Sometimes alcohol misuse becomes so much a part of one’s life that people can experience it as a “lifestyle.” In the following “certificate of celebration,” a 40-year-old woman, the single (sole) parent of two children, celebrates her desire to leave behind a lifestyle of alcohol misuse. Together with her therapist, she created this reminder of her intention to perform a new lifestyle of courage:
To Remember, Honor, and Celebrate Successful Methods
I Can Use to Stand Against a Substance Misusing Lifestyle
- First, I can remember what an alcoholic lifestyle robs from me, because during and after I get captured I feel:
- I’ve been licked
- Emptiness, Yukiness, Disappointment
- Energy-less
- I can’t (don’t) experience life
- My life is full of emptiness
- I can’t (don’t) joke with co-workers
- I miss out on too much of life
- Misuse doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do anymore
- I do and say things against my better judgment
- Then I can remember, honor, and celebrate the courageous steps I took to kick substance misuse out of my life in the past:
- My stories of Independence and Persistence
- I went to lots of meetings
- I gave up old friends who supported misuse
- I moved away from old places
- I surrounded myself with new people who supported me
- I took steps and lived each day
- I stayed busy and had fun
- I asked for help and got support
I HAVE A WISH TO BECOME A LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE “AALL”
[Anti-Alcoholic Lifestyle League]