Day 3 of Sober October

Gratefulness

I wasn’t going to write on this challenge until day 7, but something happened this morning.

The day wasn’t particularly special beyond the fact that I woke up well-rested, without a hangover. Which is a win.

I went through my messy morning routine of digging through piles of laundry for an outfit, grabbing my coffee, and rushing off, egg sandwich in hand, to work. Late as always.

While in the stop-and-go traffic of downtown, I faded into a visual thought, recalling the crazy sounds my car was making last week.

Memory: I was pulling into the driveway of a pet-sitting client and the bottom of my car scraped the concrete. I winced but thought nothing of it. These things happen.

Fast forward a couple of days and my car was practically whistling when I cranked it.

Not normal.

A familiar feeling swelled in my chest: Panic.

This is the best car I’ve ever bought and I really don’t want to learn more about mechanics.

So, I jumped into action.

After checking out the situation I was happy to learn there was only a small pinhole in the exhaust pipe. I quickly learned that I could seal it.

Done and done!

Back to traffic…

With this memory, I started to feel a wave of gratitude start to build. My car was quiet and running exceptionally better than last week.

My daydream segwayed to other positive things that have happened the past few days:

• My oldest daughter spent the weekend with me
• I worked out with my youngest son for the first time at the gym
• My youngest daughter gave me another stellar tattoo
• My oldest son got a new gaming laptop
• DoorDash refunded a $62 order because of a mix-up

I was feeling thankful energy for the first time in months. But what does this have to do with Sober October?

I’m glad you asked…imaginary person.

Emotional Drinking Blinded Me From Seeing My Blessings

People usually drink socially to have a bit of fun, relax, and enjoy time with their friends.

But I’m highly sensitive to emotional energy and have a taste for booze.

Apparently, I’ve been emotional drinking as a way to cope, likely due to ending recent relationships, along with a few deaths in the family.

It’s been a tough summer.

Alcohol was disrupting the emotional bonds with my children and blinding me from appreciating all the blessings around me.

My Sober Gratefulness

I’m 3 days sober.

I’m dealing with my real emotions, good and bad. And there are tense moments throughout the day.

But I’m coming back to my gratefulness for the little blessings that occur.

Whether it’s a playful roasting session between the kids or the bird I rescued from a sticky mouse trap today, I won’t bury those experiences in the bottle with my sorrows.

And I am grateful for this day.

SAMHSA National Helpline

1–800–662–4357