How I escaped the addiction trap
There was a time when I felt trapped and powerless.
I had tried to quit smoking. I failed. SO many times.
I tried to do ‘Sober October’. I failed. Hit the fuck it button on the 3rd, and drank every day for the rest of the month.
I was resigned to the fact that I was addicted. And that there was no hope for me.
But my life was falling apart. I was melting down. Surrendering to the breakdown that had been a long time coming.
Seeing Yoga teacher training as a way to move into a calmer career, I threw myself into a year of training.
I learned to breathe. I learned to relax. I wrote thousands of words in reflective writing that turned into self-therapy.
I started to see that I was stronger than I had thought I was. That I was resilient, a fierce warrior.
And one day, I realised with enlightened clarity that if I wanted my life to be different, I had to change it. And I knew that I COULD change.
That moment of empowerment gave me the strength I needed to look at sobriety. I could see sobriety as something to celebrate, not to fear.
I eased myself into it, focusing on the gifts of sobriety, rather than the absence of alcohol.
I celebrated each sober day. I basked in the joy of each clear headed, hangover free morning.
I had felt powerless and trapped against my addiction. Sobriety felt terrifying
But when I realised that the power to change was mine, I could free myself, and sobriety became a joy.
Sobriety doesn’t need to be a challenge. You don’t have to feel trapped in addiction.
When you find the actions you can take to claim your personal power, you can free yourself from your addictive behaviours.
What makes you feel strong?