Oscar Wilde declared, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist. That is all.” He saw how so many people wasted their lives pursuing something that was difficult to obtain and easily lost. Instead, he implored his readers to do one thing: live.
An active chemical dependence to drugs and alcohol is existing from one hit to the next. Anyone who has an addiction can tell you about that empty feeling. Addiction treatment centers and meetings echo with stories of how life didn’t seem worth living. But grabbing at that chemical high is not living. That is existing. Despite that feeling, or maybe because of it, many people have discovered how to truly live their lives.
Through recovery, millions of people have begun living. Not the empty motions that we see on TV, or the competitive distraction of keeping up with the Jones’s. People live in recovery. Because they know what it is to merely exist, people in recovery better grasp what it is to truly live. Anyone who is committed to their recovery lives each day with gratitude, resilience, and zest.
Living “one day at a time” doesn’t mean, “getting through the day.” It means living in the now, without the angst of pursuing what may never be. It means finding happiness in every moment, even the toughest ones. It means receiving guidance from the ones we love, and being a guide for those who love us. It means knowing that life is a great adventure.
How many people realize how precious living is? Few have a true awareness of how much of a struggle it is to simply get to tomorrow without going crazy. Addiction has made us savvy to the pain. Recovery allows us find happiness despite it. That is the true gift of recovery. Never mind the health, financial, and familial benefits. It is the realization of one thing: What a rare chance we have to live today.
If you are ready to learn how to live without drugs or alcohol, please contact Bradford Health Services 877-577-0012.
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