Two Main Rules Recovery Has Brought to Life
Written By: Frank
“It describes people’s inability to choose their legends. And it ends up saying that everyone believes the world’s greatest lie. what’s the world’s greatest lie? The boy asked, completely surprised. It’s this: at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world’s greatest lie.”
After just hitting a significant milestone, over two years of not one sip of booze, I look back at this quote. While I lost control, if I had let it up to “fate,” my fate would have continued for me to drink, and honestly, I don’t know if I would be here.
The number one life lesson recovery has taught me, especially as a first responder, is….well two number ones(they are so close), like a 1. and a 1.5. This is for anyone going through a hard time or waiting for something to happen to them, especially if we are creating different stories that aren’t real and, unfortunately, wasted time.
You have to be completely honest with yourself first. Not your significant other, family, friends, or squad.YOU. All of that will come once you accept this is who I am right now in the present moment. I got here because of X, Y, and Z. Some of it was in my control, and some of it wasn’t, and that’s okay. I accept who I am now and who I was in the past, but I will change it for me. Once you accept that and get serious about you, 1.5 comes in.
1.5. Take massive action to improve yourself. I’m not talking about days, weeks, or months, but about years. As humans, especially first responders, we are so resilient that we don’t even realize it. We are so adaptable we don’t even know it. We can adapt for the positive or negative. Surround yourself with people who root for you (there are many more people rooting for you than people who want to see you lose). I know that’s hard to believe, but I firmly believe love is a human instinct that’s part of our DNA and, more profoundly, our soul.
In two years, I accomplished more for my personal self (my soul) than I had for probably over twenty years of my life.
With that, recovery has taught me two main lessons; there are many more, but
1. To be honest with you first and 1.5. Take massive action.
Things will slowly fall into place with the best choices you truly make and believe in with a sober mind (remember, sober is more than just using substances) at that time, not fate. Life isn’t perfect, but with my personal recovery, I don’t have to suffer as hard.
All in!