Good Sunday morning, Absville!
Hope you are all enjoying a peaceful weekend. I know I’m enjoying mine! After my long sleep last night I spent my day buying some new things for my apartment. At last, the walls aren’t bare! (Funny how I have money left over out of my paychecks when I’m not wasting it on booze…..)
Marcie – congrats on 100 days. Way to go!! And Paddy, welcome to Monthly Abs! We are glad you’re here.
Now – we never got around to giving out prizes for yesterday. Gabby was busy with family obligations so I didn’t get a chance to consult with her, but I think she will approve of this choice. Tracy and Cheryl both get – hold onto your hats, folks – to go back and spend a day as a child. That’s right, they can pick an age, any age they choose. Five, six, ten years old, whatever their favorite age was. They get to spend a day just playing and having fun and not having responsibilities or worries. That is their prize for the day. (Kathy, since you are the good witch, I may need your help to pull this one off!)
So that brings me to the theme of the day. We spend an awful lot of time here talking about the “work” of abstinence. (I stand guilty as charged.) We talk about the “shoulds” and “musts” and “oughts.” That puts a lot of pressure on us. And it’s true that abstinence takes a lot of work.
Let me stop for one second here. I’d just like to say that I actually prefer the word “sobriety” to the word “abstinence.” The reason is that abstinence, by definition, means that you are giving something up, that you are depriving yourself of something. Sobriety is just a state of being. In fact, it is the natural state of being – as opposed to intoxication, which is an unnatural state of being, and a toxic one at that. So – if I start saying sobriety instead of abstinence, that is why.
Anyway, I digress.
Sobriety does indeed take work. But it’s not all about work – it’s about living life. There can be a lot of play, too. We can laugh and have fun and even have fun at our own expense. And most of all, I think it’s very important to remember to do good things for ourselves.
We are working very hard to achieve some very important goals here. Being sober in and of itself is a reward. But can you think of other ways that you can reward yourself along the way? Can you find ways to make your day more enjoyable? It can serve as positive reinforcement, and also just make your day more pleasant.
Perhaps you enjoy naps, or bubble baths, or getting a full-body massage. Do you like to get a manicure? Or a facial? Or going to the beach? Think about it. What kinds of things can you do to enrich your life that you didn’t take the time to do when you were drinking? Now’s your chance – since you aren’t spending your time and energy on alcohol and hangovers, go out and enjoy life’s true pleasures.
What do you say? Sunday is the perfect day to start.
Hope you are all enjoying a peaceful weekend. I know I’m enjoying mine! After my long sleep last night I spent my day buying some new things for my apartment. At last, the walls aren’t bare! (Funny how I have money left over out of my paychecks when I’m not wasting it on booze…..)
Marcie – congrats on 100 days. Way to go!! And Paddy, welcome to Monthly Abs! We are glad you’re here.
Now – we never got around to giving out prizes for yesterday. Gabby was busy with family obligations so I didn’t get a chance to consult with her, but I think she will approve of this choice. Tracy and Cheryl both get – hold onto your hats, folks – to go back and spend a day as a child. That’s right, they can pick an age, any age they choose. Five, six, ten years old, whatever their favorite age was. They get to spend a day just playing and having fun and not having responsibilities or worries. That is their prize for the day. (Kathy, since you are the good witch, I may need your help to pull this one off!)
So that brings me to the theme of the day. We spend an awful lot of time here talking about the “work” of abstinence. (I stand guilty as charged.) We talk about the “shoulds” and “musts” and “oughts.” That puts a lot of pressure on us. And it’s true that abstinence takes a lot of work.
Let me stop for one second here. I’d just like to say that I actually prefer the word “sobriety” to the word “abstinence.” The reason is that abstinence, by definition, means that you are giving something up, that you are depriving yourself of something. Sobriety is just a state of being. In fact, it is the natural state of being – as opposed to intoxication, which is an unnatural state of being, and a toxic one at that. So – if I start saying sobriety instead of abstinence, that is why.
Anyway, I digress.
Sobriety does indeed take work. But it’s not all about work – it’s about living life. There can be a lot of play, too. We can laugh and have fun and even have fun at our own expense. And most of all, I think it’s very important to remember to do good things for ourselves.
We are working very hard to achieve some very important goals here. Being sober in and of itself is a reward. But can you think of other ways that you can reward yourself along the way? Can you find ways to make your day more enjoyable? It can serve as positive reinforcement, and also just make your day more pleasant.
Perhaps you enjoy naps, or bubble baths, or getting a full-body massage. Do you like to get a manicure? Or a facial? Or going to the beach? Think about it. What kinds of things can you do to enrich your life that you didn’t take the time to do when you were drinking? Now’s your chance – since you aren’t spending your time and energy on alcohol and hangovers, go out and enjoy life’s true pleasures.
What do you say? Sunday is the perfect day to start.
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