To the In The Rooms community,
and to all my brothers and sisters in recovery from addiction,
I’m so grateful to be sober and to have this opportunity to share with you at this sacred and truly unprecedented moment.
I have been thinking about the people in active addiction during this pandemic and the resulting “quarantine,” “lockdown” and “social distancing.”
I remark to myself how in active addiction, I was almost always in quarantine—always emotionally locked down and socially distant by personal necessity.
What a truly bizarre, raw and painful reality it must be at this time to live in addiction under the tremendous weight of the phenomenon of craving and to watch on as the rest of the world tries to navigate great fear and uncertainty.
I imagine that for many active alcoholics and addicts, this strangeness offers the ultimate excuse to use. “The whole world is going to shit and I’m feeling rather motivated to go to shit with it.”
As this is a time of emotional volatility, alcohol sales are up and relapse rates are also on the rise.
On the surface, things seem dire.
And yet, here we are: together, sober, walking the path of recovery. Doing what we have always done to live one day at a time, free from addiction.
Above all, we are not alone. Even amidst this chaos, we have found each other again.
In The Rooms has been rocking it for over 12 years now. When RT and Kenny P. started this whole thing, there were no online video meetings, but there was already a great need. The community grew steadily over time. And now, since February, tens of thousands of new members have joined In The Rooms. Simply amazing!
As for me in this time of pandemic, I have been running Recovery 2.0, where we focus on supporting people who are already in recovery. Yoga and meditation are the main tools.
As I have learned through 28 years of continuous recovery, the mind is the issue at hand.
We can remain trapped in mental tendencies that keep us lonely, anxious and stressed or we can learn the easy techniques that set us truly free.
It is beyond me how anyone can actually make it through life, much less find fulfillment, without learning how to calm and direct the mind.
Yoga and meditation are essential, so my daily focus is on bringing these teachings to people in recovery.
On that note: I’d like to invite you to be my guest on April 30 at 11:00 AM PT, at a live Webinar/Coaching Session called Bootcamp for the Mind.
You have to register for it, but it’s free and we’ll be covering Three Mental Hindrances that lead to fear, anxiety and stress.
When you learn how to overcome these hindrances, you will find the life and the experience you have been looking for.
So come join me and remember to bring a journal and pen.
Until then, stay on your recovery path, ask for help when you need it, and never despair, for there is a way through every block.
With Love and Gratitude,
Tommy
Tommy Rosen
Recovery 2.0
“The Path of Discovery”
