Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

September 3, 2018

Sobriety is about what you don’t do. Recovery is about what you do.

Some people think of sobriety and recovery as the same thing.  This is simply not true.  Sobriety is about what you don’t do.  You don’t drink, or gamble, or look at porn, or take drugs, or whatever your addictive behavior may be.  You can be successfully sober and your life can still be in chaos.   Unlike sobriety, recovery is about what you do.  Acknowledging your mistakes.  Making amends.  Balancing family and work life.  Meditating.  Connecting with and trusting your higher power.  Sobriety rarely resolves chaos.  Recovery always does.

When have I focused on “not doing” and ignored the “doing” part?   When has my life been in chaos even though I was successfully sober?  What gifts await me as I continue to hold my sobriety boundaries and actively “do” recovery?