Don't Believe The Hype!
It’s so easy to get caught up in hype. The sober world is no different. There are no end of social media posts telling us how wonderful the world will be when we are sober. Sexy, strong, empowered, blah, blah, blah…..I think this is so important and absolutely the right message. BUT don’t forget, these transitions are not straightforward or easy. Nobody goes from drunk to sober without some messy bits in between.
It is all too easy get drawn in to “this is how I did it” or “look at me now!”. The truth is though, sometimes it really sucks. Sometimes it is hard to be sober in a world that expects and demands that you drink in order to fit in to our cultural norms.
Apart from that, when we are sober there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. We don’t take the edge off a crappy day with a drink. Instead, we learn to manage our emotions and get through the bad days. Because of that we come out the other side stronger and more resilient, proud of our achievements.
Alongside this we learn that having fun is more than possible, it is better. We observe, we remember, and we enjoy all in our present and un-toxicated self. It does take time and not all days are Instagramable or Facebook worthy. Some days are just hard and crap. Just remember if it is hard for you today, everyone you see has bad days too, even if they aren’t telling you that.
Being vulnerable is not the normal state of play, but I prefer the whole story, not just the pretty bits.