18 Days of Sober Takeaways: Day 5
The Escape Hatch
Alcohol did a lot of work for me. It helped me relax when I didn't know how to and quieted thoughts I didn't want to hear.
It gave me a way to change how I felt - without having to figure out why I felt that way in the first place.
Once I understood its effects, I became less interested in the substance itself and more interested in the job it was doing.
We see that with other addictive behaviors, too.
For example, marijuana use and online gambling among high school and college students can be hard to recognize at first.
There may be few obvious signs in the beginning, and both activities can be easy to hide from parents, friends and teachers.
But that doesn't mean the consequences aren't coming.
They can show up in relationships, school, finances, mental health and the ability to function without the addictive thing that has become ‘the escape hatch’.
The substance or linked behavior may change, but the reason for using that substance may not.
We reach for something because we want to feel different, escape something uncomfortable, or become a version of ourselves that feels easier to live with.
And that brings me to ‘Magical Me’.
I thought alcohol was the thing I needed to be confident, funny and comfortable around other people – the magical me.
But I eventually realized it wasn’t that at all.
What I really needed was a way to feel comfortable being myself - something I’ll reflect on tomorrow, Day 6 of my 18 Days of Sober Takeaways from #NationalSoberDay to the start of #SoberOctober.
If you’d like to start on Day 1, you can find it here: 18 Days of Sober Takeaways - Day 1
To further explore any of the topics raised in my 18 Days of Sober Takeaways, or if you’d like support in stopping drinking, please visit:
Substack: Sally Cardy - Transformative Recovery Solutions