Day 203 Sober: Alone in Recovery

Hello friends, today is 203 days sober, spending the day getting ready for my trip back home. So happy to see the desert stars and smells that desert air. Going back with a clear mind and focusing on healing childhood wounds is necessary for my sobriety. I grew up in a very dark childhood that consisted of all child abuse. Homeless quite a bit, so I know my childhood has everything to do with the way I saw my self-worth and how I saw people and how I reacted to life situations. I still don’t have a clear vision on why I started substance abuse with drugs and booze but in time I feel it will render.

I am feeling very content with being alone, its helps so I can focus on the areas I need the most work on. Being alone and loneliness was hard to separate in recovery because I felt like a part of me was missing but I came to realize that I am not lacking anything everything I need is already in me I just to create inside myself and the universe will bring to life. I am detaching from negative thoughts, opinions, all needs that I think I need. So I can sit still and not be blinded from my Ego. I want my Ego to become small and I need to always be aware so I can connect to others without pushing my old beliefs onto them. In recovery, I sometimes see people being unsupportive in others recovery process or kind of mean to others who are relapsing and I don’t ever want to be a dry drunk. I want to always have compassion for others because I was once them who kept relapsing on the same hand in recovery I never seen so much compassion and reaching out, The first week this blog went live, I was getting some people not so happy about me being vocal about my addiction and recovery process, even from my own family but a sober warrior told me to keep going and let my higher power guided my heart and so without her wisdom I probably would have stop. I don’t ever want to not speak out about my addiction because I want others who might still be using to know just cause you suffer from a mental disorder you are still capable of living out your dreams and living a happy life, you addiction doesn’t define you just like diabetes doesn’t define a diabetic. We just have to learn to separate oneself from the mind voice.

 

I am grateful for life, for my readers, for the love I am creating for myself that helps me love others unconditionally. I am grateful for my recovery that pushes me to becoming a better me. Sober is the new black.

 

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India Arie “video” is such a powerful song, sometimes in life I have to be reminded and be put back on track with loving me whole and if I am feeling a bit blue I play this on repeat until there is no question on how much I love me.

 

 

Stay connect with love, Adolfo Vasquez

DAY 144 Sober: Alive and Feeling Life

Hello Friends. Today is day 144 sober. Lately I’ve been learning how to accept  life’s decisions. Everything happens for a reason and I have to accept the universe plans even if it hurts. Yes pain is part of life and so is heart breaks, I just have to stay focus on my healing. In the past when life wasn’t going as plan I would give up and give in to coping substances but now I am allowing myself to endure pain and learn how to work through it with a clean mind and body. I don’t want an ounce of that liquid poison. I crave other things like healing, writing and finding a purposeful day. Yes my heart might be broken but it’s a sober heart and it’s grieving in a healthy way without booze. Whether its happiness or sadness, it’s great to know I am capable of feeling life without booze.

 

 

I’ve been working like crazy and have stop my daily posts on Sober is the New Black. I will get back to my daily entries once this work season is over. I also have some projects in the works but I had to pause them for the moment. My goal is to take off 3 months of work at the end of this year so I can finish my book I’ve been creating. I am adding another element to it and I am very excited. It needs to be perfect and I need to take my time so it can be right. I am aware of how blessed I am to be able to take 3 months off of work and I don’t want to take it for granted. In the past I would spend my time off wasting tons of money on hotels, booze and partying after the work season. This time I want to invest my time and money on my long-term goals and dreams. Sober is the New Black. I am grateful for life, family, friends, for my strength to endure life’s blues and for my sobriety that keeps me alive.

 

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DAY 77 Sober: A Dream Come True

Hello friends, today is day 77 sober, yesterday I got some news. I really can’t share it now but if there is anyone out there that question if they should stay sober or anyone out there that is suffering. I can tell you dreams that are unimaginable dreams will come when you put that drink down and not only put the drink down but go inside yourself and do the work. The Work is hard at first but it turns into excitement because you start realizing that its really not work it’s more finding the essence of you. At Day one I never thought that this dream was even possible but only with staying sober doing the work, finding me has allowed this dream to come into existence. I started matching my words, thoughts and actions. I started to create from with in happiness, love and passion. This dream is going to take me to next level of happiness next level of bliss. I am so grateful; I cant even put into words. So today I weep of joy, with the lack of sleep and I am so ready to do what is necessary to not only hold on to this dream but also put the work that is needed into it. Sobriety is number one, Always and forever.

