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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2150722-Sober-and-Successful
Rated: 18+ · Book · Inspirational · #2150722
A blog sharing tools and strategies for maintaining sobriety and for living your best life
SOBER AND SUCCESSFUL



“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” --Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Tomorrow...puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” --John Wayne



Welcome to Sober and Successful, a resource for those of us who have chosen to reclaim our lives; for those of us who've managed to secure the high-ground in our personal wars against alcohol addiction.

I congratulate you, sincerely. Anyone who's battled alcoholism knows it's a formidable enemy--persistent, patient, and insidious. Not everybody is able to outmaneuver so wily an adversary. Many, in fact, despair of ever even trying.

Not you, though. Something deep inside of you said, “No, this is not how I choose to spend the remainder of my life.” More importantly, you acted on that impulse. And you were right, by the way! How vindicated do you feel now, having backed your monster into a corner? You knew you could do it!

I’ve suffered with alcoholism since the eighth-grade. Three years ago I checked myself into a rehabilitation center. To say it was the most important decision I’ve ever made may be an understatement. I’ve been sober for three years this February 17th. That may not seem like a long time, I admit. The quality of the past three years of my life, though….that’s where the difference is. That's what's so exciting to me still.

An all-out victory celebration would be premature, though. Our enemy is still out there, my friend. It wants to ruin the wonderful life I’ve begun to create for myself. It wants to destroy the progress you've made too; it's waiting with inhuman patience for one of us to let our guard down.

That’s why I’m starting this blog.

Over the past three years, I’ve learned countless skills that help me monitor my emotional state. I’ve utilized tools for directing my focus and I’ve enjoyed tangible results. I’ve learned that many of the techniques that seem like they should work don’t, and that many of the simplest, silliest sounding ones work like on-demand miracles.

The most important thing I’ve learned, though, is that in order to remain sober, you must remain positive and you must be productive. I can't stress this enough; they are the twin pillars upon which enduring recovery is built. Also, you need to be on guard constantly against negative thoughts (and all recovering alcoholics are going to be inundated with negative thoughts and dreams.) I find myself catching and correcting my own negative thoughts at least twenty times a day, and likely more often than that.

Every week, Sober and Successful will post an entry dealing with an issue facing those of us in recovery. From beginning to navigate holidays and parties to the major questions surrounding Alcoholics Anonymous, I’ll address only those topics with which I have personal experience.

I’d love to learn from your personal experience too. In my wildest dreams, Sober and Successful will become more than a blog; it will be an online community of like-minded folks offering encouragement, support, and inspiration to one another. A family, even.

Every morning, Sober and Successful will post an inspirational quote along with a short message of purpose and power. While I have no shortage of great quotes, please let me know if there is a favorite of yours you would like to see featured!

Once again, thank you for visiting Sober and Successful. I hope you’ll be back! I hold it my duty to consistently provide content that will prove valuable to you--and to myself also--in our everyday mission to remain vigilant. After all, to paraphrase Tony Robbins, it isn’t what you know, it’s what you focus on.

Let’s stay focused!

Stronger Sober, Stronger together,



J Kane

Previous ... -1- 2 3 4 5 ... Next
#114. Dealing With Life, Dealing With Death
ID #987462 entered on July 7, 2020 at 11:21am
#113. Inspiration: Churchill on Persistence
ID #977146 entered on March 4, 2020 at 8:28pm
#112. Huey Lewis and the News on Feeling Overwhelmed
ID #976143 entered on February 23, 2020 at 9:47am
#111. The Beatles on Dealing with Baggage
ID #975946 entered on February 20, 2020 at 10:40am
#110. Five-Year Anniversary Post
ID #975912 entered on February 19, 2020 at 9:53pm
#109. Inspiration: The Grateful Dead on Taking Action
ID #975237 entered on February 10, 2020 at 8:13pm
#108. Inspiration: Herman Melville on Sobriety
ID #966765 entered on September 25, 2019 at 8:48am
#107. Inspiration: Buzz Aldrin on Getting Sober
ID #966670 entered on September 23, 2019 at 4:14pm
#106. Jean-Luc Picard on Taking Action
ID #966535 entered on September 21, 2019 at 9:29am
#105. Alfred Pennyworth (Batman's Butler) on Adversity
ID #966513 entered on September 20, 2019 at 7:48pm
#104. Inspiration: Nelson Mandela on Failure
ID #966395 entered on September 18, 2019 at 7:54pm
#103. Sly Stallone on Refusing to Give Up
ID #966315 entered on September 17, 2019 at 7:30am
#102. Inspiration: Denzel on Dreams and Goals
ID #966279 entered on September 16, 2019 at 1:45pm
#101. Inspiration: Arnolod Schwartzenegger on Time Management
ID #966217 entered on September 15, 2019 at 8:43am
#100. Inspiration: Irish Proverb
ID #966163 entered on September 14, 2019 at 6:47am
#99. Shakepseare on Self-Knowledge and Facing Fear
ID #966138 entered on September 13, 2019 at 6:58pm
#98. The Ghost of Delbert Grady on Personal Accountability
ID #966053 entered on September 12, 2019 at 10:27am
#97. Inspiration: Johnny Cash on Failure
ID #959876 entered on May 30, 2019 at 10:00am
#96. John C Maxwell on Attitude
ID #959087 entered on May 16, 2019 at 8:20am
#95. Inspiration: Ancient Wisdom
ID #957906 entered on April 30, 2019 at 8:13am
#94. Inspiration: An Elegantly Simple, Profound Slogan
ID #957734 entered on April 28, 2019 at 8:38am
#93. When Life "Moves on You"/A Confession
ID #957009 entered on April 19, 2019 at 1:06pm
#92. Inspiration: George Eliot on Being a Late Bloomer
ID #955760 entered on April 4, 2019 at 8:44am
#91. An Affirmation: My Recovery
ID #955412 entered on March 31, 2019 at 7:52am
#90. Inspiration: The Beatles on Reciprocity
ID #955049 entered on March 26, 2019 at 11:44am

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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2150722-Sober-and-Successful