Emotional Sobriety: A New Frontier
These Emotional Sobriety videos by Chris S. and Beth B. are the first two presentations by people in long-term recovery from Alcoholism that we plan to share on a regular basis. Anonymity is highly regarded in AA so there is no actual video feed of the speakers. Only the first name and the first letter of the speakers last name are given. Alcoholism and many other forms of addiction is often referred to as the “Feelings Disease” because of how it changes the feelings of the drinker.
Emotional Sobriety and the Feelings Disease
Questions? Contact Angie at Carter Counseling
Being emotionally sober refers to being able to cope with emotions in healthy ways without having to mood-alter (i.e., change inner feeling state) with chemicals. We were supposed to learn healthy coping skills during childhood, as demonstrated by our role models. But “alcoholics are born, not made.” So somewhere along the way, we learned that if we didn’t like the way we feel all we had to do was take a drink or drug. So half of the problem is that chemically dependent people learn to “mood-alter” through the use of chemicals.
The other half of the problem is what we DON’T LEARN – we don’t learn the fundamentals of emotional health: i.e., Allow the feeling to exist, figure out what the name of the feeling is (sad, bad, glad), and then share the feeling with another person, which requires you to develop a close relationship with another person.
The Frontier of Emotional Sobriety, by Chris S.
Beth B. Offers a Female’s Perspective
Help is Available…
If you can relate to these videos and are ready to do something about your drinking, please do so. You can find out more about how these speakers found a way out at Alcoholics Anonymous Official Site
NOTE: Alcoholics Anonymous is not affiliated with any organization. We are not affiliated with AA or any other 12 step program but we endorse and recommend them with confidence. We hope that someone listens to these real stories from real people, hears the message of hope, and does what millions of other people worldwide have done – reach out for help!