The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

health

  • Effectively utilizing ADHD – can I make a powerful weapon out of Hyperfocus and the RAS?

    I have now been diagnosed with ADHD for a week, and yesterday was the definite and final diagnosis result interview. If I am going into medication, more coaching, psycho education or whatever it will be, I don’t know as of now. But I know one thing for sure: I will be trying to find different… Read more

  • Recap of 6 months of cutting back and quitting – what are my takeaways from the past for the next 6 months (+)

    Although it has not been 6 full months of complete sobriety, the beginning of my journey started actually with cutting back (severely) on my drinking. In this post, I will have a look at the quantitative and qualitative aspects of my recovery journey and what implications the results of this recap have for my future… Read more

  • It’s official – I have ADHD. Is this a reason to cry or to celebrate?

    There are some situations in your life you long for to have clarity about, and then, when it happens, you are not quite sure what to make out of it. Make no mistake, I am really relieved to have finally a factual diagnosis. I only thought it would be clearer to me if it gave… 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

  • Music and the Savage Drooling Beast – Or so…

    Here goes the drooling dog again. Let’s speak a little bit about conditioning ourselves and using the power of reframing music for the good cause. To be less cryptic: I talked about the effect of music on my emotional state. That is nothing new and, in itself, there is nothing to add to. But what… Read more

  • Meatless March – when good intentions get (probably) too much… Evaluating cognitive distortion

    What is cognitive distortion, to clarify things unknown first? To quote Wikipedia: “A cognitive distortion is a thought that causes a person to perceive reality inaccurately due to being exaggerated or irrational. Cognitive distortions are involved in the onset or perpetuation of psychopathological states, such as depression and anxiety.” Depression? – Check, Anxiety? – Check. Ok. So, what is this post about?… Read more

  • End of Feb reflection – When is a good intention a bad intention?

    February has ended, and the question is: how did I fate with a good intention over a month’s span? It’s interesting how a good intention that feels very sensible and motivating can become a hassle, because you think you are still motivated to fulfill the good intention but in the end, the whole idea starts… Read more

  • How to tap into emotionally loaded memories – in a nutshell.

    Of course, this list is not exhaustive, because I guess there are a lot more techniques that I could use. And since I am not coaching, but only sharing my experience here, I will describe five short techniques that help me tap into the memories and emotional states I want to unlock in order to… Read more

  • The feelgood implications of Nostalgia and Drooling

    There might be a feeling arising that there is some dissonance in the picture or the imagination, that a drooling dog and a man indulging in old memories may have to do something with improving my mental health, but even though the poles may be very far apart, they have something in common. They bridge… Read more

  • Redundancies, repetitions and contradictions

    In the course of time, there may be certain posts or passages that seem to be very much not in line with the rest of my thoughts and insights. Well, as I wrote before, these are complex times along the way to recovery. And since I am on the way deeper and deeper into the… Read more