Reflections of Fights Lost, Fights Won, Time Lost, Time Gained and the Impact of Faithful Sobriety.
Soberstanding = Sober learning & Understanding Addiction
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My First AA Meeting
I remember the weather was cold, but I don’t remember with precision what year it was; 2015 perhaps. Let’s go with 2015. The year is not as significant as the experience. I was, after all, reluctantly coaxed into my first AA meeting. The first and last AA Meeting I would attend for my recovery. I… Read more
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Broken Strings
This evening I was tuning my acoustic/electric guitar and had the strong anticipation to write and record some music. As I began to drop my tuning down from a standard to a much lower tone, my sixth string broke. If that’s happened to you, you know that emotion. Breaking a string takes you on an… Read more
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And Then There Was Silence
About fifteen years ago, my father and I went to our family property to cut down a tree for the Christmas holiday. There were adventures along the way that required us to lug that tree out with some toil, but we got it in the end. As memorable as that adventure was, the thing that… Read more
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S.L.I.P.
It is difficult to keep up on a blog during the holidays. But I had this cross my mind several times so I thought I would share it. When an individual is in recovery they will often hear of the terms “slip” or “relapse.” I don’t think it necessary to delve deeply into the meaning… Read more
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“No Matter What”
I have both love and loathing for the following statement: “I will always be there for you, no matter what.” The second half of that sentence is what I wish to put under the microscope. Honing in on the use of this promise helped me understand myself and expectations from others. It also brought magnified… Read more
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Catching the Vision
This picture popped up on my feed from three years ago. It is from a project we did in rehab called a Vision Board. For those of you that are unfamiliar with what a Vision Board consists of, it is a collection of clippings from magazines that you glue onto a poster board. There are… Read more
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Letting the Train Wreck
It carries a near cryptic message when said, but it also holds a lot of truth when applied to the right situation. “Sometimes you just have to let the train wreck.” My father had probably said this in high volumes to me in the past, and like most children, it was filed into the distant… Read more
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The Keys to Understanding
This last week I decided to read through my journal that I had written while I was in treatment. The notes from three years ago (almost to the day) are still applicable and worth sharing; they certainly shed some light on the difficult time I was going through. It was the holidays and the Andy… Read more
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Wayfinding
Where to begin? Where do I begin with the first post? I think sporadic topics rather than a rigid structure of chronological events is the way to do build this blog. Whatever my mind, heart and gut tell me will become the narrative compass. So here we go….. In difficult situations, the most daunting task… Read more
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3…2…1…
Sooner or later we understand that although we can’t make fear look pretty, it will nevertheless introduce us to all the teaching we’ve ever heard or read. — Pema Chodron (When Things Fall Apart) The reaction an individual has towards fear will either set them back, or set them free. That may be a lengthy… Read more
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Safe Waters
“A lot has happened since my last blog post. As a family, we have had a marvelous trip to the big Island of Hawaii, welcomed our new baby boy (NICU for 2 weeks) into the world, had my grandmother’s funeral, have staved off COVID-19 with everyone at home, plus a 5.7 earthquake to add to… Read more
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