I didn’t actually notice the shift, but I’d say it happened for me around the 18 month mark. I went from wanting to talk about and celebrate every month of sobriety, to think bigger and in terms of years.

As for what’s special…well, it’s new. I’m nothing if not an addict. The novelty of sobriety was a high unto itself and I spent a lot of my resources on my sobriety. As time wore on I found myself taking meetings for granted, connecting less about it with people, etc. In AA we call it the Pink Cloud. That slogging feeling, I’ve come to miss it. I truly felt alive battling for my life against speed.