Going After Life Sober – GALS 

I came up with this clever acronym, GALS, many years ago. You may have seen it once or more. I thought of it while walking with one of my mentors on a day much like today. She kept pressing me, how did you stay sober?

WHO COULD I BE

All I could answer with then was I wanted to go after the life I wanted. I didn’t have a clear picture or specific goals, just feelings and values that I wanted to honor.

I wanted to see who I could be without the alcohol distracting me, influencing me, limiting me. I wanted to see if the tenacity I was known for when I was a party girl could take me to a better place. Never give up!

I had never been this me before. What are the possibilities? This may not sound exciting to you, but it was very inspiring to me. Before I stopped drinking, I thought my life had found its end. My life was as good as it was going to get, and life wasn’t good. In hindsight, I’m thankful for that dreadful time in my life. There was nowhere to go but perish, and apparently, I wasn’t ready for that. Because the moment I felt myself heading in that direction, I made a course correction.

Sure, I woke up many mornings wondering why I was still here, but that is very different from thinking I don’t want to be here.

Being rushed into the emergency room thinking something was terribly wrong was a pivotal moment for me. I was no longer who I was just twenty-four hours before. I allowed myself to start thinking and feeling differently. My curiosity grew and grew about who I was and what mattered most to me.

There were so many obstacles, disappointments, failures that I would have to face, but if I walked through it all without dumbing down or distracting myself, I would be a version of me I could have never dreamed of being. It would require what I admired in others; confidence, courage, and conviction.

I began unraveling the lies I told myself, the dissonance of what I thought versus what I did, ignoring red flags of behavior from my then-boyfriend, Prince Harming.

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE

Many of the women I speak with aren’t in such an obviously painful place. Life is good…enough. If this is as good as it gets, it’s not too bad. Ugh, my heart hurts when I hear this. We weren’t created to just get by in this one and only precious life of ours. The truth is life will change with or without intention. If we just keep going through the motions, something will inevitably come about and disrupt the uncomfortably numb.

And depending on our level of awareness, intention, flexibility, we will rise to meet the challenge or be reduced to more pain. The unavoidable events that lead to change will hurt us or help us. Another way to say that is our life experiences can harm us or heal us no matter how severe the event.

Would I have scripted the life I lived to learn and become the woman I am as a result of it? No. But I have so much gratitude in my heart for the lessons that I have learned.

There’s so much to be said about being emotionally, mentally, and physically in a state of calm, peace, and satisfaction that when these life-altering events happen, you won’t be impacted as much by the blow.

Let’s see if I can help demonstrate this better.

CONSIDER A SCALE

Let’s say how we are currently experiencing life rates on a scale from one to ten.

One feels miserable, and I hate my life.

Ten is LIFE IS GOOD, LIFE IS SO GOOD.

And your current rate of life is a five, and something unfavorable happens.

Where do you think your energy, thoughts, creativity, zest, vitality, problem solving, coping goes from at a five rating?

Notice what I suggest is being impacted when you are just getting by in life with a five.

I’m not talking about houses, cars, furniture, and other physical values. Your mental health, confidence, positivity, hopefulness, sense of freedom are the things that will take the hit. These are the things that support us in creating the physical benefits of life.

The more we feel good, the more we do, be, and attract, see, think goodness.

ALCOHOL WORKS

When we are “life isn’t too bad” state of being, we really can’t afford anything to disrupt our “it could be worse” life. But life is funny like that stuff happens, and we can go from a five to a three with one event, and alcohol is a perfect solution to soothe discomfort.

Alcohol is perfect for what it’s intended, forget, avoid, stop. Please don’t make alcohol the enemy, and don’t swear off it forever. Allow it to exist and focus on working from the inside out.

How do you want to feel?

Who do you want to be?

How do you want to live this one and only precious life of yours?

When you start focusing on these things, the need for alcohol shrinks, and the enthusiasm for life expands.

That’s Going After Life Sober – having a clear mind, open heart, and defined intention!

REACH OUT

I’m so happy you read this. I know it’s going to help you move forward. If you ever want to talk, I’m just a click away.

Much love,

Teresa Rodden

Sober Freedom is detaching from the language, labels, and programming to enable us to create a life we don’t want to miss.

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