Focus on Hope

Focus on Hope I think most people would agree that we are living through challenging times. The Corona Virus Pandemic and all that comes with it including, lost loved ones, health anxiety, financial stress and forced lifestyle changes just to name a few, are taking their toll. Additionally, many of us are dealing with extreme weather events all while navigating the choppy waters of a deep political divide during an intense election cycle. How on earth are we to stay sane much less sober and serene? I have never been more grateful for my sobriety than I am now. Staying focused on recovery during challenging times is something we learn to do early on. These skills serve us well at times like these. The skills and attitudes we learn to live by in order to recover from addiction are the same skills and attitudes that it takes to be resilient. Because we learn to practice this way of life on a regular basis it sets us up to survive hard times. Of course, not everyone is as established and stable in this thinking and that is why we emphasize community and connection. Staying clean and sober during times like these can be challenging especially if you are new to recovery or not yet able to achieve physical sobriety. At a time when alcohol sales have gone through the roof, the number of suicides and opioid overdoses are all on the rise tells me that the stress level is devastating the most vulnerable among us. If you or someone you care about is struggling with obtaining or sustaining physical sobriety, my strong suggestion is to get professional help. Substance Use Disorder (addiction) is a chronic life threatening illness and getting clean and sober is often harder than staying that way. For some it takes multiple attempts to quit and stay quit. Even in the case of relapse, don’t give up, some people relapse before they “get it” and every relapse teaches a missing truth that improves the odds and gets us closer to our goal of sobriety.  Many of us need professional help, especially if there is co-occurri