Day 86 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to help a friend celebrate their sobriety anniversary.
Serenity Prayer
The people I’ve met are incredible, and they come from all walks of life. I really appreciate it when I meet people like me – people in their 30s with 10+ years of sobriety. We’re in similar phases of life professionally and in terms of our recovery. I can relate to most people in regards to their program, but it’s special to have friends with who I share so many other similarities as well.
One of those friends celebrated a sobriety “birthday†today. She’s biologically younger than me, but in regards to the program, she’s “older†than me. I love it.
Day 67 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I celebrated 11 years of sobriety!
That’s My Chip!
Holy fucking shit – how did that happen? In so many ways I feel like someone who is fairly new to the program, sitting in one of the “paranoid seats†at the clubhouse with my back to the wall. But when I think about it, I’ve come a long way from that scared, desperate, lost, nearly suicidal person I was 11 years ago.
So many things have happened since then – amazing joys and terrible sorrows – and I throughout all of it, I haven’t had to take a drink or a drug to manage my feelings.
I am so grateful for my Recovery Family who have trudged the road with me. This is absolutely a program of one addict helping another. I am especially grateful for my sponsor. I’ve been with him for over 6 years. He is the person I count on to tell me when things are fucked up and when I am seeing things as they are.
When I asked him to sponsor me, he told me one of the expectations was that I would call or email every day. I couldn’t believe it. How could he asked that of me? I was nearly 5 years sober. I didn’t need to check in every day. However, it’s over 6 years later and I still call or email just about every day, and I look forward to telling him about my day and how I’m feeling.
Something about this sobriety anniversary feels particularly special and surreal, maybe because so much has happened in the last year – new home, new job, and big personal developments. I find myself spinning my chip between my fingers with a big grin on my face.
I feel like I’ve come a long way, and I know there is much work to be done in the future. I’m looking forward to it.
Day 63 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to have lunch with two of my sobriety siblings.
My Chips Live in a Dish
One of the key aspects of recovery is building a supportive community around you who will support you and hold you accountable. It’s also the part of my recovery that I tend to suck at, especially given that I am busy, introverted (yes, I’m way more introverted than most people realize), and struggle with low self-esteem. Part of focusing more on my priorities has also meant that I’m putting more energy into my recovery and hanging out with people.
Today was great – after a meeting, I got to hang out with two of my sobriety siblings and meet their dogs. (I’m not using their names to protect their anonymity.) It was relaxing and awesome just to catch up – so much different than networking meetings.
This summer has provided many reminders that I have people in recovery that I can call if I’m having a bad day and want to vent or just to talk with someone who “gets it.†It’s also really interesting to hear other people’s interpretations on what the 12 steps and the various lessons in the Big Book mean. Today, everyone at the table had 10+ years of recovery and all of us had a different perspectives on the program. All that mattered is that it’s one addict helping another, trudging the road together.
