What these meditation experiences have impressed upon me is the power of the mind to heal itself through its ability to create powerful visualizations. Through these we are able to make peace with all kinds of things we didn’t even realize we were still dealing with.
Firstly, self care is not selfish. Consider this: how can you reasonably take care of others who depend on you if you can’t/don’t take care of yourself? The answer is, you can’t. Not for long anyway before everything starts to fall apart.
Being sober is about more than not drinking or drugging. It’s about creating a new lifestyle for yourself, your friends (old and new), and family. This sober lifestyle will include new activities, hobbies, and social situations. You’ll do more, you’ll learn more, and you’ll live your best life. Sure sobriety is not side effect free, but sobriety’s side effect sure beat the alternative.
Sure, I had read articles about how meditation slowed brain aging, calmed anxiety, and helped those who practiced it to be more mindful, grateful, and present, but was it for me? Could it help me with my gray area drinking problem? That’s what I really wanted to know. If it could do that, anything else it provided would be a bonus.