Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Dream Life

The topic in a halfway house group last night was "what does my dream life look like?"

And it was interesting that the most common dream among the men was to simply have a normal life.

None wanted to be rich. They didn't want a big mansion. They didn't talk about fancy cars. Or expensive vacations.

Instead, they talked of having an average house in a middle-class neighborhood. A marriage or relationship with a woman who understood them. And a job to support this lifestyle.

After group I thought for a moment that they might be lacking ambition. But then I reflected that the majority of us in recovery never had a so-called normal life.

Many of us spent our lives in and out of prison. Or moving from one place to another before the law caught up with us. In and out of relationships. Rarely a moment of stability.

And that's why a peaceful ordinary existence looks good to us.

The consensus of the group was that if they stay away from drugs and alcohol their "dream life" could become a reality.