My Best Wishes for Your Recovery from Alcoholism

I've always struggled with saying hello and goodbye -- neither comes naturally to me. Another is publicly talking about myself and sharing experiences about my recovery. So, writing at the Debunking Addiction Blog for HealthyPlace has been firmly outside my comfort zone, which is not bad -- recovery should involve challenges and moving away from familiarity. However, aspects of fearlessly discussing my alcoholism online come at the cost of increased anxiety or uneasiness. 

My goal was to share my experiences while giving practical tips and checklists for anyone new or struggling with recovery. Hopefully, my previous blogs can help people avoid overloading shame and guilt to help avoid making too many fear-based decisions.

I'll cross a major milestone next January -- 10 years of sobriety from alcohol. My original intention was to share and discuss this online, but it wasn't to be. 

Also, milestones can be overrated -- another 24 hours sober will always be the foundation of my recovery.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my experiences with you all and thank everyone I've interacted with. But life has a habit of changing and taking us in new directions. 

Ultimately, I consider honesty and transparency non-negotiables -- I believe some people are more suited to writing about addiction than I am. I'm also incredibly awkward on camera, which is likely apparent from my HealthyPlace videos.

If I faced a similar scenario or decision in my active alcoholism, my likely response would be to procrastinate for weeks or months.

One of the positive improvements in my recovery has been making decisions and having the confidence to execute them, even tough ones. 

If you're new to recovery, you have many challenges ahead, but many positives are on the other side. Willingly stepping outside your comfort zone will be intuitive, as will problem-solving. 

The days of repetitive indecision can be a thing of the past, even for hopeless procrastinators like myself. 

One final point I'd like to repeat from several of my blogs is to start to forgive and be kinder to yourself. 

The act of self-forgiveness can alter your entire perspective on life and recovery. You'll naturally be more fair to others once you have a better inner relationship. 

I wish you all the very best with your recovery -- keep fighting the good fight. 

All the best,

Martyn (Momo) Armstrong,