Clean Breaks

purely medicinal

I read a post on Facebook Wednesday from a woman who decided to share her going clean tale on her social media page. I was blown away. For all the fluff and such one reads on fb it was such a breath of fresh air to read her heartfelt and earnest comments.

I stopped drinking alcohol a little over two years ago just because I thought it had become a problem for me. Mostly I felt I was waisting too much time in a lifetime of limited days. Too often, especially among professionals, there is a propensity to use alcohol and other substances as a stress relief valve. I never drank when I was working and I never drank during the week I was on call but, boy, when I wasn't I sure looked forward to cocktails and vino. The point for me was I pretty much decided that since I sometimes had a problem with limits, boundaries, and behavior, why keep doing it? I watched my young son-- his active mind and busy body-- and I thought of myself and had to wonder: When had I started needing a tranquilizer? And what am I forfeiting while I sit and chill out with a few drinks?

I have people ask me all the time why and I guess that's the reason: time. I'd rather just stay busy and engaged with myself and the ones I love until it's time for bed. Reading that woman's comments really made me think because, fact is, I don't really think much about it at all anymore. It's just normal. I feel better, sleep better, digest better-- I'm just better.

There are all kinds of addictions and I would imagine they are all pretty much rooted in the same soil. I see runners who compete in spite of serious injuries. Sometimes I wonder if an entire generation isn't addicted to electronic devices. The gambling addiction probably possesses one of the greatest destructive capacities. Pills. Booze. Spending. Fucking. Risk-taking: Pick your own personal messed-up poison. There's something for everyone if you have the need.

Anyway, my hat's off to Sandee and anyone else like her. The number of people running around with substance impairment is staggering. Many are victims of misguided medical interventions. Others are simply struggling souls. Personally I don't find it to be a moral or religious issue. It's simply a personal issue and I feel sorry for all the people who never get to figure it out. Invariably, if they live long enough, they wake up to wonder who they are, who the hell the rest of those people are, and how'd they end up where they're at? I see it with surprising regularity and it just isn't pretty.

Cheers to Sandee and all the many making a clean break.