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1/ A thread about what I've learned so far recovering in public...
I recently shared with my colleagues @riipen that I was 74 days sober (still #sober, btw) and recovering from years of substance use issues.
I recently shared with my colleagues @riipen that I was 74 days sober (still #sober, btw) and recovering from years of substance use issues.
2/ It's a scary thing to share, especially when the insecurities and doubts creep in. Not about my continued sobriety - about being known.
3/ Sharing my story with the people I spend most of my life with was important. It allowed them to see me as a whole person and created space for them to share their own.
4/ When I started trying to get (and stay) clean and sober a few years ago, I would have never imagined sharing my story in public. Certainly not in my professional life.
5/ Every new week brought with it the genuine fear that whatever good thing I was doing - personally or professionally - would ultimately be ruined by decisions I had made the weekend before.
6/ I was terrified that my behaviour would ultimately result in me being entirely alone, and yet, I was seemingly doing everything in my power to make that fear become my reality.
7/ Those two things are not disconnected - the reason I continued to relapse and the reason I chose to struggle alone in the darkness. That's the strange thing about recovery.
8/ If you can't articulate what makes it different this time, it's a tough, if not impossible, hill to climb. Because you're very likely focused on the wrong thing - effect, not cause.
9/ Asking for help and sharing my story has been terrifying. Still, it has allowed me to take accountability for my actions and triggered a tsunami of positive momentum in my life.
10/ Most importantly, I no longer have a personal and a professional life. I just have a life.
11/ I've started to rebuild relationships with family and friends, and with their help, I am beginning to understand how I landed here and how best to move forward.
12/ My teammates (from the CEO on down) and even some of our customers have offered their support and encouragement.
13/ And my new #ODW1 tribe @beondeck accepted and welcomed me, and have providing enormously thoughtful feedback on my journey and #writing.
14/ This is uncomfortable, even painful at times. But that's the good stuff; the truly great stuff. I've said it many times over the past couple of months, and will keep saying it.
15/ I regret many things in this life, but telling the truth about who I am will never be one of them. So if you're reading this and want to join me, my DMs are open, or you can sign up at http://recoverinpublic.com .
One day at a time. #ODAAT
One day at a time. #ODAAT
