Monday, December 13, 2010

Can I Be Comfortable Without the Chaos?

I am taking a break from reliving past experiences today and looking at my present situation.  Everything should be in order and I should be happy and content right?  Well the fact of the matter is I am completely bored. 
I remember when I first entered recovery and I constantly had to be on the go.  I couldn't sit still for two minutes at a time.  In order to break myself of this, I chose one day a week where I would not allow myself to leave the house, not even to go the store.  This helped me learned to be comfortable with just being me and learning to sit still even if it was just one day a week.
Now, I am in a situation where I rarely leave the house.  I don't have many pressing matters that can't be handled from home and my lack of transportation contributes to this. 
Here's the heart of the matter:  My bills are paid, I have a warm place to stay with electricity, running water(I am extremely grateful for this), food in  my refrigerator, heat and a wonderful puppy to keep me company.  I no longer have to hustle everyday in order to enjoy just one of these benefits.  I no longer have to worry about being taken advantage of by people who I thought were my friends.  Don't get me wrong I don't miss the lifestyle of an active drug addict.  It's just that this new life is foreign and slightly uncomfortable for me.
As I was watching TV I saw a beer bottle that was distinctly a Grolsch beer bottle and remembered saving the tops to use them for roach holders.  It didn't make me feel like using as it might have a year ago but the memories remain.  I still drink sugar water when I run out money and have no juice or pop left in the house and that in itself brings back memories too.
If you were never an addict and are reading this you might think I am either crazy or ungrateful.  Crazy? maybe at least my doctors tell me so but I am on my medications so my craziness is not the issue. Ungrateful?  Definitely not.  I give thanks and praise every day to my Higher Power for allowing the opportunity of choice.  I remember when I did not have a choice and am so grateful today that I do have a choice and with my Higher Powers help I usually make the right choices.
The problem still exists though that I am bored.I have all the movie channels and have either already seen the movies I want to for this month or I don't want to see the others.  Tasia is a great companion but  she can't entertain me 24 hours a day.There was quite a bit of a snowstorm last night so walking anywhere is out of the question, along with the fact of my back problems prohibit me from walking too far anyway.  I play on the computer for awhile but there is no instant reply many times and I miss social interaction.
I used to be surrounded by people although they were mostly bad people for me I had some one to scheme with or get high with or complain with.
I do not want this to be seen as a pity pot posting because that is not my intention.  I think it is important to point out that adjusting to sober life is difficult.  Sure getting high was difficult, it was a job you never went home from or took a coffee or lunch break from, but new experiences need to be recognized for what they are.
I was the person who thrived on chaos and pressure and currently neither of these entities are in my life.I tell myself it's OK to lay down and take a nap, but then I feel like I've been asleep for many years and am just waking up; I don't want to miss anything.
Learning to be comfortable while being comfortable is proving to be quite a task for me right now.  I am sure other recovering addicts have gone through this same experience and as the book says this too will eventually pass.  Point is, I am ready for it to pass now.
So here I am taking things one day at a time, and re-learning how to live.  I am sure there are many non-addicts who would be envious of all the free time I have on my hands the problem is I am not sure what to do with it.  I read, but my ADD doesn't allow me to focus on one book for very long so I have several books that I am a various points in and when I pick one up I have to recall which story it is and what has already happened.  As I stated earlier I am getting pretty tired of TV and Tasia, my angel/puppy helps but is not the answer.  I have joined facebook, blogger.com and twitter all trying to fill the void.
My sponsor told me to fill the void with spirituality.  I look to my Higher Power quite frequently but still have problems waiting for the answers.  It's not like I can talk and get an instant response with my Higher Power.  I read spiritual books but again my ADD interferes.
I feel as if I am living the life of a senior citizen and I am only 39.  My body puts me in the condition of a senior citizen many times because of the pain.  I have no job, as I am on disability for my bi-polar disorder that was diagnosed when I was 17, long before I started smoking crack.
Part of me misses the adventure and chaos and part of me says thank you to my Higher Power for not having to put up with adventure and chaos.  Basically, as it says in the first step I am lost and confused.  I feel different.
Learning to cope with a comfortable life does not seem to me like it should be such a huge obstacle.  Yet, everyday I feel like I am missing out on something.  Like there are adventures to be had and I am not invited.
I know I will get through this feeling but writing about it helps.  It makes me think I need more friends but then I think How do I go about doing that?  It's not like in elementary school when you could just walk up to someone and say "want to be my friend?" and they said "OK" and that was that.
Being semi-home bound(because of pain and lack of transportation) makes making new friends a difficult task.  I thought about trying to make friends with my new neighbors however no one lives in either house next to me and I'm not sure how far down the street etiquette allows you to go say "I am your neighbor and would like to be friends."
So the good thing is I am comfortable and I will learn eventually to be comfortable being comfortable.  I am just not in that spot right now.  That's why there are tomorrows however I am getting impatient.  I am grateful I have this medium to express my feeling and emotions and hope my posts help others too.
I checked the site stats the other day and this blog has reached Norway, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Canada, Bangladesh, and many places in the United States.  This lets me know my message is getting out and I look to my readers as friends right now.  I have met some extremely kind and wonderful people here and this is a journey I wish to continue.I enjoy reading all your comments and try to respond to them all so please keep reading and keep commenting.  This is something that helps me to be comfortable.

2 comments:

  1. Oh wow! I hear what you're saying :D Bet your sponsor would say this ---> "you're right where you're supposed to be"...lol

    Sounds like you are doing a fabulous job of living a manageable life. Keep patting yourself on the back for that. You are worthy of a good life, a home, a pet, love, your needs, community, participation, health, safety, the list goes on. You are worthy because

    You were born worthy.

    And that is Grace.

    Also sounds like you might be reaching a place where you realize you have some Space. Space is wonderful, because even when we're at the boo-rattly place of not knowing what to do with ourselves, the Space means something will come in. Keep your eye's peeled.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. PS, was thinking about your question posed in the title of your piece. Maybe the answer is that you already are...you just haven't noticed yet ;)

    Happy to have discovered your blog. You're not just telling your story, you're telling alot of other peoples too. :)

    Namaste

    ReplyDelete