Pizza with a Slice of Regret
AFF Newsletter on Substack #8
Welcome to the AFF Newsletter on Substack.
As you’ve read recently, I’ve experienced a new zest in my alcohol recovery journey.
I’ve upped my gratitude, even holding myself publicly accountable daily by posting a small gratitude list on my Twitter account.
And I’ve also increased my levels of exercise after allowing myself to stagnate somewhat recently.
It is after writing about my renewed faith and optimism in my sobriety journey, especially after putting some old tried and tested recovery methods back into practice, that it is so disheartening to write that I let myself down.
It was only one pizza!
You see, I had some pizza the other night.
Now, it wasn’t eating the pizza where I let myself down, but rather the resulting effects of the delicious veggie-topped pizza.
On Friday, I decided to take my dog on a long hike and then meet my friends in a nearby town for some dinner.
I knew I’d be ordering a pizza so I walked an extra long route with more power and conviction than maybe I had done previously.
I had also decided that I would break my ongoing intermittent fasting with this meal out.
Prior to the pizza, I had been cutting off eating after 8 pm and not eating again for another 16 hours.
For those looking to fast or gain some more knowledge into training workouts, then I highly recommend checking out the 90 Day Warrior Monk Transformation program by Jack Coulson.
You can grab a copy here:
My plan was to have the pizza and then eat well until I started intermittent fasting today.
However, I wasn’t expecting what followed.
I had the pizza and then enjoyed a movie.
The new Guy Ritchie film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, which I really enjoyed.
My first mistake was leaving myself a couple of slices for the next day.
My second mistake, and probably the one that cost me the most, was staying up too late eating - after having the pizza I then ate an assortment of mixed nuts and drank two non-alcoholic beers!
I stayed up far too late and had a crippling stomach ache.
I’ve previously spoken about the importance of proper sleep and rest in people’s recovery journey, but I totally forgot my own advice in this instance.
https://twitter.com/AFFathers/status/1612519821278601225?s=20
When I woke up, I ate the leftover pizza and then went to the beach.
The habit of being in nature more, swimming in the sea, taking the standup paddle board out and going to the beach with friends is something I’m not planning on dropping.
But the lack of sleep and the floodgates for more food being open, I lacked energy and ate more.
This meant that after the beach, I napped and ate more, which in turn made me feel guilty for not being more attentive to my son and then fear began to creep in that I would let my recent hard work and renewed energy in my recovery slip.
Thankfully, by acknowledging these feelings - something I would never have been able to do if I were still drinking - and writing this for you now, I know that I need to stay consistent with the new choices I’ve made and turn down things that I know could derail my progress.
Consistency leads to progress.
I’m not saying I won’t eat pizza again, or snack on a biscuit, cake, etc, but I’m not going to let it affect the good work I’ve done or the routines I’ve established for myself.
Having a healthy routine in recovery is essential and it is important to remember this.
Life in recovery is not all rainbows and roses but it is a hell of a lot better than being drunk all the time and living in constant fear under the control of booze.
A healthy routine can definitely help alleviate the negatives in recovery and help give you more positives.
So I will be doing everything I can to reaffirm the importance of my own sobriety and maintain a healthy, positive lifestyle.
You should too.
Let me know in the comments below the healthy practices you’ve put in place to aid your own recovery.
Take care and have a great day,