The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

life

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Insights true today maybe obsolete tomorrow – how I accept new beliefs without the urge of justifying

    When I quit drinking, I had the conviction that I could go on with my habits like before, only by shifting from alcoholic beverages to non alcoholic beverages, but the amount and the habits stayed the same. I thought that this would keep me from becoming boring in the eyes of other people. Plus, there… Read more

  • How to deal with people you don’t want in your sober life anymore – and vice versa.

    There were those days I thought I needed to be friendly, to be everybody’s darling, to please everybody. Yes, there were times when I thought I needed to make a large circle of “friends” on social media. Boy, the times have changed. I always thought it was due to Covid that I had reduced social… Read more

  • Should we cry more?

    That may seem like an odd questions for a male to take into consideration: Crying is something for kids and for girls – or so… At least that’s how the truisms or our deeply rooted beliefs tell us. And, yes, these beliefs are deeply, deeply implanted not only in our individual systems, but also the… Read more