Today I’ve woken up feeling very happy and proud. Here’s why…

For most of 2019 (and the years before), Saturday mornings were the time when I finally stumbled into bed after partying for longer than was fun. I’d curl up into myself and become plagued with self-hating thoughts of Why am I like this? Why can’t I come home at a reasonable time? What is wrong with me? During that chaotic period in my life, weekends often began with a sense freedom but ended in a sense of imprisonment thanks to my inability to escape my self-destructive behaviours.

This morning as I sit in the living room reading, listening to the quiet snores of my sleeping dog and the chirping of the birds outside, I feel a great sense of peace. Looking outside at the brightening sky doesn’t fill me with dread: it’s no longer a reminder of my failure to ‘call it at night’. It is the marking of another morning without a hangover; another day to do and be better. I can’t imagine this feeling ever gets old.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing today, I hope that you are happy, sober and safe!