Thankful for Sobriety
The industry of mental health treatment Vancouver Wa is growing – and with it, we acquire more dedicated professionals whose passion it is to embrace the community, advocate for its health and prosperity and be a stanchion of hope for the less fortunate.
We recognize the world will beat you down plenty – give and take away – viciously buffet your life’s path this way and that – creating a feeling of stark isolation in a tempestuous battle against the rapacious tide.
People don’t choose to be true alcoholics or substance addicts because it is vogue or trendy. They choose to find their place in the world – as capricious and sinister as it is – and, in falling short of their goals (as we all do at some point in our lives), they land in an insidious place that beckons with the Faustian promise of fame and fortune.
It is human nature to covet thy neighbor, however harmlessly. We want the picture-perfect picket fence life: the handsome partner, the beautiful children, the loyal family pet and the hybrid crossover parked in the driveway. When our world pushes against our ambitions, resisting the greedy and desperate desires that fuel our motivation and competitive nature, we fail. Failure is a desolate place – a barren tundra which cannot fertilize our deepest hopes.
Turning to substances which mask the burden of our banal existence provides temporary relief and almost instant suffering. It was bad enough when we couldn’t keep up with the proverbial Joneses. Now we’re harming our physical and emotional well-being in a vapid chase to the rarified finish line.
The struggle is real. The desire to fit in. The societal expectation that all of us up-and-comers will move mountains.
In reality, admitting addiction moves mountains. It opens doors to a clear future; a future that recognizes we are human. We have limits, we have idiosyncrasies and we cannot please everyone. Sobriety comes with realization. It gives us an epiphany about reality: as long as we give the task at hand our best and our damndest, we have done enough. As long as we impact the world in a positive light, if we can bring happiness and hope to a dark place, we have achieved. One small candle lights a thousand.
This Thanksgiving, if you are on the path to sobriety, or have found and maintained a sober lifestyle, be grateful for the struggle which brought you to the light. Be thankful you didn’t succumb to a very persistent and convincing entity that spoke of false promises and represented a great void. Be thankful you reached the summit of your mountain, and are now peacefully making your way down the other side.
If you are struggling with substance abuse this Thanksgiving, and you have decided to make a change, be thankful for the hope inside of you that never forsook you through your darkest times. Be thankful for the light. You can see it at the end of the tunnel now, and you’re headed in the right direction.
