Today meant this in my little corner of the world:
And, as always, I am so grateful.
I don’t “count days” until I get a notification on my phone, like I did today, and this one came when alcohol and substance abuse have been weighing heavily on my mind.
Lately, it seems, when I do get out and about, I’ve been seeing signs like these everywhere:
And when I picked up my old copy of the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan, I discovered all kinds of gymnastics – to the point of ridiculousness – to make room for wine and cocktails and “girls nights,” based on the assumption that all “TIU girls” just can’t live without them.
And then I got a notification on my phone about the concerning increase in American alcohol consumption:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/americans-alcohol-study_us_598dcce8e4b09071f69932fd
Good grief.
I’m not saying that everyone who drinks has a problem by any means; what I am saying is that, overall, alcohol is becoming more of a societal problem.
What’s worse, often when a person does feel the need to stop drinking, they are made to feel abnormal because (see the above sign) alcohol abuse is normalized in our culture.
Where a person is not expected to have any tolerance for any other drug, they are expected to be “able to hold their liquor” despite the fact that alcohol is a drug, a neurotoxin, and a carcinogen.
I don’t mean to be the Debbie Downer here – and I am done for now – but, before I go on, as always, if you need help, it is available in many forms. Please take it. Don’t wait until your life is completely out of control. If you sense it’s a problem, the time to stop is now.
And, of course, I don’t know much, but my ears are always open, I make a mean cup of hot chocolate, and I give great hugs.
For me, in these last 150 days, I’ve had some serious health problems that just couldn’t be avoided and it has been really stressful.
However, when I stopped drinking, the doors opened to a big expansive beautiful life, even with my health problems, and I’m getting to do some wonderful things with my down time.
- I’m continuing working through my program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and still absolutely love it.
- I enrolled in a class to be certified in Natural Holistic Remedies as well as one in Aromatherapy.
- My daughter and I have continued to work on our business and are rebranding it. Tonight we designed our logo and planned our upcoming events to promote it. Not only do I love sharing oils with people, it is so amazing to get to do all of this with her. Such a blessing.
We also started a Facebook page for our business to share daily wellness tips and ideas. Just really good stuff.
Finally, I am looking forward to some writing opportunities that have come up this fall as well. Writing is a lifelong passion of mine and I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to do more of it.
So, I’m just grateful.
And free.
So so free.
Congratulations on 150 days! You are doing great!! Blogging is so helpful when dealing with difficult things. I started my blog a month and a half ago and it has been great. I have battled MS for 16 years and it has been an uphill battle most days. I look forward to reading more of your posts! Keep up the good work and take care!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so so much! Love, light, and prayers to you!
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike