So Much Easier

I saw a patient the other day who was finally sober, again, after several relapses. She was working the program and doing very well indeed. She mentioned that she had gone to a yoga class, and then made the following comment:

It’s so much easier when I’m sober.

Which got us thinking about all kinds of other things that are easier when you’re sober:

• Working: Much easier to get to work in the morning when you’re not hung over.
• Laundry: Instead of getting so discouraged looking at the pile that you just have a drink.
• Driving: without worrying about getting pulled over for DUI.
• Yoga: and walking, swimming, basically any kind of exercise.
• Cooking: when you haven’t filled up on booze.
• Talking to people, like friends and family; much easier when you’re, you know, conscious. Which leads to:
• Maintaining relationships: Directly related to the ability to interact with others.
• Paying bills: without blowing the bulk of your paycheck on alcohol.

Then again, in fairness, there are several things that are much easier to do while drinking:

• Wrecking your car
• Alienating your family
• Losing your job; after calling in “sick” one too many times
• Going broke: much easier to lose track of where your funds are going.
• Trashing your liver: it may take some time, but it’s still a relatively reliable way to end up with cirrhosis.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things for both lists, but this seems like a good start.