unfolds everywhere. We start getting to a point of pitying ourselves and thinking we deserve to be a slave to the drugs and alcohol. Nobody deserves to be slaved underneath chemical dependency. If you or a loved one is struggling with chemical dependency and are ready for help, please call 1-844-489-0836 or visit www.firststepsrecovery.com. We are ready to give you any suggestions possible and set you or your loved one on a path that we can all be proud of.
