We all know the holidays can be a rough part of the year, especially in sobriety. Over the next week or so I'll be primarily discussing holiday gloom and how to deal with it. Personally, holidays aren't quite as bad as say, a random Tuesday, but for a lot of people they're a pain. If you have trouble around the holidays feel free to say what your biggest issue is, and if you don't, feel free to say why it's not a big deal. For me it isn't a big deal because I drank every single moment of every single day so holidays weren't a big occasion or anything. I'd black out at 3pm on Thursday so I just pile holidays into the weekly routine.

Honesty with yourself through sobriety is important, and the biggest thing you need to know is that you most likely didn't lead an "exciting" life so much as you lead a noisy life dressed up as excitement. Being sober doesn't stop the fun in its tracks, it makes you feel who you are as a person and embrace your true emotions. One of my favorite things about my journey through sobriety has been that it forced me to find things I actually, genuinely enjoy. Not drinking my feelings and life away has forced me to actually show up to my life. Here's an example: I've always loved the outdoors, I grew up hiking and camping and generally just being outside. As my alcohol problem got worse I still wanted to do these things, and that's how my "hiking" turned into me getting drunk outside somewhere. If your life seems boring now, that isn't a sobriety issue - that's a rebuilding phase and it takes a lot of patience. You're learning who you really are and who you used to be without some dark cloud blocking it. Give it time, sometimes it feels quiet and boring and lonely but those are the best times for reflection and silence. Don't get down, you got this.

Hi everybody! My name is Mitch and I'm currently in recovery for alcohol among other things. Alcohol was always the biggest issue in my life, it practically ran everything I did. In 2022 I put myself in the hospital with alcohol-induced pancreatitis and then the next year I had an alcohol induced seizure and another round of pancreatitis. Through all the highs and lows and struggles I still get behind a bar every day and serve drinks. I am a sober bartender and hope to share my experiences and knowledge with anyone who needs it, and also learn some things along the way. Feel free to comment or open discussion on anything at all related to your personal recovery. Everyone goes through sobriety differently, can't wait to meet everyone! Cheers!

Let's be honest, the middle of the week kinda sucks. But who cares? I used to wake up every single day with my heart pumping through my chest, dehydrated, and rummaging around for another shot off my nightstand. What I'm getting at is that regardless of the day, we've definitely willingly put ourselves through worse.