Keeping a journal can be an indispensable recovery tool , says Darren Taylor
As we exit one of the most stressful periods of a generation , my mind flits between the success of having stayed calm and sober and how I managed to write a book whilst juggling working from home and home-schooling . When considering the surrounding mayhem , I ’ m drawn to the conclusion that having such a focus was key in helping me manage the added stress and keeping me from turning to alcohol – my former coping mechanism . When we are stressed it affects thought processes such as concentration , planning and judgment . This can make you lose focus on recovery , so keeping calm where possible has been beneficial since I quit drinking in 2019 . Being stressed , I discovered , was one of
‘ When I scribbled my first 30 days in my journal , the language was quite frankly appalling and even I struggled to make sense of the spelling when reading it back . But at the time it provided relief and purpose , which is what mattered the most .’
WRITE IT DOWN !
the main relapse traps for me , and so it was imperative that I had this in mind throughout the pandemic .
Having used writing as a tool to keep focused in my day job , I took to journaling about my sobriety right from the beginning and credit it as a major contributing factor to my success . My first written 30 days , while a grammatical calamity , tell a compelling story of what goes through someone ’ s mind once they quit drinking . Not only that , but the effect on family members , the cravings , and the all-round change of perspective . Reading these thoughts back , I could really take note of valuable lessons learnt from agitation , guilt , exercise , moderation , avoiding situations and searching for contentment .
Armed with this knowledge , my experiences from a four-year stopstart battle with binge drinking , and an understanding of what worked for me , I hoped I had the foundation to help others . From this , my initial idea of publishing a self-help journal and my book Finding Your Sober Bubble were born . With lockdown providing an opportunity to switch focus by channelling my efforts to produce it I suddenly had an alternative coping strategy .
Emptying my brain of all the bits ‘ flying around ’ in there relieved some of the tension that we all carry around in our everyday lives . In turn this worked as further personal inventory work , one of my key takeaways from AA ’ s step four . Seeing the book develop helped me increase mindfulness in terms of perspective , and kept me focused on the goal of being able to publish something that may be of use to others in similar situations .
Writing the book also presented an opportunity to connect with my inner self and increase selfconfidence by going over which aspects of my sobriety journey I had found effective and which I had not , reinforcing how I would continue to manage adversity and change as I grew stronger in continued sobriety . Along with reduced stress , writing down our thoughts is proven to be beneficial to our memory function , boosting our mood and supporting overall emotional health . This is certainly the case for me as it prevented me losing focus and falling into some of the common relapse traps such as boredom , losing motivation , negative thought escalation and resentment .
You may know that the more time you spend thinking about drinking , or not distracted from the thought of drinking , the stronger cravings can become , increasing the chance of relapse . By writing my journal and book I was able to flip this on its head and reduce the risk .
My advice to anyone looking for a coping strategy is that writing or journaling is up there with the best , and I would encourage you to give it a go . You don ’ t have to go as far as publishing a book for it to help – in fact , when I scribbled my first 30 days in my journal , the language was quite frankly appalling and even I struggled to make sense of the spelling when reading it back . But at the time it provided relief and purpose , which is what mattered the most . What you write is there to help you alone . Using the analogy of a shopping list , it just takes the pressure off having to remember what you need , and writing your thoughts down is no different . Both ease up some much-needed hard drive space , something that is beneficial as you become occupied with the task-inhand – not drinking .
So , whether you can just about spell , prefer to doodle , or have a fully formed novel bursting to get out , start by keeping a journal . Make it personal , and for some of you I ’ m sure , keep it private . It worked for me .
Finding Your Sober Bubble and The Sober Bubble Early Discovery Journal are available on Amazon . Darren ’ s website is soberbubble . com
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