The National Safety Council reported 4.53 million work-related injuries in 2022, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 5,486 workplace deaths for that period. The underlying costs are in the billions, which doesn’t matter much to the dead. The mental, physical, and financial strain can sometimes be unbearable for those who survive.
Many causes of workplace wounds are noted from multiple sources, including tiredness, slips, trips and falls, distractions, messy work environments, and cutting corners.
We think complacency is the culprit in many of the mishaps caused by the above. Further, we believe that most, but not all, accidents can be avoided with focus and diligence.
In sobriety, the practices of focus and diligence are essential lest we fall into complacency, which could lead to relapse, which could lead us to death.
Laser Focus
Focus, “the ability to concentrate on a specific task and maintain attention until the task is complete,” is something that we have been good at over our years of abuse of drugs and alcohol. Our aptitude to center on, for extended periods, where the next drink would come from allowed us to excel in our alcoholism.
Our near-perfect concentration on the appearance of keeping it all together while maintaining supreme secrecy of our consumption habits allowed us to thrive in our disease – until we fell so hard and so low that we needed help getting up.
This trait we most obviously possess, used for good, provides the foundation we operate today. Focusing on sobriety as our main priority allows all decisions we face to be filtered through the questions: Is this best for the new me? Will this action benefit my healing? Through this, will I be moving closer to recovery or relapse?
If sobriety is the most important thing to us, then that is where our focus needs to be. Half focus can result in half success. For us, centering on sobriety has become our daily target. When we arise, we thank God for our sobriety and ask for the direction that will keep us on the path. Then, we put a plan in place for that day that is consistent with our center.
Definitive Diligence
Diligence is all about “committing ourselves to our laser focus, being dedicated, and being willing to put in the necessary time and effort to achieve our newfound objectives.
Persistence, perseverance, and attention to detail are essentials for success in sobriety.
This trait was NOT reflected while marred by our malady of self-destruction. We did the bare minimum, as the maximum, for us, was found in the bottom of a bottle. We were not good at follow-through, as it was inconvenient to our cause. We were proficient in procrastination, and our yeses and noes meant nothing to us or others.
We have learned that desires without actions are mere desires, objectives without a strategy, and actions are just dreams.
Today, we have desires and dreams and have learned to back them up with plans and activities that have delivered positive results.
The differentiator is our determination to work through the discomforts of attempting the new. Diligence through roadblocks and hick ups is a trait we are learning. Growth sometimes hurts, and we are, today, willing to absorb the ache to attain the focal point.
Complacency can and must be conquered by one's commitment to a sober lifestyle.
“Half measures availed us nothing.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, the Book (page 59)
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from sober.coffee podcast #49 titled “Complacency - There is NO Standing Still in Sobriety“ … The session dropped on 3/9/2022. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Christopher Burns 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.