What is our story?
Sometimes I think I have a sign on me that says, “Tell me your troubles.” I have 33 years of sobriety, and it must somehow show. I frequently have people from all walks of life spontaneously broach the topic of addiction with me. I don’t start it, they do.
About Sobriety Navigators
We are you. We have professional degrees and high school diplomas. We are ethnic and Anglo. We’re men and women, young, middle aged, and in our golden years. We’re rich and not so rich. Some of us come from families that have struggled to survive. In fact, we’ve all struggled in our own ways. Some have tried to maintain the façade that accompanies a double life. The time, money, and energy required to maintain an addiction puts an incredible strain on family finances. We’re wealthy. We have money, property and prestige. We look enviable from the outside. But behind closed doors we are in pain. Despair is our constant companion.
We’re sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. Some of us were loved, most of us were tolerated. But we survived, at least so far! We have baggage, and a lot goes back to our youth. Shedding those burdens is tough, but we are working on it.
At some point we have all turned and abandoned our intrinsic self. We ran from ourselves as fast as we could. We didn’t want to be us. We are now in a new phase of self-discovery. We are finding that we actually like ourselves!
We were trapped, and all of the geographical moves couldn’t change that. We eventually came to the realization that our problems were ourselves. Why? What was wrong with us? We are finding answers. It doesn’t happen fast. It takes time.
Life can be tough. It is always a challenge. We usually don’t see the ambush coming. These can be subtle or in your face. Either way, they can change us. They can damage us. They can lead us to retreat and withdraw within ourselves. We comfort ourselves with our addictions. It works for a while, but not forever. Eventually, the choice comes down to this: get better, go to jail, or die. Sounds simple, but it often isn’t. Join us in our journey, and our healing.
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