From Sobriety to Rhythm: What 18 Years of Recovery Taught Me About the Addictions We Don't Name

Eighteen years ago, I put down substances.

What I didn't know then - what nobody tells you in early recovery - is that sobriety is just the beginning.

You clear away the alcohol, the drugs, the destructive behaviors. You do the work, whether that means showing up to meetings, working through steps, being consistent with therapies, or developing other practices. You rebuild your life. And then, if you're lucky, you get to face the really uncomfortable question:

Now what?

Because the world you're returning to - the "normal" world - is running on rhythms that are fundamentally at odds with sustainable human living.

The Relapse Nobody Talks About

I watched it happen over and over in recovery circles. People would get sober. They'd do beautifully for months, even years. And then they'd return to "regular life" and within a short time, they'd be right back in chaos.

Not necessarily with substances. But with:

• Work addiction and burnout

• Compulsive productivity

• Endless scrolling and digital distraction

• Shopping, perfectionism, people-pleasing

• The hustle mentality that promises if you just push harder, you'll finally arrive

They traded one addiction for the ones society celebrates.

And I realized: We're teaching people to get sober so they can return to a world that is itself addicted.

What Recovery Actually Revealed

My own recovery wasn't a straight line. It never is. But somewhere around year five or six, I started noticing patterns that had nothing to do with substances and everything to do with rhythm.

I noticed I felt more grounded during certain moon phases. I noticed my energy naturally ebbed and flowed with seasons. I noticed that the weeks I tried to operate at the same pace every single day were the weeks I felt most likely to spiral.

I started tracking these patterns. Reading about ancient wisdom traditions. Studying lunar cycles, sabbats, seasonal living. Learning from shamanic practices (i.e., Nature) and archetypal psychology.

And I realized something radical: The recovery I needed wasn't just about abstaining from harmful substances. It was about learning to live in harmony with natural rhythms - the ones humans followed for millennia before industrial capitalism told us every day should look the same.

From Recovery Coach to Rhythm Guide

For over a decade now, I've been working as a recovery coach. I hold the designation of Recovery Coach Professional through the Recovery Coach Academy in the UK and CCAR in the U.S. I guide people through the liminal spaces of transformation using creativity, lunar wisdom, and ancient practices.

But my work has evolved beyond traditional recovery coaching.

Yes, I still work with people navigating addiction recovery. That will always be sacred ground for me.

But increasingly, I'm working with women (and men) who never struggled with substances but are drowning in modern life's relentless pace. They're exhausted. Burnt out. Living from urgency to urgency. Hustling through their days. Numb to their own needs.

They're sober, but they're not free.

The Real Work: Learning Your Rhythm

What I've come to understand is this: whether someone is in recovery from substances or recovering from the addiction to productivity, perfectionism, and perpetual overwhelm, the medicine is the same.

We need to remember how to live in rhythm, not reaction.

This means:

• Honoring that some seasons are for growth and others for rest

• Understanding that lunar phases affect our energy, creativity, and emotional availability

• Recognizing that not every day can be (or should be) a "productive" day

• Learning that rest isn't earned; it's essential

• Discovering that saying no to what doesn't serve you isn't selfish; it's discernment

This is what I teach in my Lunar Alchemy work - a framework that maps personal energy to lunar cycles, seasonal sabbats, and alchemical transformation. It's ancient wisdom applied to modern chaos.

It's a practice for the rest of your life, not a program that ends after 12 weeks.

The Modern Addictions We Don't Name

We live in a culture that addicts us to:

• Constant availability

• Perpetual productivity

• Comparison through social media

• Achievement as identity

• Busyness as worthiness

• Speed as success

These addictions don't land you in rehab. But they will hollow you out just the same.

And just like substance addiction, you can't white-knuckle your way out of them. You can't just "try harder" to rest more or "be more disciplined" about boundaries.

You need a different framework entirely.

You need to learn that you are not a machine. You are nature. And nature has rhythms.

What 18 Years Has Taught Me

Recovery isn't about returning to normal. It's about finding what's natural.

It's not about fixing what's broken. It's about remembering what you've always known - that you have seasons, cycles, tides. That your energy waxes and wanes. That you were never meant to operate at the same pace every single day.

The work I do now - whether with someone six months sober or someone who's never touched substances but is drowning in modern life - is the same work: Helping people find their rhythm so they can finally live in alignment with themselves instead of in constant reaction to external demands.

This is recovery in its truest form. Not abstinence. But presence.

Not sobriety. But sovereignty.

The Invitation

If you're reading this and recognizing yourself - whether you're in traditional recovery or

There is another way.

It's not faster. It's not louder. It won't go viral on social media.

But it's real. It's sustainable. It's rooted in wisdom that has guided humans for thousands of years.

And it might be exactly what you've been looking for.

For the past decade, I've been guiding women (and men) through transformative recovery and spiritual awakening as the founder of An Artful Recovery. My approach combines 18 years of lived recovery experience with shamanic principles, lunar wisdom, and creative practice to help people find their natural rhythm in a world that profits from their depletion. If this resonates, I invite you to explore my work at An Artful Recovery or connect with me on LinkedIn.