When you first get sober you may feel leery about going to the neighborhood or family cookout. These events usually have coolers chock full of beer, and plenty of ice for gin and tonics. You need to trust your gut whether it is safe for you to go to one of these get togethers or not. Remember Newton’s third law of physics? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You can apply Newton’s law to your sobriety.
If I attend the barbeque, I may not be strong enough to walk past the cooler and get a can of soda or sparkling water. On the other hand, if I attend the barbeque, I will get to see a lot of people whom I haven’t seen since I got sober. In sobriety we have to manage our thoughts as well as our reactions. It could be more important to see your friends and family, then harping or focussing on the chance that you’ll give in to a craving. That’s why in sobriety you have to think things through. Which decision will garner the best results for your sobriety?
Let’s say you’ve passed a year of sobriety. You feel so good. It’s coming on summer, and you decide to have a cookout for all your sober friends and their families. You have to set a date, make a list of whom you’re inviting, get their email addresses or phone numbers, and a myriad of other details. Suddenly there seems too much to do. Your backyard is littered from fallen winter branches, you haven’t cleaned your home in ages, then there’s all this stuff you will have to buy. Caboom—you become overwhelmed!
The cookout was supposed to be fun, but now you feel anxious about it, and decide it’s a good thing you didn’t already invite the 30 people on your list. In early sobriety, you don’t often know how you are going to react or feel when certain situations or events unfold. Here’s the great news about sobriety—you can change your mind! You can decide to just invite a couple of your closest buddies over—keep it simple. You can even ask them to bring their own burgers or veggie burgers. By paying attention to your feelings, the equal and opposite reaction is working for you. You figured out what works best. You still get to look forward to hanging out with a few sober friends, some good food, good conversations, tossing the football back and forth, and enjoying the fruits of sobriety.
Cypress Lake Recovery offers treatment for addiction in a peaceful, remote, oxygen-rich environment. The program encompasses holistic addiction therapy for the mind, body, and soul. The focus is on physical, mental, and emotional well-being by generating the balance of life-enriching treatment, wellness, and healthy, sober, sustainable relationships. Call us to get started: 409-331-2204
