Clients in aftercare were asked to describe their dream life. What would it look like?
The facilitator was surprised at the answers. While he thought they might dream of owning Lamborghinis or enjoying lifestyles of the rich and famous, that wasn't the case. Instead, their dreams were pretty mundane. Almost all said they wanted a "simple life."
And the simple life involved having a wife or significant other, someone they could "grow old" with. And a home. Plus a job that would let them support themselves.
The facilitator pointed out that there were probably thousands of people within a few miles who were living this very life. After all, the so-called average person lives exactly this lifestyle if he or she chooses to do so.
The idea that most of the addicts and alcoholics in this group have this vision illustrates the challenges that we face with our addictions. Because most addicts and alcoholics, until we get into recovery, have only one dream: and that's to be as drunk or as high as possible for as long as possible. And the idea that we can quiet that demons within and escape to a simple middle-class life seems almost impossible for some of us. Because it's something many of us have never been able to achieve.
The key to the so-called simple life is hidden in plain sight. We find it in the rooms of recovery.
