There was a period in my life prior to my getting sober where I never believed that I could stay away from heroin or alcohol for even a day. Yet here I sit, almost 1/3 of my lifetime, without having to go back to the misery of using heroin or alcohol.
Much has changed over the past 28 years, thanks to my recovery.
For example, when I first got sober I thought that the path to happiness was to stay sober and make a lot of money. But once I arrived at the point where I had enough money, investments, and income I found that wasn't the answer. Oh, those things are fine, because when you have them you have the freedom to do other things. But I found that wasn't necessarily the answer either.
Somewhere along my 15th year of sobriety, I found that my greatest joy was when I was able to help other people with their recovery. There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing someone whose life has been a total train wreck achieve sobriety. To have the privilege and ability to help another person change their lives and get sober is one of the greatest blessings I've had in my recovery.
Of course, there are other benefits of being able to stay sober a long time. It used to be that most anything could get me angry or frustrated. Particularly any kind of change in my life. But for years now I've been able to let most anything roll off of me like water off a duck's back.
I developed a philosophy where I realize that the only thing I can count on in life today is that there will be changes. And when I learned to live that way when something new would come along, problems would arise, or challenges would come up I was no longer surprised by them. I expected them. And when we expect something then we can roll with it no matter how unpleasant or difficult it might be. It's amazing how calm a person can be when they can accept change without frustration or anger.
I could go on and on talking about having almost 3 decades of recovery and about the many benefits it has brought me.
But instead, I send thanks to those who have supported me during my recovery and for the 12 step programs that have made this last 28 years possible.
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