Authentic Living With Nowcovery
Nowcovery™ principle number one: “Living life in an authentic manner is the goal. To live authentically, we cannot be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. For us (people who have severe substance use disorders), alcohol and other drugs stunt our lives.”
Principle number one of Nowcovery™ is built upon the need for humans to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. So many of us have spent a lifetime running away from authenticity because to be authentic means you must know yourself. In order to know yourself you must develop a self-concept. If we came from a family in which we had an alcoholic parent (or two) there is a good chance that our self-concept
A. Developed in accordance with what we were guessing (not knowing) might be healthy.
B. Developed with a self-deprecating focus.
And/or
C. Was demolished by guilt and shame when our drinking became problematic.
When we are abusing substances, we are out of touch with reality. We are literally under the influence of a substance/s that alters our brain chemistry to create false feelings which causes behavior that creates false realities.
For example, when we drink heavily, we might lose our inhibition and feel lustful towards someone. This might cause us to have sexual relations with that person when we are in a committed relationship with someone else. The false reality is created in our brain that makes us believe we aren’t hurting anyone, or that no one will find out. In the morning we wake up mortified over what we have done.
When under the influence of substances, we do things that do not truly reflect who we want to be, or who we are when sober. Many people enjoy the initial effects of the lowering of inhibitions because it feels like freedom. But in time and with excessive drinking/using those behaviors that feel like freedom turn to guilt, shame, and remorse.
When we are operating with guilt, remorse, and shame we want to hide and lie to save ourselves embarrassment. We hide from ourselves, and others, and we lie to ourselves and others. It is not possible to live an authentic life when we are carrying this burden of dishonesty and behaving in ways that are outside of our moral compass.
If substance abuse is controlling us, our authentic selves have become dormant. Nowcovery™ healing principle #1 can help us to stay focused on the goal of authentic living through sobriety. When practiced fully, we can bring to light our true selves and create a wonderful life with rich experiences.