One of the unexpected bonuses of my sobriety has been the extra cash on hand. When I was in the throes of addiction I never gave too much thought to how much money I was spending on alcohol, not to mention the gas I used to hit up different liquor stores. At the end, before I put myself in rehab, it amounted to quite a bit. I was a daily drinker consuming AT LEAST ten dollars of alcohol per day. Usually more. Let's do the math. $10 per day times 365 days in a year. That was $3,650 per year…conservatively. Probably closer to five grand, or more if you count the cost of going out. That's a lot of dough.
So, what have I done since quitting drinking and having a little extra spending money? After spending a couple of years getting my sober feet under me, and making sure I had a solid foundation, I took a three week trip to Spain and Portugal last summer. I made sure to have "No bebe alcohol" down before I left. I was offered freebies several times, a couple of times through a booking site as a thank you at my hotels, and a few times while on tours. I graciously declined.
I got to see so many sights that had eluded me in active addiction, and splurge on accommodations and tours that left me awestruck. Did you know that hydrangeas grow wild on both sides of the road in the Azores? That Lisbon is so hilly they have elevators throughout the city? That Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is almost finished after 144 years of construction? What an absolute joy to be fully present for all of this. No fogginess, no hangovers.
I got back into skiing this year after a many-years-long hiatus; got some new gear and headed from New York to Beaver Creek, Colorado. It was, as they say, like riding a bike, but in about eight degree weather. My God it was cold! One of the absolute joys of both trips was that my daughter and her husband joined me for a while on both. Another positive about sobriety, way more than the cash aspect, is they want to hang out with me!
I basically torched my life before I finally got sober, but gradually rose from the smoking embers and slowly pieced it back together. The insane things I did before I got here are another story for another day. Just wanted to share something that I didn't see coming and how much joy I've encountered on this journey. It will be five years next month. Five years of finding my way and enjoying this amazing path with people I truly connect with on a deeper level than I've felt in the past, with a little more "brass in pocket."
Can't wait to see what's next.
— MBM