FOUR MONTHS!

10 Sober Fun Things I Like To Do:
1. Go to Starbucks

As a sober person, much of my time is devoted to coffee and cigarettes, preferably at the same time.  It's really the "in" thing for alcoholics in recovery.

2. Eat sushi

It's amazing how enjoyable food can be when you're not hungover. And it's part of HALT (AA's motto for never let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). Sushi is pertinent to my sobriety.

3. Watch as much instant Netflix as possible

Bones is my current Netflix obsession. Everyone needs a little recreation time with cheap entertainment.

4. Hang out with real people

It's nice to be surrounded with people doing good things. Our main hangout priority never has to revolve around how/when we will be getting messed up. We just like to be around each other, when before sobriety, it was all about what we could get from each other.

5. Go bowling

This is something I havent done enough. I have presently decided that I will force people with cigarettes and coffee to go bowling with me. (I can hear the alcoholics running.)

6. Go to meetings

You might be asking..."Fun?"  I say..."HELLS YES." There is nothing more fun than a huge group of recovering alcoholics gathered together. It is one of the only places where I can laugh until I cry, and, at the same time, feel completely understood.

7. Hit some funky beats

Now that I'm sober, I generally make it to church every Sunday where I play the drums for the morning services. I'm actually a dependable person now to be able to do this. A couple of weeks ago I got the opportunity to play the congas at a gig with a friend to support a GOOD cause...even if it did mean sending my friend to a whole different continent where we cant smoke cigarettes and drink coffee together.

8. Going to the movies

It's what normal people do! And I like it! Before I got sober, I hadn't gone to the theatre since 1989!

9. Dancing sober at AA parties

Two of the funnest nights in sobriety were at the 80's Prom for young people in AA and Ashley and Kyla's going away party.  I mean...there's not near as many obnoxious people OR accidents when you sober dance with sober people. 

10 And Most Importantly. Hang out with my niece and nephew

I got lucky enough to have the coolest babes on the planet be related to me...and I get to be sober for their lives. They make everything worthwhile. I can't imagine not knowing them, yet I spent most of my life trying to die. This is God showing me why He wouldn't allow for that to happen.                  
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Four months ago today, with the help of God, my sponsor, and a really good sober friend, I decided I had enough...AGAIN.  I admitted to Drug Court that I was getting loaded, and requested more extensive help with rehab.  I spent my weekend in jail as my sanction in Drug Court for relapsing, and within the month I was in Rayville, LA experiencing a whole new side of recovery I never knew. Rayville Recovery.  It is definitely an experience that I will always cherish and remember...no matter the huge amounts of craziness that happened.  I wanted to go to rehab to get in a safe environment away from temptations.  I just needed to easily get 30 days sober under my belt while learning about myself and recovery. Well, temptations are everywhere.  There were drugs circulating in there the first couple weeks of my stay. There were a lot of trying times. But God pulled me through.  I had a prophet as a counselor.  Ms. Betty is one of the most beautiful women (inside and out) that I have ever met.  She taught me how to understand myself, how to be sober, how to communicate, etc. But most of all, she taught me how to be a woman and how to love myself.  Miracles started happening as soon as I got into rehab and really gave up trying to control my life.  Doors opened up at Centenary...more doors than I initially expected. God showed me who my real friends were.

This might sound weird...but don't get it twisted.  I'm actually GLAD that I relapsed. Yeah...I said it.  No, I'm not glad that I got to experience more hangovers and impulsive using.  I am glad that I got to see how quickly I started to hate my life again once I started using.  I also wouldn't have the recovery I have now if it wasn't for that relapse. I was able to be broken down and built back up even stronger than before. I would not know the things I do now about myself and recovery if it wasnt for the struggles.  God can really make some good things happen out of the shittiest situations if you just let Him.  He can make the ruins of this world be something beautiful. Today, life is good. That doesn't mean it's always easy and amazing. But it is good. And, today, I embrace my struggles, because it is only in struggling that I get to persevere, and it is only in persevering that I get to live, and it is only in living that I get to love.  So...with that said...this has been the best four months of my entire 26 years on this planet. I will do the next right thing. One day at a time.