The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

addiction

  • mechanics of Journaling RPG and the subconscious processing of my alcoholism

    Yes, it’s cosmic horror again. I am just about to finish my first three short stories, and one is, I think, one of the more obvious processing of alcoholism. As I said, I use Cosmic Horror as a vehicle to tap into subconscious processes of my addiction, and in the case of the upcoming short… Read more

  • My recovery is political after all…

    I try to be as little politcal as possible in this blog, yes. I will not blame political right or left, nor do I want to nameshame certain politicians or spread political views. But I would like to comment on certain developments, political and societal, which really tick me off in terms of having turned… Read more

  • extreme choices, extreme emotions – how to cope without a single drop of rum?

    Sometimes it’s hard to determine (in terms of heartfelt instances) if living in extremes was there before alcohol or the other way around: When I quit drinking, my hope was, a bit, to leave the life of dichotomous choices or emotional spikes and dips, a life of black-and-white thinking, whatever you may want to call… Read more

  • Community; like minded people, same disorder, different core – exchange as best form of Therapy

    This may sound like a no-brainer, but in my opinion and my experience, it is not so easy finding THE right community. I have tried different approaches, but none has been so successful like my most recent attempt, which, actually, I was getting into couple of weeks ago, but only now I actually realized the… Read more

  • After half a year of cutting back and sobriety – Am I bulletproof yet?

    The longer I work on my sobriety, the more loose ends come up of which I sometimes have the feeling that it all is either too much to work on, or that it is too much I think I need to do to have a successful recovery. But is all that really necessary? A two… Read more

  • Being strict with sobriety but not with other addictive behaviour

    Something that has been on my mind for a while now is the question why it seems to be no bigger issue for me to deal with other habit loops and/or addictive behavior in a moderate and sensible way while with alcohol I can’t. I won’t get into too much detail for toxic habits and/or… Read more

  • Alcoholism is a spectrum. Here’s why.

    Yesterday I reflected on the question when an addiction is actually an addiction, and apart from the “objective” diagnosis you get from a doctor or therapist, it is mostly up to you to define and feel if you have an addiction. I was neither diagnosed nor had I a distinct conversation with people who told… Read more

  • Reward vs quick fix

    Will I never doom scroll again? Or have a beer? Or buy something stupid on Amazon? The answer is (in the correct order): Maybe, no, yes. Here’s why: Doom scrolling has nothing of worth to me in terms of a reward in terms of “Oh, I have had such a stressful day, I am going… Read more

  • The quick fix is not the problem – addiction is

    We all have this from time to time – indulging in little sins to please a craving. Be it chocolate, gaming, social media, buying something, a small treat – you name it. I think the problem is not pleasing a little craving once in a while. It’s a little dopamine spike that can sweeten your… Read more

  • Luck or Mindset – what is my label for individual success and failure?

    It all comes down to your own inner narratives. And these narratives determine your mindset and thus your life. Of course, our beliefs are strongly determined by our education in early life, but the good news is, we can change these mindsets. Suffering from the imposter syndrome? I did. Before changing my job, I had… Read more