Reason to Celebrate. I have this friend and his name is Chris T. If you are looking for Chris today, you will find him at his factory where he is the CEO of a prosperous company. I meat him in 2010 when he was bouncing in and out of treatment. Two weeks ago, Chris T celebrated 7 years of recovery.
What does celebration mean and how do we translate it into the life we now live.
1: to perform a sacrament or solemn ceremony publicly and with appropriate rites
2: to honor an occasion, such as a holiday, especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business
b: to mark something, such as an anniversary, by festivities or other deviation from routine
Before you and I came to recovery, it was not often or regular that we had reason to celebrate. Even when we did, it was usually short lived. After that, the reality of the direction our addiction was taking us brought us back to earth. Once again, we were faced with the consequential life that our behavioral choices had brought us to. One of the most wonderful things I learned about recovery was the element of celebration. Baked into the cake of the recovery plan was celebration. I remember coming into the rooms of AA and being given a welcome chip. Those who were there when I arrived decided to celebrate my arrival. Where I came from, people did not celebrate my arrival. I trained them to be very cautious and concerned by it. As I learned more of the 12 Step Program, I learned that I could celebrate One Day at a Time. After that, I found out they wanted to give me a chip to celebrate 30 days of continual recovery. All the time we were celebrating ODAAT.
Then came the celebration for 60, 90, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and so on. It seemed that I was being transported for a place where celebrating was temporary to a life where celebrating could be a light on the path to the rest of my life. I decided then and there to never leave.
What does celebrating bring to us?
- A daily reminder that we have a new life
- An energy that is encouraging to us
- A place to live for the rest of our lives
Let’s live in the celebration of what we have been given. I have found that those who celebrate find ways to enjoy life to the fullest. I hope to see you there.
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Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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