The Benefits of Recovery
Rev Leo Booth
Unity minister, published author and conference speaker
I was speaking for a recovery group over the weekend and a young woman with three years came over and said “Leo, I’ve just bought a new car.”
“What make of car is it?” I asked.
“A Mercedes. It’s the first new car I’ve ever owned. A gift in my sobriety.”
We laughed. And then I went out to the car park and saw her beautiful white Mercedes. I sat in the passenger seat and we both smelled the newness. There is nothing like the smell of a new car.
"Let’s be clear: alcoholics who are drinking have tragic lives. Period. They are unable to smell the roses. They are dying in life…and the family and loved ones get to watch!"As I drove home I began to ask myself the question: Why would an alcoholic want to get sober? I think it’s an important question because, if I’ve understood the facts correctly, most alcoholics do not get sober. Or want to get sober. Or see a need to get sober. And yet a few, a precious few, do embrace recovery.
It is important to state that I’m really talking about the alcoholic in this article…although what is written here might equally apply to the heavy drinker. What is the difference between an alcoholic and a “heavy drinker?” Well, I suppose another article could be written on this very subject. It’s not an easy question to answer. Many people have died early in life trying to prove that they were really “heavy drinkers’ not alcoholics! Personally, I find the First Step of AA incredibly helpful for me; when a person is experiencing a feeling of powerlessness and their lives are undeniably unmanageable…that is my template for being alcoholic.
Why should an alcoholic want to get sober? For a Mercedes! Well, that’s not a bad reason. However, the Mercedes is a template for “the good life.” Most alcoholics (and drug addicts) live in a cloud of boredom, exchanging life for existence. Many are living hand to mouth; whatever money they do have goes towards drinking. But even if they have a job and money in the bank, the excitement of life is drained away by the slow progression of alcoholism. Whatever there lifestyle might be it would be enhanced should the alcoholic cease to drink.
Money is misspent. Even when I’ve asked the “high end” alcoholics how they lived when they were drinking I’ve heard that they were prisoners in their luxurious homes. Not really enjoying what they have…rarely going for an evening ride in their beautiful car. Indeed, most alcoholics rarely walked in their garden, or took a swim in their pool or played with their grandchildren. Only the very few would be excited about the smell of their new car! Existence is exchanged for life.
Another major benefit is health. It is easy to generalize about the health challenges of the alcoholic but they are surely immense. Remember, I’m talking about alcoholism. The regular drinker might have a few drinks in the evening and some doctors have suggested this could be good for their health…no doctor has ever suggested that alcoholic drinking is good for your health.
And when I say health I’m not just thinking physical, but also mental and emotional sicknesses that are directly related to their alcoholic consumption.
Let’s be clear: alcoholics who are drinking have tragic lives. Period. They are unable to smell the roses. They are dying in life…and the family and loved ones get to watch!
Why would an alcoholic want to get sober? Hello? Isn’t it obvious? Isn’t it common sense? There is no comparison between the life of an alcoholic who is getting sober, one day at a time and the alcoholic who is still drinking; no comparison.
So, what are the benefits of sobriety?
- You get a chance to enjoy the money that you earn. If you have no job, in sobriety you stand a much better chance of getting and keeping a job. For most of us work is the gateway to prosperity. With the money we are able to earn and save we can buy a Mercedes, enjoy the home we live in, purchase a better property, go on a vacation…sobriety enhances our life-style.
- When we get sober our health inevitably improves immediately. We feel better because we are no longer toxic; we have put down the jug of poison. Our health improves; we eat regularly, take evening walks, return to the gym, rest and sleep at night. Mentally we know what we are doing and saying; we enjoy the precious gift of memory. Oh yes, and we begin to feel our feelings…expressing them when appropriate. Healthy living is life.
- We reconnect with our friends and family. The crazy episodes are over. Children feel appreciated. Loved ones are respectful. Friendships are deepened.
Have I said anything about spirituality? To my way of thinking all the above benefits are spiritual…and God is smiling with a gentle satisfaction.
Reverend Leo Booth is a Unity minister, a published author and conference speaker. He is the Spiritual Advisor to Sante Center for Healing in Argyle, TX. For more information, please visit his website: www.fatherleo.com. Email him at fatherleo@fatherleo.com.