Attitude Of Gratitude
Three individuals with various lengths of sobriety on why gratitude is important in their recovery.
BY PAULO MURILLO
THE CURE
“Addiction is a disease of forgetfulness. If I forget that I had nothing and I was living on the street, then I forget to be grateful for having a home and a bed to sleep in. I try to remain grateful. For example, I applied for a job that I didn’t get, they hired someone else and I felt funky for weeks. Then I got grateful I have a job. For the most part, I enjoy my job. Gratitude is important because it brings me back to a centered place. In recovery we strive to be happy joyous and free. When I’m constricted by my anger, my resentment and self-loathing, there’s a cure for that. The cure is to be grateful.”
—Robby Mason, sober since August 9, 1999.
SOUL SICKNESS
“Gratitude changes the way I feel, the way I think. It acknowledges my Higher Power. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, I had very little gratitude. I suffered from soul sickness. When I had ten days of sobriety, my sponsor told me to go to meetings for 90 days and check in with him every day, and when I woke up, I was to thank my Higher Power for my sobriety. I was to sit and meditate and reflect on gratitude. My mom was in hospice and I got to be next to her on her death bed. I was able to connect with my creator. I felt power in the room and it’s the same power that I feel today that keeps me sober. If I didn’t have gratitude, I would not have been able to access that power. I’m very grateful for that.”
—Savun Sean, sober since December 18, 2018.
THAT SPACE
“Gratitude is one of the main characteristics of my sobriety. I live in gratitude today. I’m grateful for my life, the people around me, my family and being alive. It’s not just about feeling gratitude, but sharing it as well, because you can inspire others to live in gratitude. When I’m not in gratitude, I feel stuck. I’m in another planet. I have my moments. I have many emotions and feelings. I could be depressed, feel alone, or feel resentful, but I know what I need to do to get out of that space and that is to remember to always be grateful.”
—Arturo Ortega, sober since May 15, 2006.
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