18 Days of Sober Takeaways: Day 10
Left Alone, I Can Convince Myself of Anything
I discovered something about myself that I still find both funny and slightly alarming: if I spend enough time alone with an idea, I can make a surprisingly good case for it.
I remember watching Peaky Blinders and suddenly thinking about whiskey and cigarettes – core symbols of the eponymous crime gang.
I knew it was a fictionalized drama, and I wasn't about to run out and start drinking.
But I also recognized the beginning of a familiar kind of thinking.
One thought leads to another and, before long, the original idea has acquired a backstory.
So, I went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where nobody would lecture me or remind me that drinking was a bad idea.
I just needed to be around people who understood how quickly a seemingly harmless thought about alcohol could gain momentum.
By the time I left the meeting, the idea had lost its shine.
It was another reminder that, for me, recovery has never worked very well in isolation.
How were people around me affected by my drinking? Reflections on that tomorrow - Day 11 in my 18 Days of Sober Takeaways from #NationalSoberDay to #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