In an era marked by war, assassinations, the civil rights movement, space travel, and music festivals, the 1960s radically differed from the periods that proceeded. Counter-culture movements ran far and deep as many begged, “Why?”. Hippies promoted love, peace, and alternative lifestyles. They rejected the prevailing norms and values of the society they had inherited.
As we reflect on our journeys in sobriety, we see ourselves as a microcosm of the group.
Our lives before recovery were fraught with chaos and conflict. We had no connection to the vision inside. War raged inside as we sped through time in full flight from the reality that causes and conditions were piling up and moving us further from who we were meant to be. We mentally rejected as we physically accepted. We were without answers, and even the questions confused us.
We needed to escape the culture that entrapped us. We saw others outside our sphere that were flourishing. We witnessed transformation happening around us but were so disconnected that all but a bit of hope existed.
Frustrated and seemingly defeated, we relinquished our grip on the bottle for an instant. We blinked and opened our eyes to find a particle of promise. In a moment that we had not prepared for, we found some potential. Almost immediately, the sense of doom and strife left our souls to be replaced with dreams and direction.
We can’t explain why this time differed from the thousands of times we had pivoted. Maybe some internal gauge had hit a critical level of pain that couldn’t take anymore. Or perhaps it was a spiritual experience. It doesn’t need to be a topic of clarification for us or the readers of this post. What matters is the belief that it can happen to anybody. We have witnessed, with our own eyes, this revolution thousands of times.
The hippies of the 60s had some things right. They saw that there was a greater purpose to humanity. Love and peace were the drums they beat; their quest was to find themselves and contribute to a greater good. This aligns with the direction we are moving in.
Through self-examination, we have found our true selves. We seek nothing more than to be authentic and do our part to benefit others (service). Each new day, we discover more of ourselves and choose what stays and what goes. In our fragmented and faulty world, we try to bring a sense of connectedness and healing.
We are counterculture and love bugs. We are the sum of what we have learned and seen with our own eyes. Some days, some moments are challenging, but we know how to process these encounters healthily thanks to the practices and principles in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step recovery plan we have bought into.
The war inside us has been settled—good defeated evil. We have found ourselves on the safe side of sanity. We know that there will be trying times ahead and welcome them as a far better alternative to the death that we once marched towards.
We no longer flee ourselves in a frenzy of panic and distress. Instead, we buckle down and make our decisions based on behavior that supports our purpose: to stay sober and help the next guy embrace this lifestyle of hope.
We didn’t need to attend a 3-day music fest to be enlightened. We take it in one AA meeting at a time. The dream of recovery from the obsession with the poison of alcohol has been granted us. We live the promises of prosperity (mental, physical, and spiritual) as we choose not to drink and do the work that leads us to our true inner selves.
When we lay our heads on our pillows at night, we know ourselves as never before. That is both good and bad. For to “find oneself” is to appreciate the faults and weaknesses that prevail in all humans. To improve daily is the quest to which we are called.
Peace out.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee bonus podcast #186 titled ""The PAIN" - Part 1 with Erryk " The podcast dropped on 10/16/2024. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
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Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.
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