The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

  • Outdoor activities to Beat Winter Blues

    Winter Blues. I talked about that yesterday. Especially in the dark evening and morning hours I find it hard to find anything good about the winter time. When additionally there is grey in grey ahead in the sky, the mood goes rock bottom very quickly. Outdoor activities have, since beginning of this year, becoming a… Read more

  • Why I hate the winter time – and how to deal with it

    Sometimes it just strikes you down from behind like a thug with a log. From one day to the next, all the decisions you made, all the new habits accumulated, all the good things that have happened to me seem like dust in the wind. Then something like a depression pushes you down, aggravated by… Read more

  • Addiction and psychic Disorders

    I have long wondered, why people with depression, ADHD, anxiety disorders or OCDs tend to be more likely to have an alcohol addiction. I, for myself, have an anxiety disorder. I can’t explain in detail why me or other people tend to have the problem with addiction, but one thing is for sure: Alcohol only… Read more

  • Job Identity and Drinking

    When you are so used to drinking after hours it can be hard getting into the workflow after vacation without booze. Let me explain. Daniel Schreiber, a German journalist and author, wrote that we pursue rather a “work – and – drinking” – balance instead of a “work – life” – balance. I don’t think… Read more

  • The Power of reaching out

    Just a short note today: Whenever you have the feeling it gets all too much, it very much helps to write, of course. In a blog, or, preferably, handwritten in your diary. Reflecting is great and can be a great deal in recovery. What is an absolute gamechanger is reaching out, however. Find a community,… Read more

  • When it can be helpful not giving a F*ck.

    This is a general issue, in this post I want to make a short notice on the way it affects your sobriety. Imagine an evening with a social situation, say, a family gathering or a party. You have been dry for a couple of weeks or months and try to maintain sobriety, but you are… Read more

  • Normalising sobriety

    I am in good hope to having reached a new state of sobriety and in this state studying my feeling of getting resistent to alcohol temptations: By New Year’s Eve, I realised that something severely interesting had happened to the way I was watching alcohol. When I attended the Holiday Party of my company or… Read more

  • The Great New Year’s Cleanup

    Do I need new New year’s resolution or a renewal of good intentions? And (either way), how sincere are these intentions? I, for my part, have come to the conclusion this year that I do not need new resolutions, because to me it feels like restarting the same old sh*t all over again. It feels… Read more

  • But what if I am proactive and I get stuck…?

    Being proactive is king. But it won’t also be easy to always keep up with your good habits and intentions. Sometimes there will be obstacles in your way. The question will be, how to deal with the obstacles. First, let’s have a look at certain obstacles that may be in your way: This is not… Read more

  • Proactive vs reactive. How a prefix determines your fate

    An interesting aspect of addiction and depression or anxiety disorders has (at least from my point of view) a lot to do with your own initiative. What do I mean with that? In various blogposts, coaching contributions and podcasts, as well as as in my own work and my own addiction, there is one common… Read more