Habili-blog 4/27/18
“My Life, Resurrected ”
by Jared Mayes

When you stop using drugs or alcohol there’s a pretty common mourning period for all the things you “Can’t” do anymore. We tend to think that food won’t taste the same without ripping a bong bowl of marijuana, and music won’t sound the same without dropping a couple hits of acid or rolling on some MDMA. Oh, and how the heck am I supposed to cut loose and dance without the liquid courage of that bottomless jack and coke. Alright so it’s probably true that you shouldn’t go to a club alone expecting to meet your soulmate while staying sober the whole night, but there’s a group standing up to the common misconception of loosing your identity once you get sober. A man by the name of Joseph G decided to figure out a way to still enjoy the things he loves while still maintaining his abstinence from mind altering substances. He created a movement called Soberchella. A group of likeminded individuals who attend the popular music festival Coachella as a cohesive support group that allows them to enjoy the entertainment with a lowered risk of being coerced by the toxicity that normally surrounds the event. Now obviously there is still the opportunity for an unexpected relapse but finding a support group that you can count on is key in developing a healthy structure that allows you to still participate in events where there is a high risk of drug use. I very much believed that I would have to change my interests when getting sober and join a bingo club at the local senior citizen home to shield myself from my past addiction. This brings hope to myself and other ex-drug users alike. Hope that we can avoid the monotony of a stereotypical “recovering addict’s life.” The fact of the matter is that hiding from the world in recovery brings on an unfulfillment that will in most cases lead you back to doing what you do best. Shooting, smoking, and sniffing anything you can get your hands on to get a sense of contentment. I pose this question to all of you. What do you want out of life? When I answer that, the answer is easy. I want to be happy and enjoy life. Enjoying life for me is relishing in the sounds of my favorite band, cutting a rug with my friends, and stuffing my face full of greasy festival food. Nobody can make me decide to indulge in drugs if I choose not to but having a couple compatible friendships to keep me grounded and driven is something required for my success. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on living under a rock for the rest of my days. I choose to live life. I choose to make memories that I will cherish and remember and not wake up sick, straining to remember all the turmoil I caused the night before. I choose to resurrect my life without the terminal monkey on my back and experience life not as the chemically induced, artificial persona that was me, but rather as the person that I was destined to be when I came about, 29 years ago. I give you permission to go forth and live your life. The choice is yours.

Source: https://www.thefix.com/soberchella-co-founder-talks-recovery-coachella-future