This #MHM, I'd like to talk about #sobriety -- and what it looked like when I wasn't sober. The WHO estimates 400 million people live with alcohol use disorders, and 209 million are dependent on alcohol. 

I remember well what that looked like for me. If it was a good day, I needed a couple drinks. If it was a bad day, I needed a couple drinks. Special occasion? Can't be special without booze. Weekly lunch date? Gotta be at a place I can get cheap beer and whiskey. Moved to a new neighborhood? Gotta make sure I know the local bars and liquor stores. Low-key my habits were building little circles of enablement because once I had a reason to start #drinking on a given day, I wouldn't stop until I passed out. 

The biggest thing I've noticed since getting sober (8+ years now) is how monotonous my days had really gotten. Not just in the routines, but in the complete lack of diversity for dealing with situations, both good and bad. Everything was "solved" by drinking and then subsequently made worse by my drunken behavior. It took a lot of hard lessons for me to finally seek help. 

Now? I deal with life in a far more level-headed manner and without the daily hangover. Everything is good with moderation, and I had to recognize that what I was doing wasn't moderate. I couldn't moderate. For some of us, regardless of the #happyhour deals, therapy is cheaper. Now my good days just get to be good days. Bad days, I stick to self care, but I don't make them worse. Everything in between is met with mindfulness and years of mental health work. 

I also have a beautiful #supportsystem of the family I've chosen, thanks to the healthy work I've done. To the addicts out there still fighting, we do recover, you are not alone, and no one does this alone.