I was recently given a ten line writing challenge and present that request and the results here. The timing is interesting as I was in the process of editing and trimming the four page essay on recovery, anger, and emotion referenced at the end of Milestones. I’m not sure that I answered the questions very well, but it was an interesting and difficult assignemt for a gasbag like me. The ten line spacing parameters are based on a standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ slice of paper.
What does the 10 years of sobriety anniversary mean?
Why is it important?
How does a non-alcoholic understand?
At ten years of sobriety, all the physical craving for alcohol is long gone, and I’ve established many new and successful behavior patterns, rather than using alcohol as a “solution” for my problems. This distance from the destructive behaviors of my drinking life, and honest self-reflection about it helped me recognize that I still have a lot of work to do. The anger I feel as a near constant pulse inside is not good. Recently learning that this anger is most likely tied to unaddressed and likely undiscovered pain has been revelatory. The anniversary is important because I still think about it. I believe that if I can sort out the anger and pain that led me to abuse alcohol, the date itself and what it has represented will lose that sense of importance, in the same way that my birthday doesn’t “mean” anything to me beyond a methodology to mark time.