Mar 15, 2017 | By Tim Stoddart

What’s Your Why? What Motivates Your to Stay Sober?

Recovery

If I asked you what motivates you to stay sober? What would you say??

Well, this morning I went to Facebook to ask just that. Here are some of the answers I got.

As you can see, there are many different answers to such a loaded question.

I find that in a lot of recovery circles, there seems to be a strange unwillingness to admit that we get sober so that we can live better lives. For instance, if I were to tell you that I got sober so I could…

  1. Travel the world
  2. Find a great job where I can make more money
  3. Prove other people wrong about me who used to call me a loser or a “junkie”

What would you think about me? Would you think I was being selfish? or self-seeking? or unspiritual?

There’s No Right or Wrong Answer

This is a topic I want to bring up simply because I find it interesting. Many people get sober because they want to be of service to their fellow man and I think that’s wonderful.

I am saying that it is okay to give yourself permission to get sober so that you can get your life back. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Sobriety brings us peace and serenity and most of all, IT GIVES US OPTIONS!

Now you can actually go do the things that you would talk shit about with your friends on a barstool.

I’ll give you an example. In just the last few months, I went to Utah on an amazing snowboarding trip with my best friends. It was truly the trip of a lifetime. See?

In April, I am going to Vegas with those same friends for a bachelor party. (Don’t worry we’ve done this before, no one relapsed lol) In May, I plan on going to Boston as a birthday present to myself. In June, I’m going to Sea Isle, New Jersey for a family vacation.

Do you think any of this would be possible if I didn’t have my recovery? No way!

It’s Okay to be a Little Selfish

Notice I said a little selfish?

For me, sobriety is not about taking and taking. It’s about giving. It’s about accepting this gifts that have been given it to me and sharing them with as many people as I can. The paradox is that giving is also the best way to receive. You get what you give.

So it’s okay to admit that sometimes your sobriety is about you. Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to say out loud that “I have worked hard on my recovery and today I am going to treat myself.”

If you are waiting for permission, here it is.

BUT… This is not an excuse to start being a jerk. If you continue to spread good energy in the world, if you continue to give back and be a light in other people’s lives I promise you will receive blessings that you didn’t think you deserved. I continue to be amazed with how much love I have in my life and sometimes I ask myself what I did to deserve it.

The truth is, it’s not about what I deserve. It’s about action. I TOOK THE ACTION required to live a happy life, and because of that, I feel perfectly comfortable admitting that I want to live a happy, healthy, prosperous life. I also want to share it with as many people as possible.

That’s how it works.

Don’t Take Things so Seriously

In case you were wondering, I have been thinking about this subject because of some real life experiences I have been observing. If none of this article has applied to your life, then this message just isn’t for you and that’s cool.

But here is ultimately what I am trying to say…

Sobriety and recovery are about happiness. It is about purpose, and enjoying the journey. It is about faith and love and harmony and I want to see as many people smile in their recovery as possible.

So sometimes when I see people who get sober and become so serious and stringent on their purpose in their recovery, I get a little bummed out.

Do all the service you want, but don’t forget to take some time for yourself.

What is your why? Why did you get sober?

It’s perfectly okay to answer “because I want to be happy and life a good life.”

So here it is… here is the moment I have been waiting for. I want to know your why. I want to know what you aspire to be in your recovery and what it is that keeps you motivated to stay sober a day at a time. Don’t be embarrassed or reluctant. No dream is too big and no dream is too small. This is for you! Leave your comments below!

21 responses to “What’s Your Why? What Motivates Your to Stay Sober?”

  • Sarah K

    8 years ago

    Reply

    So I don’t die is a big one, but equally important is being able to get back into full time work, so that I’ll have the money to travel.

  • Michelle F.

    8 years ago

    Reply

    So that I can finally like, and possibly, love myself.

  • Mike C (Coach Mike)

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I’ve never had it so good!!!! ? I dream bigger, act better and most of all believe God has a plan. Huge thanks to all the men who have given me a different way to live.

  • Sysan

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I am sober for my mental and physical health. And being healthy I am happy and want to share that with ithers

  • Beth

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I love this article. I got sober because I wanted to like myself. I hated who I was. I was ashamed of my life and knew I was better than what I was showing the world and family. I am authentic today and truly love the person in the mirror..
    thanks for reminding me that it’s ok to be a little selfish !

  • Sharon

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I wanted to reclaim my life. I had a birthday and decided that I wanted to make the next 10 years the best years. I had spent decades in the grip of alcohol impacting on my behaviour motivation and ultimately making me unhappy. Sobriety is hard in an alcohol fuelled society but easy and surprisingly liberating. The question is why not sooner.

