Quality or Quantity
Today I am grateful for good songs and working ears to listen to them. I am also grateful for the different pace to days when on a break from work.
"Q" on this recovery A-Z gratitude list is for quality over quantity. There are times when quantity may count more than quality, but I can't think of a good example now and it certainly is not the case when it comes to recovery from alcoholism and addiction.
Yes, it is important to add up days, weeks, months, and more when it comes to continuous sobriety. It is the only way to learn the lessons of recovery that will allow for lasting health. But if all a person is doing is adding another day of being white-knuckle sober, another day of "I'll show you I can handle this," that is not quality. That is survival, that is existing.
Existing was hard enough when I had escape into the bottle from time to time. Take away the escape and existing becomes more miserable, unless I am healing and constructing the life I never fully constructed in my ten years of drinking.
Construction, or reconstruction in ways, takes effort. But that is where the quality comes in. Effort pays off in healing, forgiveness, self-acceptance, growth, energy, hope and so much more. Quality recovery is only possible with ongoing work. Alcoholism is patient and lurking.
Daily application of tools, strategies, faith, and support from others keeps the disease in remission.
Before I knew true recovery my longest stretch of sober days was 464. I was counting. I was focused on quantity. It was one of the toughest periods in my life. Today, my recovery is day-to-day. It unfolds in 24-hour segments, instead of unraveling in empty promises.
Quality recovery is possible, and it is a great gift, not to be taken for granted. Just for today.
"Q" on this recovery A-Z gratitude list is for quality over quantity. There are times when quantity may count more than quality, but I can't think of a good example now and it certainly is not the case when it comes to recovery from alcoholism and addiction.
Yes, it is important to add up days, weeks, months, and more when it comes to continuous sobriety. It is the only way to learn the lessons of recovery that will allow for lasting health. But if all a person is doing is adding another day of being white-knuckle sober, another day of "I'll show you I can handle this," that is not quality. That is survival, that is existing.
Existing was hard enough when I had escape into the bottle from time to time. Take away the escape and existing becomes more miserable, unless I am healing and constructing the life I never fully constructed in my ten years of drinking.
Construction, or reconstruction in ways, takes effort. But that is where the quality comes in. Effort pays off in healing, forgiveness, self-acceptance, growth, energy, hope and so much more. Quality recovery is only possible with ongoing work. Alcoholism is patient and lurking.
Daily application of tools, strategies, faith, and support from others keeps the disease in remission.
Before I knew true recovery my longest stretch of sober days was 464. I was counting. I was focused on quantity. It was one of the toughest periods in my life. Today, my recovery is day-to-day. It unfolds in 24-hour segments, instead of unraveling in empty promises.
Quality recovery is possible, and it is a great gift, not to be taken for granted. Just for today.
Comments
Post a Comment