FOUR...

 

126,144,000 seconds.

2,102,400 minutes.

1,460 days.

Forty-eight months.

FOUR YEARS of sobriety.

A little more than four years ago, I woke up to the idea of not having to pick up a drink. The absolutely terrifying, nauseating notion of never drinking again. Of course, I knew it was for the best... but it didn't mean that the thought didn't absolutely horrify me and scare the shit out of me. But I gave it a try. With the help of the folks from the Public Inebriate Alternative and The Recovery Center in Oklahoma City, I made it my first week sans alcohol. I was able to spend a week with those closest to me before I checked in for the long haul at Men's Firstep... and, well, you know the story.

Needless to stay, I initially started this post closer to November 14, but I got distracted. PLENTY of stuff going on in my tiny little world. Once all the dust settles, I promise to be better at blogging... in 2022. :-)

Today, life looks pretty damn good. I'm days away from graduating with my MSW. I'm days away from getting MARRIED. After that, we get to celebrate the holidays. With Christmas and New Years behind us, we get to go on this (hopefully) kick-ass honeymoon. We'll return from our honeymoon and I'll get to jump in feet-first to my new job that is opening up a lot of new opportunities for me. What's next? Kiddos? New house? New car? New dog? D - All of the above? Only time will tell.

It's been an interesting journey, full of plenty of ups and downs. It seems like I've seen far more ups as of late. Life does have a funny way of occasionally throwing in a nice curve ball to keep me humble, but I'm appreciative of the experience. The Oklahoma Board of Social Workers is requesting that I take a couple of extra steps before I get my LMSW licensure. It is solely due to my past. While filling out the application, I was given a friendly little reminder that I was a hot mess between the years of 2010-2017. Academic probation and suspension. Legal issues. Financial issues. Health issues. They are ALL related to my alcoholism. Every. Single. One. The board just wants to hear my story, hear what I've done to find that recovery and make sure that I have a plan to STAY sober while I'm in a professional setting and trying to help others.

I'd be lying if I said the phone call with the director of the board didn't spike my anxiety a bit, but I've calmed down after a while. The director reassured me AND I'm super blessed to have a good collection of people in my corner who are willing to vouch for the type of person that I am today. It's flattering and super comforting to know that I have everyone from friends and families to well-established professionals willing to go to bat for me. So now, I can relax and just enjoy the experience of getting to share my story with a new group of people.

If I were a bettin' man, I'd say the next time I write a blog, I'm gonna be a married man. That just sounds weird. lol