Writing is a habit. If you want to be a writer, then you must write. There is no point in thinking you are going to be hit by some bolt of creative lightning sometime in the future. It doesn’t happen that way. A few weeks ago I went to see the Irish Author John Banville speak at a festival. I got to ask him what secret habits he had to help him write.
“I write…there is no secret, no techniques. It is hard work.”
There It was for me. There are no secrets or tricky techniques when you start out. It is hard work. You must be consistent and you must put the yards in. If you think someone else is going to do it for you, then you are delusional. If you think it is going to be easy then you will be sorely disappointed.
The same applies to being sober. If you want to be sober then you must be sober. And being sober doesn’t just suddenly happen to you one day. It takes thought and effort and hard work. There are no secrets to it. There are no hidden mysteries.
I’ve been sober for almost 5 years straight. I had one or two last hurrah sessions before finally pulling the plug on drinking and drugs. It was not easy, but has opened up my life in a way which I could not have seen before. Being sober does not mean you become a bore, or someone to avoid. It is a time to celebrate the simple things in life.
I did it on my own. I had the support of my wife and friends and I trooped on. I worked a lot on my mindset and I eliminated certain aspects of my life which dragged my down. It was a lot of hard work, but five years later it has certainly been worth it.
Doing it on your own is not for everyone. There are lots of groups who help people with addiction issues. A quick google will get you a multitude of people in your area who can help you. One of those who I have become familiar with over the last year is Recovery Walk Ireland (RWI).
RWI is a yearly walk which takes place in Dublin, Ireland and is a celebration for all those people who are recovering from some form of addiction.
The event includes a symbolic 1km walk along the River Liffey in Dublin’s city centre and aims to be accessible to everybody regardless of age or fitness level. The walk ends in the ‘Recovery Village’, a fun-filled area which provides entertainment and refreshments for all ages. The event will take place on Saturday 20 September 2014 in the Wood Quay Amphitheatre space beside the Dublin Civic Centre.
The guys who run RWI have put together an Indegogo campaign and are trying to raise funds to ensure the day runs as planned. So far they have raised almost 20% of their campaign. Please do all us addict nut jobs a favour and check out their campaign, get involved and if you know anyone who is suffering at all, let them know about it.
Click on the link below and find out more 🙂