 

 So this a letter to anyone who is suffering, I was in bed on May 24 2014 crippled by Addiction but in the midst of my screams and cries, The misery, the pain, the lose. I realized at that moment, the reason for it all was Alcohol. At that moment I accepted the fact I was addict and not only accepted it wanting to change. This inner strength was very small and bleak at first but it was there, somehow I found it and hold on to it. Asked my higher power to strengthen it. At that moment that wants for a drink vanish and the want for life happened. It takes a lot of work, tears, letting go, becoming self aware on how the mind of the addiction works, The steps, finding a higher power you can surrender to, one that you understand it to be. I will always be a work in progress and don’t plan on being perfect, because once I think I’ve got it and I am perfect than I stop growing and I become stagnant. Its baby steps sometimes. In 77 days of being sober, everything is brighter, I feel peace and serenity, I have deep love for myself, I am inspired by everything from the light upon my skin, to the sweet air in my lungs, to a smile a person gives me, inspired by connections I made and will continue to make. Inspired by moments only my higher power and I had the opportunity to see. I used to think I had no love but I didn’t know that was created from within, I was always looking outside for love, outside for happiness. Now that I have love and happiness within myself, I can now share love and happiness with someone else.

 

I am so grateful for the men and women who have more days sober than me, you guys are my teachers, my strength, you give me tough love which is sometimes the most important kind of love, you paved a path walked by millions, on that path I see love shining from the pavement, on the side of the path I see supportive people cheering me on. I am so grateful for people who have less days sober than me because you inspire me to keep my courage lit so I can inspire courage with in you and cheer you on. The love I found in AA and outside AA is indescribable. People in recovery are some of the strongest people on this planet, to go from the depth of despair to a beacon of light. Sober is the New Black. I am extremely grateful for this dream and for friends in recovery.

 

 

Stay connect with love, Adolfo

This clip from the film DreamGirls is how i feel at the moment its the Finale, That little girl in this clip Weeping in the  audience is my inner child weeping as I am about to embark on the dream. I am on stage singing to my inner child letting that child know its ok, time to go, I got this now

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DAY 13 Sober: My Dreams

Hello my friends! I am a day away from 2 weeks sober and I cant believe how much my life has changed in two weeks the world just opened up with possibilities that I never thought could or would ever happen. I am ever so grateful; my goal is to always live in a state of gratefulness. There is so much I want to start doing since I got sober, Get a bike, Volunteer, Dance more, write more. Those are some of my short-term goals! 

Some of my long-term goals I’ve always carried into my adulthood from childhood but my Alcoholic mind kept them hidden from my Reality are Film and television. They saved my life growing up! It took me away form reality into a Fantasyland for 2hrs, nothing around me matter in those moments. Film and Television gave me hope and also thought me so much. I learn so much from the Oprah show! TV and film was my parent. There were several days I would watch film after film after film, laughing and crying. I would spend all day at a one-dollar movie theater. I grew up with TV from Mickey Mouse Club, to Barney, to Power Rangers, to Friends, to Oprah, Ellen and now American Horror Story. I still till this day request days off of work for the Oscars, GG, Emmys and SAG awards (or call in). When I was a kid I would recreate scenes in my room and even recreate an alternate ending.  I knew in my heart at very young age film and TV is where ill end up one day, I did not care if was a background, grip, writer, director, craft service. If I can work on film or show that can inspire a kid like me then my job is done in life. I cant in vision a higher dream then to be part of a film or show that inspire youth to dream big and help them hold on for a bit longer because life eventually happen and life is such a beautiful thing. For me it’s only that way if I continue to stay sober. 

My first acting performance was in fourth grade in Ms. George class with a fellow actor. I forgot the scene. I eventually started drama class in middle school through sophomore year. My first play was Annie and of course I played sandy (Annie dog) I was the best damn sandy there was! In high school I made drama honors in Miss Douglass class and that’s when the reality of my childhood caught up with my dreams. Sophomore year my family and I became homeless once again but this time it affected my school. I was in honors and college prep class for English and drama. I was getting academic awards but I needed to work ASAP. I remember sleeping in back of taco bell in Indio California. Finally my drama teacher Ms. Douglass pulled me into the office kind of scolding me saying, ” Adolfo wants wrong?” You have so much Potential?” why is you aren’t focus anymore. I of course lied for my mom because I was scared. Till this day I wonder what would happen if I spoke up, how different would have my life and brothers life been. If I just said something. So I dropped out of high school and went to continuation school because I had to work.

 

Now I am 28 and I am ready to pick up my childhood dream and go for it. I did some Acting recently for some shows that I am so grateful to have worked on. Silicon valley is one of the shows. I was a drunk at the time. So I cant even imagine the potential now that I am sober. Nothing is going to stop me this time not even the Alcoholism!

 

Thank you world and friends for reading this and continue to follow me on the journey of sobriety.

 

Stay connect with love, Adolfo