  • Dee Waddington

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Over 29 years ago, I found Women for Sobriety and after a year’s clean sobriety, I became a certified moderator. I learned to love myself, speak my voice, became empowered and recognized that my addiction was not my identity but the unhealthy way I coped to handle life. Learning to love myself was not easy, feeling adequate was even more of a challenge and to this day, I am just as enthusiastic and passionate about my sobriety as I was in 1988. What motivates me is twofold: I love being a moderator, giving women the tools for positive, healthy change (a year’s clean sobriety is required to moderate) and being grateful for the woman I have become – no turning back.

  • Frank Dietrick

    8 years ago

    Reply

    My brain is no longer hijacked and I can volunteer for causes I am passionate about.

  • Anthony gutillo

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I got sober because I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired and I realize I’m supporting terrorism hard to believe but its a fact every bag of heroin we buy funnels back to the terrorist 99.9% of heroin comes from Afghanistan there for do the math

  • Keith C

    8 years ago

    Reply

    What motivates me to stay sober is I don’t want to die. That was the direction I was heading. Watched my brother die of alcoholism and seen what it did to the family. It was horrible. I’m a also trying to get my license back. In doing that I can get a better job, check out more meetings and go to more sober functions. Not having a license really limits me in doing things to better myself. I know now that it is a privilege to have one. And I will always remember why I have not had one for 20 years.(dui’s). Just getting one day of sobriety at a time also really makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something as well. Life is good today. And can only get better for if I keep doing the next right thing!

  • Susie

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Sobriety has provided me with a true confidence that I thought alcohol could provide. I am living verses existing today with more awareness than I could have imagined. Relationships with those I love and care about are so much more meaningful. I can contribute to society and to those who are still suffering with this terrible disease.

  • Kelly

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Well, reason or reasons for my sobriety are, first and foremost my family. They are my inspiration and my motivation to be sober. I could not have been or be where I am today if I didn’t have them in my life.
    My other reason is myself! I am and can see how much of a different person I am being sober. It is a world of many opportunities and a clear mind and conscience,
    It is a great and rewarding experience to wake up every day and have peace of mind that I am clean and sober and not have to worry about the things I did or said to hurt anyone, especially myself drink after drink!

    If only we could reach people who are suffering and give them a crystal ball so they could see the future, health and happiness that awaits when they ditch the drink/drug they drag with them each day.

  • Catheine Miller

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I got sober after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer gives one pause. I was given a second chance at life and decided to get healthy and make changes. I entered rehab, earned a college certificate and started my own business. Life is a gift and I don’t want to waste it anymore. That’s what keeps me sober!

  • Laurisa

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Because I simply don´t want togo back to hell. I stayed there far too long.

  • Kathy Tremblay

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I, clearly want to continue my sobriety to keep enjoying my self discovery. I was under a intoxicated isolation of my self for almost 25 years. Now, my intoxication is the absolute need to get to know who I am. I can easily say it is not only amazing to go through this evolution but, incredibly fun a simple gratification I never knew could be. Some days are confusing and foreign but, if stay aware and extremely willing, it’s still growth. The growth, no matter how my feelings come to be, is my gift to myself and everything around me in that moment. After all, that’s all we really have. Those evolutions of moments!

  • John Macarchick

    8 years ago

    Reply

    I’ve been drunk and I’ve been sober. Sober’s better.

  • Jennifer Anderson

    8 years ago

    Reply

    Why did I get clean? Good question. I got clean because I didn’t think I had many days left living the life I was. I had too many ambulance rides to the ER .. my addiction almost took my life and I finally realized that I wanted more. I went to treatment and worked on rekindling the relationships I had lost with my family members. They’re the most important people in my life. I don’t have children but I had a 3 year old great niece at the time. Her mom who was like a daughter to me wanted nothing to do with me. I deserved it but it still broke my heart. Several months later her husband asked her what more could I do other than continue to stay clean. That was the ticket. I now have an awesome relationship with my entire family. I have been clean for 27 months and I couldn’t be happier. Gratitude oozes from my body. I just started H and I with NA at the treatment center where I started my life over. It’s time to start giving back. I’ve met a wonderful man in NA who has 26 years clean and we’re slowly taking our friendship to another level. I never believed life could be this amazing. NA keeps me grounded. I’m imperfectly perfect ?? and that’s all I need. I have an amazing sponsor I work the steps with. And I wouldn’t trade my life with anyone.
    The end ???.

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