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Old Oct 29, 2014, 06:46 AM
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spondiferous spondiferous is offline
Dancer in the Dark
 
Member Since: Feb 2012
Location: somewhere, i think.
Posts: 5,330
School is a great one. I have found that after the first couple of years of sobriety, once I had done some self-reflection and dealt with the wreckage of my past, the thing that has kept sobriety appealing (and really, an afterthought, luckily for me) is by living life to the fullest, challenging myself in healthy ways, trying new things, and doing the things I always wanted to do but never thought I could. For me these things have involved:

...taking a flight to see my sister (terrified of planes)
...getting my driver's license (terrified of driving)
...a period of about two years where a friend and I went to a whole lot of concerts and had a blast
...sold my artwork
...got published
...went to school (more recently; in my first year now)
...experienced healthy, loving relationships (including the one I have with my partner, to whom I am now married)
...never back down from an opportunity to take a closer look at an aspect of my life that is giving me trouble

I know that some or maybe most of this stuff won't be for everyone. Everyone has something different that appeals to them. But it is so important to go after what is important in life, and what makes it worth living, whether it's something simple like creating a flower bed, something complicated like earning a degree or moving to another part of the world, etc. My sister, who was 29, just died of alcoholism. I watched every great thing about her slowly and agonizingly get sucked away. The importance of being healthy, and happy, and alive, has never been more clear to me than it is now.
This is a great list. Thanks for sharing.
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