Another Day, Still Sober

7.30.25

This morning I was drinking my coffee on the deck when the prettiest hummingbird came to the feeder just three feet away from me. Most of the hummingbirds I see are all brown, but this one had shimmering blue and green on its chest. One more of those little things I notice in sobriety, now that my mind is clear and open enough to be grateful.

Later in the day, I was scrolling through the book of faces and saw a new alumni event post for Trivia Night. It reminded me of my birthday back in January. My friends and I were fresh out of rehab, and that night was only the second alumni event I’d gone to. It was my first sober birthday. All my other friends were out of town, my daughter was away, and I was feeling lonely. I needed to be around people, so I figured—what the hell—might as well go hang out with the sober drunks.

I was still learning that I could have just as much fun, if not more, without alcohol. We joked for weeks after about how everyone probably thought we were drunk. We were loud, hilarious, and probably a little obnoxious. That night I met a good friend—the wife of someone I was in rehab with—for the first time, and I knew immediately she was my people.

One of the things that stood out to me most that night was the alumni who had been sober longer. They were steady, welcoming, and clearly enjoying life. They were an example to us that it gets better. That we can have fun, find connection, and build something real without drinking. I looked at them and thought, I want that.

I decided that night I wanted to be as involved in the alumni as I could be. Not just for myself, but so others from rehab could have what I had that night—and maybe I could be the example for someone else, just like those alumni continue to be for me.