Writing Prompt: Simple, Yet Satisfying

 Prompt: Write about your evening routine in sobriety.

Simple, Yet Satisfying 

Sobriety has ushered in more order and a routine to my evening life, something that was sorely lacking when I was in the grip of addiction. For instance, my husband and I sit down to dinner every night at 6:00 pm, and then I spend time doing the dishes, loading the dishwasher, and cleaning up the kitchen. I like my kitchen tidy when I come down in the morning to make my coffee, so I make sure everything is orderly the night before.

At 7:00 pm every night an alarm on my phone goes off, letting me know it is time to take my evening dose of my important bipolar medication. I am extremely regimented about taking my meds faithfully at 7:00, with an exception only made if I have a dinner out planned, or we have a hockey game or some activity to go to. In that case, I will take my meds as soon as I get home, making sure these evening activities don’t happen too frequently. 

I learned my lesson about keeping a rigid evening 7:00 pm med schedule from years in active addiction whereby I would take pills at random times, or not at all, only to ultimately end up in another psych ward in florid psychosis. Funny how things straighten out if one just follows instructions, namely in my case, take your meds at the same time every night, and never, ever, mix with alcohol or marijuana.

So back to my typical evening, I’ll often enjoy a cup of herbal tea after dinner, and catch an evening AA zoom on some nights. If it’s cold outside, my husband may build a fire in the fireplace and I’ll spend time watching the logs burn, soothed by the sight and sounds of the fire. Or perhaps I’ll join my husband in the den, and we will watch whatever random sporting event is on, be it football or hockey, baseball or basketball. Perhaps my husband has gotten some DVDs from the library, we just watched a documentary about the Civil War that was very good. Basically, I let my husband control the evening viewing selection, I’m really not picky, preferring instead that someone else make the decision of what we watch.

Since last summer, I’ve been spending a good deal of nights reading books I get from the library. These are not intellectually challenging works, rather, feel-good, happy-ending fluff romance novels. I’m plowing through these books at a rapid pace; I think that’s how they are intended to be read, one book after another. That’s why I get them at the library, why spend money on something you will devour in one sitting and not need afterward? I’m wondering when this romance novel phase will end, but it’s keeping me occupied for the time being.

Between 10 to 11 pm, I start getting tired, my evening meds have kicked in and it’s time to head upstairs to bed. In sobriety, I’m definitely not a night owl anymore, and I’ve learned good sleep is key to my overall stability. Sometimes when I’m in bed, before I go to sleep, I might get anxious from some catastrophic thinking; but I’m learning to practice deep breathing and I say the Serenity Prayer to calm myself. Gone are the nights when I drank myself into black outs and I’m so very grateful for that. For the most part, my slumber is peaceful. 

So I guess I would say my sober evening routine is for the most part simple and repetitive, yet still satisfying. The older I get, the more simplistic I want things. No more alcoholic late night drama for me. Keep the fire burning in the fireplace and I’m a happy camper. When I lay me down to sleep, it’s with deep gratitude for my simple, sober, sane and stable life. And I guess you can’t ask for more than that.