A fellow came up to me today and asked me, “Chris, why can’t I stay sober?” Because I have known him for years, my answer to him was, “You have never been sober!” Silence. I asked, “When is the last time you had a drink or used?” Two days ago.

I went on, “The best you can hope for right now is to practice abstinence.”

He looked at me somewhat dumbfounded as I continued to explain that he needed to have a sound mind in order to maintain abstinence. Addiction is not about the substance, it is a disease of the mind. This is where the faulty thinking takes place; the obsessive thoughts centered around drinking or using. Your thinking gets you into a twisted relationship with whatever the favored thing is. And that leads to the compulsive behaviors. No matter what is going on in your life, you are never grateful and satisfied. This is what it means to be restless, irritable, and discontented.

Do a check in with your ideas, emotions and attitudes every day. Are you centered, balanced, or grounded in your approach to life? Are you content in your quiet moments? Have you made the decision to be abstinent from whatever your impulses are directing you to do?