Comments on: My Year of Living Dangerously https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/ Empty glass, full life Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:44:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: drinkingtodistraction https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1353 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:58:27 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1353 Dear 21SculleryMaid:
Thank you for this beautiful comment. The only thing we can keep doing is trying…and praying. And being almost insanely gentle with ourselves because that is what we need to both accept ourselves and try to change what isn’t working for us anymore. I am sending you all my love and care and kindness and hope you continue to do the same for yourself.
Best,
Jenna

]]> By: 21scullerymaid https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1349 Sat, 09 Nov 2013 16:10:56 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1349 I can’t remember how many times I’ve quit drinking.

I can’t count the mornings I’ve stood in the shower with a sore head, queasy stomach, and plenty of regret, feeling the water pouring over me and praying.

The shower is my confession booth and my baptismal. Breathing in orange ginger coconut gardenia aromatherapy shampoo, i pray for help, courage, forgiveness, strength, patience, faith, hope and emerge wrapped in grace and a towel with a clean slate. Thanking God.

I’ve privately journaled about my relationship with alcohol. Each time starting fresh and optimistic only to go silent after 2 days…a week.

I make the same mistake over and over. But God knows I am trying. And i believe that counts for a lot. I’ve never quit trying to quit and wondering if the 3rd time or the 333rd time is a charm.

I discovered your blog a couple months ago and it has given me a different view on quitting. Your voice regarding addiction is not judgmental, oversimplified or out-dated. I appreciate your honesty and camaraderie in this challenge.

So today, once again, I write in my journal, but this time, something is different.

]]> By: drinkingtodistraction https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1341 Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:25:07 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1341 Dear Susan:
Thank you for this message. I feel like our experiences are very similar. I think the ah-ha moment for me was that being an alcoholic was not the only reason to stop drinking. For years, I felt stuck because I thought I should only quit if I decided to identify as an alcoholic. But life is more complicated than that, and there are rarely black and white situations. I really do admire you for feeling your way through each step and deciding that to take better care of yourself, you needed to remove something that you probably loved. A lot of my recovery has been about allowing myself to acknowledge the loss I experienced when I stopped drinking. You will never hear me trumpeting how it’s been a 100% positive experience. Without that flexibility, I probably would have relapsed, or at least not fully experienced what I was going through. Anyway, all of this is to say thank you for sharing your experience with me. We couldn’t do it without each other.
Best,
Jenna

]]> By: drinkingtodistraction https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1340 Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:20:03 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1340 Dear Dawa:
Thank you so much for this message. You are so right: It doesn’t get easy. But maybe it does get better. We become more resilient when we make the choice to deal with difficulty, to feel discomfort. Have you seen this quote from Susan Piver:

“Confidence actually begins with lack of confidence. Without the latter, we would have no idea what the former meant. In some way, when we lose our confidence we could imagine it not as the first step into the pit, but the first step out of it. Just as light would not exist without dark, confidence would not be possible without lack of confidence. So, to begin recovering self-confidence, a great first step is allowing yourself to lean into your doubt.”

I thought of it when you wrote that climbing out of the hold you have dug seems a monumental task.

And, yes, I also feel like a novice. I think that’s a good thing though. Whenever I think “I got this,” something always reminds me I’m just beginning.

Thank you for writing. You have helped me!
Best,
Jenna

]]> By: drinkingtodistraction https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1339 Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:15:33 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1339 Dear Mark:
Thank you for writing. I’m sorry about your loss. I can’t imagine the impact that has on the re-evaluation of things. But, yes, writing is immensely therapeutic. If you care to share a piece of your story here, please let me know.
Best,
Jenna

]]> By: Susan https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1338 Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:30:44 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1338 I’ve been reading your blog for the last year or so – and I have really felt this entry. I am 61 – just retired from my private practice as a therapist – and moved to North Carolina a week ago with my husband. I’ve struggled with drinking (although I didn’t know I was struggling) my whole life. My family drank – my friends drank – I drank every day for years and years – often too much. Over the last few years I’ve intentionally changed my drinking. It was scary, and I told myself I could drink occasionally. I’m not an alcoholic – certainly I can have a bourbon with my husband on a special occasion. I have finally accepted and faced that I can’t drink. My last drink was July 15th with my husband to celebrate his retirement. I was sick for a few days, depressed – and that was the final turning point for me. Finally I had the strength and clarity to know that I don’t want to drink. Period. Your blog is one of the things that has strengthened me to find my way. What impacted me in this recent entry was finally having the time to explore other parts of myself and being so grateful that I am not drinking. Thank you for sharing your journey. I believe you are a light for many.

]]> By: Dawa Choshing https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1336 Tue, 05 Nov 2013 23:18:59 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1336 I have been following your blog since Sept 3, 2012 when I finally made the decision to leave alcohol behind. You struck a cord with me when you spoke of how you drank wine, good wine…. So did I. We’re not alcoholics, we are cultured folk. How I look back on my years drinking with embarassment, oh the things I did and the people I hurt, despite being a highly successful pillar of my community. How could everyone around me have been so blind? I wanted you to know that you have been helpful to me. I am learning though that it doesn’t get easy. With a clear mind I recognize things in my life that need to be changed that I don’t think I have the strength to change. I feel like I have dug such a hole that the climb out is a thought to monumental to even contemplate. But I know I will. Sitting with all this in meditation practice has been humbling. Twenty years of meditation practice and I suddenly feel like a novice. Anyway, thanks for everything, keep up the good work

]]> By: Mark https://drinkingtodistraction.com/2013/11/05/my-year-of-living-dangerously/#comment-1335 Tue, 05 Nov 2013 16:22:06 +0000 https://drinkingtodistraction.com/?p=581#comment-1335 I really enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. With the passing of my wife a few years back, I had to re-examine my own life and try to decide what was important, and exactly what I wanted to do for my career and my family. And I agree, a blog can be a great way to share, and also explore your own possibilities that life has awaiting you.

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