I like it simple. Linux mint is the best.

High roller

GET SOBER 02: PHASES OF ADDICTION & RECOVERY

So, you've admitted to yourself you're a boozehound. Progress... Now what? Well, it's a good time to get your bearings. Let's begin by mapping out the complete timeline of addiction (how we got here) and recovery (where we're going). As illustrated below, the phases of addiction and recovery have distinct stages which overlap in the middle.

We can identify and characterise each of these stages to help you figure out exactly where you are and how you got there. This is important because what you might want to focus on—and what will be most beneficial—changes depending on how far along you are, how far along you have been, and where you're most likely to relapse.

-ADDICTION PHASE

The addiction phase consists of four main stages:

--FORMATION

Formation is the stage where you encounter alcohol, think "mmm, this is nice", and it becomes embedded in your habitual behaviour. Social licencing normalises this process. (I have mad beef with social normalisation of lots of things but I won't go there right now.)

--AWARENESS

Awareness is the stage where the negative consequences begin seep into your awareness. You may or may not associate these negative outcomes with drinking. For example, it becomes obvious that your life is a disorganised mess, you may be overly emotional in one way or another, etc.

--REALISATION

Realisation is the stage where negative effects are fully manifest and obviously linked to your drinking. You've reached a tipping point and you can't reasonably deny that you have a problem.

--COMMITMENT

Commitment is the stage where you have accepted the reality of your situation and orient yourself toward sorting it out. If you are reading this, then you've almost certainly reached this stage. (Well done by the way.)

-RECOVERY PHASE

The recovery phase, in brief, consists of the following stages:

--SHORT-TERM

Short-term recovery includes the first few days and weeks after you stop drinking. Relapse happens and isn't particularly unexpected. The focus here is just to stop consuming alcohol and make yourself as comfortable as possible.

--MID-TERM

With alcohol out of your system and no more consumed, mid-term recovery begins after a month or two. The focus here is to maintain sobriety and start to repair mainly the physical damage done by drinking. Relapse is less likely than in short-term recovery.

--LONG-TERM

After regaining physical health, your attention turns to working on emotional and psychological well-being. You are making real progress towards a better life, which at this point is self-evident. Relapse becomes less likely as you don't want to give up everything that you have achieved.

--SELF-ACTUALISATION

Self-actualisation is the stage where the person you were meant to be without this little detour is fully recovered. It is the highest level of psychological development, where personal potential is fully realised. And that's where we're going. Sounds nice...

So that's how it goes. And for now, that is all...

But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up.

Marky

#sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober02

GET SOBER 01: INTRODUCTION

Hello! My name is Marky and I'm starting out on a career as a sober coach. I'm also mad excited about NOSTR, so I'm going to be using it to share, archive, and structure my thoughts on the topic of sobriety. In this post, I just wanted to get a quick introduction down in writing and get started. So, if sobriety is something you're interested in, read on. I hope that by sharing my experiences of a long drawn out process, I can offer you a shortcut to a better place.

In the run up to 2019 my life was a total mess. The long running problems that I had been having with alcohol were exploding in my face; continuing was simply no longer an option.

I'd known that something wasn't right as early as 2005, if not before, but it wasn't until maybe 2010 that I began to understand that I had a serious problem. It was at this point that my intentions to cut down or drink only at weekends just did not happen. Not only did they not happen, I'd drink more--more drinks, more often, with more alcohol content. As the decade rolled on, the problem got worse.

My attempts to sort it out became more determined and would be accompanied by varying periods of sobriety. After the initial hump, things get good quickly when you stop drinking: you feel better, look better, and your world improves. The problem is, when this happens you inevitably delude yourself into thinking that you can go back and have both. You can't.

And thus began the iterative process of sobriety/relapse; I've lost count of how many times I've done this, but it's a lot. But because it's a lot, I've experienced it a lot. And because I've experienced it a lot, I know it well: I know how hopeless it feels, I know how hard it is, I know what to expect, and I know how to make it easier. And this is what I want to share with you through this blog. In 2019, I achieved escape velocity. So much so, that when March 2020 rolled around, I didn't so much as flinch. And now all I want is to help others who are trying to do the same.

So that's me. And for now, that is all...

But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up.

Marky

#sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober01 #introductions

How are you doing now?

Jeff... we need your positivity more often.

Hello World!

I'm ready to go all NOSTR. We need to get musicians, filmmakers, and comedians over here.