The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

  • Insights of hands free February, pt 1

    The first quarter of February has passed, and I am quite happy with my interim result. Although I had already deleted all of my Social Media accounts, it became still obvious, that taking out my smartphone on every occasion I felt a vibration resulted in a micro spike of happiness, and leaving the mobile phone… Read more

  • Next Level authenticity

    Well, it’s not only about authenticity, but authenticity makes the most important aspect of the next stage of my recovery journey. Authenticity does not mean to me that I need an excuse to be rude to people by saying them exactly what I think or that I am declining anything that doesn’t suit my needs.… Read more

  • I never tried only “cutting back”, but why?

    In the beginning, when starting with the Reframe App, it sounded so good, drinking controlled with a habit tracker to tell you when you overstepped. I tried it out, but a couple of things stopped me from proceeding, and this is a general problem I see in temporary breaks from drinking as well: That was… Read more

  • Why writing a Blog is good, but not enough

    This is a pretty personal insight, and it may not correspond with other people’s views about how to deal with sobriety or recovery, but my goes as follows: Starting with the Reframe App was a pretty good start, but after two weeks of reducing alcohol intake, I felt it was not enough. I had the… Read more

  • Flow, hyperfocus, procrastination and alcohol

    Today I want to focus on a more complex topic, but it has been on my mind ever since I have been in ADHD diagnostics, and it is, by the way, an important topic for my work, although alcohol is more an addendum less related to my work. First off: What is flow. Simply and… Read more

  • Am I boring or am I bored

    I guess in earlier periods in my life, I would have answered the question as follows: As long as I stick to expectations of my peers, family and co-workers, I am likely not to be boring, even though I might be bored. A classic situation would be going to a club or a disco, where… Read more

  • Too many good Habits = Overload?

    Good habits is what makes up a good, successful life. I think… I thought. Well, yes. It’s true. But bear in mind the proverb by Paracelsus: The dose makes the poison. When I was in the Pink Cloud I made a had a lot of good intentions I wanted to implement in my life. I… Read more

  • My midlife crisis – Or is It…?

    When my mid – 40s hit, I had the feeling something went horribly wrong in my life. I hated my job, approached my third burnout and I had the feeling I had taken the wrong turn somewhere in my life, although I have always told myself and everybody I wasn’t into a materialistic lifestyle. Interestingly,… Read more

  • Toxic positivity in consumerism vs real life improvement

    I recently listened to commercials on the radio, and it suggested to “live your dreams” and “be individualistic” and “free your mind”, “be yourself”. It sounded like some sort of lifestyle coaching tips, but in the end it was only an advertisement for a car, an SUV, that superficially suggests an independent lifestyle, outdoors, with… Read more

  • Hands free February – alcohol and devices

    Ok, I am in Recovery. So far so good. Why am I writing about a concept like Phone free February, that has been well established, but with a different name and with the supplementary „alcohol“? It’s about the hands. Initially, Phone Free February is about digital detox. Yes, this is my intention as well, but… Read more