Occupying your mind (and hands) with something other than your addiction is of prime importance in early recovery and beyond. And while I’ve adopted and grown to love several sober hobbies (journaling, guitar, gardening, exercise, etc), none has grabbed my attention quite as much as Numismatics.
When we work to accept impermanence we begin to realize that the past is already gone and the future is not guaranteed. So we stop giving the past and the the future so much of our attention. We stop living there. We embrace the present and savior it precious fleeting nectar.
In recent years, a new trend called “Cali Sober” has gained popularity, particularly among millennials and Gen Z. Cali Sober, short for “California Sober,” refers to a lifestyle where individuals abstain from hard drugs and alcohol. They still indulge in cannabis use.
I’m not only not losing this money anymore, but my vice money is actually paying me!
So, to recap. I was binge drinking and pot smoking away a conservative $4,200 a year. Then I sobered up. Now I’m taking that $4,200 in sober savings and investing it in my sober investment portfolio. And I already have a few thousand dollars stashed away.
If I’m able to keep this up for 20 years and match the S&P 500 benchmark, I’ll turn $0 into $84,000 and $84,000 into $356,431.15.