Yes, life is short. The average lifespan of an American is 78 years for a man and 81 years for a woman. It is just a blip on screen of humanity. However, that blip is yours and it is all you have. It would seem that we should make the most of it. I am not saying we should all be Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. I am saying we should get the most out of our little blip in our own way. Since this blog focuses on alcoholism and addiction, of course I am going there.
Life is a series of ups and downs, failures and successes, triumphs and tragedies, if we live it correctly. Yes, they all are part of the deal. That is life! All people who we revere as having great lives suffered through great turmoil, failure, and tragedy in their lives before achieving their personal goals and happiness in life. They learned from every setback and got back on their feet stronger and more resilient. They kept their successes in perspective and were humble and grateful. Two cliche's come to mind, "take a licking and keep on ticking" and "don't rest on your laurels".
The alcoholic and addict suffer on both accounts. When life smacks them in the face, they retreat to the bottle or drug. They feel justified, because life is unfair, and they have been wronged. Life is not unfair! Bad things and setbacks happen to everyone. If it happens to everyone then setbacks are fair and normal part of life. The hundreds of alcoholics and addicts I work with and work with me will all say the same thing. "Every time I tried to drink or drug away a problem, it never got better and usually got worse". They look back and kick themselves on being so selfish and shortsighted. They will also describe how they took a great success or opportunity and drank or drugged it away in celebration.
If I have only 80 years on this planet, I want to experience every minute. This includes the struggles. I can use them to learn and grow. I can be proud that I faced adversity and didn't have a drunken pity party for myself. I can enjoy small or great successes without ruining them with prideful excesses. I wasted a lot of life in my active alcoholic phase. I lost countless hours in blackouts. I drank away successes and hid from challenges that could have turned into great victories.
No more! Today I actually live life, enjoy life, and handle adversity like a grown adult and come out of it stronger each day.
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