A Friendly Reminder of Active Addiction
Living in South Florida the sun seems to be like a non-stop party. Last night I was walked in my complex and noticed one group of people drinking outside while they barbequed, another group drinking while lounging around in the pool and individuals drinking while they played pool in the community clubhouse. I even saw a group of four who were playing tennis and had cocktails on the side of the court that they were sipping on. By no means am I going to presume that any of these individuals suffer from alcohol addiction. Later as I watched television in my condo with my door opened I could hear the group who were drinking and barbequing. As time went on and the booze started to settle in they became louder and their comments became more sarcastic. Eventually, the fun turned into a yelling match between a middle-aged couple. It triggered my memories of when I was in active addiction. The drama and chaos was non-stop. Whether it was fighting with a family member or friend or plotting my next move to feed my out of control addiction it seemed like there was never a dull moment. While in my active addiction I had no coping skills to handle times of controversy and did not know how to handle life without chemical dependency. My life became such a mess that I would eventually have to check myself into an addiction treatment program where I participated in various forms of therapy and worked alongside others who were also in the early stages of recovery. While I have no clue whether or not my fighting neighbors are alcoholic I couldn’t help but be reminded of the life I lead while addicted to drugs and alcohol. It was a nice reminder of what my life used to be like and how much it has improved since going to addiction treatment in Florida.
