You are Brave and Amazing

I just got a random lovely email from a dude in Utah – he works at Thistle Creek Ranch a private addiction rehabilitation centre. He wanted to thank me for the ‘quality content’ I provide on my Mrs D blog. What a nice email to get!

I often think of all the many thousands of kind & clever people who work as addiction counsellors or recovery coaches or rehab facilitators etc around the world. Hard working, caring, committed, probably underpaid people who work tirelessly to try and help addicts free themselves from the clutches of booze and drugs. They all deserve medals in my book! Or at least a pay rise…..

Anyway this guy in Utah – Colin – said he especially wanted to praise the post I wrote over on my original blog at the beginning of this month called ‘You are Brave and Amazing’. He said “It was a wonderfully uplifting read and I wish everyone with addiction struggles could read it.”

Aw gee shucks Colin – thanks! I’m going to repost it below for anyone that missed it.

You are Brave and Amazing.

So the movie I went to at 11.30 am the other morning by myself (what fun!) was ‘Begin Again’. I totally 100% recommend it. Mark Ruffalo my all time favorite actor love love love him. Keira Knightly who I can usually take or leave but was just great. James Corden love him..Adam Levine great..Catherine Keener great.. everyone great.

But the story.. the story…! So lovely. And the wonderful music – a huge feature of the entire film – so moving and beautiful. And the themes of love and artistry and authenticity.. and yes.. there was a little bit about alcohol in there too.

There was one teeny moment late on in the film, I won’t give it away but will say it was something that was said/done in relation to alcohol, it wasn’t a big drama moment in the film, a throwaway line.. but shit it got me.

I burst into tears. I had this immense reaction to this thing that this dude said/did. Tears were flowing down my cheeks. I could feel my heart so raw and open and touched, bursting with emotion. Yes it was about the moment in the film, but it was about my place in the world and my relationship with myself.. it was everything and it was wonderful.

I’m an alcoholic living in recovery. I drank wine heavily and steadily my entire adult life until nearly 3 years ago and now I don’t touch it ever. I am still learning how to be a fully emotional person. I am brave and amazing but I am raw and I am healing. I am also so grateful and happy for my sobriety. That is what those tears were about. That moment in the movie did all of that for me. Don’t ya just love it when that happens?!

For everyone finishing Dry July but wanting to continue not drinking I say GO FOR IT!!! We don’t need that shit in our lives! It’s not true that it’s necessary for good times. It’s not true that it relaxes us. It’s not true that it makes us more interesting or more fun. None of that is true.

If you’re in the thick sludgy mud of early sobriety, busting your balls to break the habit and re-train your brain know that the longer you go without drinking the easier it will become. Don’t worry about what other people think… focus on the truth that only you know and – most important of all – know that you are not alone.

You are beating an addiction to alcohol and that makes you brave and amazing. Any expert will tell you that it’s one of the hardest things for a human to do.. but it can be done and you can do it.

You are brave and amazing.

You are brave and amazing.

You are.

Love, Mrs D xxx