Compassion Is Key
“If willpower worked I would have been sober years ago!”
I am in recovery from decades of alcoholism and an obsession with wanting to drink all the time. It took me a very long time to become willing to surrender. Going back and forth between drinking and not drinking is part of my story. After four decades, I have many blackout anecdotes; if you drank or drink like I did, you can identify with me. If you are suffering, keep reading.
“Why can’t you just quit?” “Just stop.” “Where is your willpower?” These are a few examples of what people would say to me due to a complete lack of compassion or understanding of the mental obsession with alcohol. While most people suffer for a decade before finding help, I took a lot longer. I got a DUI at eighteen. I could have saved myself years of suffering had I gotten sober then, but my ego and my will would not surrender, even after a night in jail and everything that followed it. I would say I partied too hard. When you are eighteen, that is what you do, right? Wrong! I happened to know a lot of eighteen-year-olds who did not pass out at the wheel and almost kill someone. Drunk driving is irresponsible and immature. But in 1980, that is what my friends and I did. #Alcoholism.
Caring Compassion
Today I am a coach with a huge focus on recovery and healing. If you have read my previous posts, you know I created a ninety-day program. In my humble opinion, it takes at least ninety days to clear out the mental fog and really take a look at the wreckage drinking has caused.
I used to be a business coach, helping salespeople become top sellers. That is where I had tremendous success in my life: in sales and creating wealth. Despite all that success, I was suffering, as I wrote in “Suffering Quietly,” the chapter I contributed to a book called Here Comes the Sun: Step Up, Shine Your Light, and Share Your Brilliance. There was no amount of money or fame and no retreat, book, yoga class, or relationship that would stop me from drinking and suffering. That is a disease—worse, a mental illness.
Perhaps you have experienced the horror that comes from drinking: blackouts, waking up with horrible anxiety, memory loss, lack of really good sleep, health issues, brain fog, destroyed relationships, financial ruin, divorce, and even suicidal behavior.
Long-term addiction cannot be stopped by thirty days of not drinking or using or by changing your job or environment. Addressing long-term addiction takes willingness and brutal honesty. My ninety-day program is for clients who are sick and tired of being sick and tired and who are ready, today, to start a journey of compassion and healing for themselves. I offer different packages for different client needs. Some of my clients need to meet with me every day; others, once a week. I have clients who want me to travel with them as a sober companion and help guide them to the solution.
Compassion, Not Judgment
If I had a “normal” disease, I would be treated with sympathy and comfort. I’m sure people would offer to bring me meals and take me with them on walks, for example. That is not the case with addiction. I once had someone say to me very sternly at dinner, “I have no empathy for that!” That was our last dinner. Those are not my people; the last thing addicts need is someone judging them. We do plenty of that to ourselves as it is. I am a coach who offers sympathy, compassion, and comfort. I provide a safe place that is heart-centered and offers tremendous comfort and trust.
Why did I switch from being a business coach to being a recovery coach? I noticed that most of the problems my clients came to me with had something to do with addiction, whether to food, sex, social media, horrible relationships, or alcohol. The light bulb went on for me: fix the addiction first, and the business issues will resolve in a more organic way. Most of the time, the stress, confusion, and fear were caused by something outside of my client’s control. When we got brutally honest, the changes began to occur.
Click for Compassionate Care
Stop suffering quietly. Help is available. I’m offering you a complimentary session with me; get started for free with just a click. My mission is to provide a safe place to heal and get relief from all the wreckage. I want you to put your head on your pillow at night feeling safe, secure, and free. To follow me on this journey, you can sign up for my weekly blog and newsletter; follow me on social media, where I post videos about recovery; read my chapter in Here Comes the Sun (free for my subscribers); or book your complimentary call with me. My ninety-day program is set up to give you instant relief.
Compassion is key on the road to healing and recovery!
