Is Sobriety FOREVER?
I was overwhelmed by imagining an alcohol-free life.
This essay originally appeared in the Exploring Sobriety newsletter.
The idea of staying sober “forever” used to terrify me.
During my first year without alcohol, I was obsessed with the question of whether I could really stay sober for the rest of my life. The idea of a life without alcohol struck me as miserable, painful, and above all else, impossible.
As badly as I wanted to stick with sobriety, I just didn’t really believe that I could.
These thoughts are incredibly common among the newly sober, and I’m sure that everyone reading this already knows the typical response: “Take it one day at a time.”
It’s a great piece of advice, but the truth is that it didn’t always work.
There were times when I could stay in the moment and focus on getting through the current day. But, there were other times, when despite my best intentions, I couldn’t help but think of the future.
I truly believe that this is normal for the newly sober. Taking sobriety “one day at a time,” is a great aspiration, but it’s nearly impossible to fight the natural human tendency to worry about our futures.
