CLARITY — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES What to wear to an AA meeting? You can wear whatever the hell you want. That’s the real answer. But I know that’s not actually what you’re asking, so let me tell you about my first AA meeting instead. My First AA Meeting The first meeting I ever went to […]
What to Wear to an AA Meeting Read Post »
IDENTITY — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES Nobody tells you that starting over feels like failure even when it isn’t. They give you the highlight reel version. The phoenix rising. The comeback story with a clean arc and a lesson learned and a person who came out stronger on the other side. They make it sound like
What Nobody Tells You About Starting Over Read Post »
DISCIPLINE — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES Being a Father After Addiction: Rebuilding Trust With Your Children 12 minute read Being a father after addiction is harder than getting sober. Recovery doesn’t automatically repair a relationship with your children. Getting sober may change your life, but rebuilding trust with your children as a father takes far longer
The losses that don’t get acknowledged don’t go away because nobody acknowledged them. For the grief that never got a funeral — and the ones we still carry.
Nobody Brought Flowers Read Post »
LIFE AFTER CHAOS — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES The chaos stopped. And that is when things got really hard. Nobody tells you that part. Everyone talks about getting out of the storm — the addiction, the bad relationships, the self-destruction, the years of living like a lit match in a dry field. Everyone talks about surviving
Peace Was the Hardest Thing to Trust Read Post »
Staying sober during the holidays can be challenging. Learn why the holiday season triggers cravings, how to stay alcohol-free at family gatherings and parties, and practical strategies to protect your peace, confidence, and sobriety. The Holiday Season Is Beautiful But It Can Be Brutal for Those of Us in Sobriety The holidays bring family, food,
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DISCIPLINE — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES Nobody in early recovery wants to hear about relaxation. You are white-knuckling through days that feel like they will never end. Your nervous system is running at full volume. Your brain is doing things you cannot explain to anyone who has not been through it. And someone hands you a
DISCIPLINE — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES Self-care has become a word that means almost nothing because it has been applied to almost everything. Bath bombs. Face masks. A glass of wine to unwind. The wellness industry turned it into a product category. And somewhere in the process, the actual meaning got lost. For people in recovery,
GRIEF — SOBERMINDS FIELD NOTES Self-forgiveness is the part of recovery nobody tells you is going to be the hardest. Not the cravings. Not the physical withdrawal. Not even the rebuilding. The hardest part is learning to stop punishing yourself for what you did when you were a different person living a different life. And
