10 Things I've Learned In 10 Years Of Sobriety

Hey, folks, how you doing? This is Nick from Cadre. I am a creative wellness specialist here and just wanted to talk to you about sobriety and some of the things that have worked for me, and maybe these things will work for you, too. I have been sober ten days or ten years as of today. And I think a lot of the things that help me early on, you know, still help. And so, number one is gratitude. Gratitude is a superpower. It's something early in sobriety. A lot of people recommend doing is writing down in the morning five things that you're grateful for.

And it's really a practice. It's not my default. You know, my default really, a lot of times is fear or anxiety. But if I can get into that practice of gratitude, it's so powerful. Number two would be serenity or peace. You know, being sober has given me a piece that I didn't know existed. I didn't know I could have it, and I didn't know that I wanted it. And, you know, for me to get that piece, I have to do certain things. You know, twelve step programs have helped me a lot, but it could be anything.

I do feel like to change our thinking, we need to take actions, right? And so that action could be meditating. It could be going to a support group, it could be going to therapy. It could be coming onto an app like this and learning more. But, you know, serenity and peace, you know, is a big factor there within that. Number three, meeting makers make it. Now, if you're part of a twelve step program, you're going to know that there's a lot of these little sayings, and some of them are amazing. I really have come to love them.

And if you're just kind of getting started with it and hearing them, I totally get it. If they're like, what are they talking about? Or this is stupid, or, you know, whatever. But for me, meeting makers make it just means that I have stayed connected. I go to meetings and I make friends there, and I talk to those friends on the phone in person. I work with them sometimes. And so that's number three for me, is because if I go there, I'm within the circle. You know, I'm with the people. I'm not off on my own island, because when I'm off on my own island, I don't know what I'm doing over there.

I'm in trouble on my own island. But with you, I am. Okay. So that's number three is meeting makers make it. Number four is to have fun, right? A lot of times, you know, I think, especially when I was drinking and using other substances, I thought that I needed those to, you know, have a good time. But I've discovered that I can have infinitely more fun being sober because I have my wits about me. I can be helpful. I can have fun, but it can be easy to forget. So I have to remind myself, it's important to have fun.

Five. Exercise. Exercise has been really big for me. I was a college tennis player, a runner, and, you know, when I was drinking and smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, I couldn't do those things, you know, very well or at all. And so exercise, being out in the nature, has been so helpful to me. So that's number five. And number six is spirituality. And this could look so many different ways for so many different people. And for me, it's the spirituality has, and the comfort that I get from a connection with my higher power has replaced that need for drinking and alcohol and drugs in that altered state of mind.

So the spirituality has really helped me. Number seven is creativity. I have a friend who says that being sober can bring out the artists in all of us. And so another misconception I had was that when I was high or drunk, that my ideas were better, I could be a better artist. And the fact is, I did have amazing thoughts on these substances, thoughts that seemed so massive that, oh, my goodness, this could change the world. But the issue was I couldn't actually do any of them. I couldn't put anything into practice because I was in such a state of.

I wasn't in a state where I could, you know, take action. And so number eight would be the power of prayer. And once again, this is kind of connected to spirituality. And if anything I say is just my opinion. And so if there's something that I'm sharing that doesn't vibe with you, like, if prayer isn't something you want to try, that I don't want to, like, say, you've got to pray. I'm just saying, looking maybe at prayer in a different way. Looking at it is just kind of connected to gratitude, a thank you, kind of an acting as if.

If I act as if there's this, you know, higher power that I can talk to, then, you know, I feel better. And I've also heard someone say, just quality time with quality friends is. Is like a prayer. So just maybe reframing the way that you think of prayer could be helpful. And I know it's helped me. And number nine is writing and journaling. I like to write and journal in the mornings. And that helps me collect my thoughts for the day and helps me kind of get, in a certain way, a certain mindset. And number ten, kind of connected to writing is poetry.

You know, for me, that's my thing, where I can really express in the moment. And I encourage you to find something that you can express in the moment and that will help you with that. So those are my ten things. And like my old poem used to go, the thing about the mind is that when it's on the grind, it might never stop. And that's how I felt when I was drinking and using. I felt like it might never stop. I didn't know that it could stop. And since I've gotten sober, I learned that it can. And I can have peace and joy.

And I guess the bonus number eleven would be, you know, to be of service to others and to be helpful, because that maybe heals everything. When all else fails, helping another is going to get me outside of myself and help me go another moment. So that's the big bonus number eleven. So that's my stuff for you today. Hope you're having a good one. Talk to you later. Bye.