The Clear Horizon

From oblivion of alcoholism into the light of sobriety

life

  • 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

  • Why all the Disorder Talk – FindIng my Core

    Why am I focusing so much on anxiety, a possible ADHD or depression although this is about quitting and recovery? Exactly because of that. The more I deep dive into my own recovery and the more the Pink Cloud fades (something I will surely post upon later), the more I get to discover more and… Read more

  • How parents influence your alcoholism – habits, belief, mindset, Education

    I am no Freudian psychoanalyst and I am not a therapist, as I said before. But I think I can identify strong relations between my drinking habits and the way of my socialization in my family. That is of course nothing new, but this insight came so strongly to me after meeting my parents after… Read more

  • Why it gets easier with the Right mindset

    Interestingly, I have saved a post draft with his headline for a completely different topic weeks ago. That nicely shows me after a longer time of dealing with different topics, how processes, ideas and, yes, mindsets change. It is easier with the right mindset. Now, I will use this post to get into two aspects:… Read more

  • Externalising, “I” – Statements and booze – How “manly” habits contributed to my psychic disorders

    “If that stupid colleague hadn’t squealed to the boss, things wouldn’t have just worked out fine and the job would have still been there”, he said, then taking a large draft from his beer. What does this short message (which is made up), tell us? Externalising: The fault for being fired here is blamed on… Read more

  • Social Media and alcohol

    Sometimes ideas or conclusions or insights strike like lightning or appear a long time afterwards. I want to share one I had today about my own relationship with social media and alcohol consumption. I don’t mean an abusive way of consuming social media after quitting drinking, in which I compensated for my alcohol consumption with… Read more

  • Am I Re-Nerd-Ing? – Why Reading, Gaming and Podcasts become relevant

    When have I returned to reading, listening to podcasts and gaming? It wasn’t in the same moment I stopped drinking. It started when I realized that replacing my drinking habits with hanging out on social media too much. I realized that falling for filter bubbles and fake news aggravated passive aggressiveness and depression. How did… Read more

  • Alcohol or activity – What defines your Masculintiy?

    James Clear writes that you should build habits to define your identity to keep up the habitual routine. The argument goes: If you identify with your habits, the habits become you or at least help shaping your identity. If working is a big part of your identity (which is normal if you are belonging to… Read more