Sober Story: How To Recover From Injury in Sobriety without Picking up a Drink

In this story, Paul, a chef and self-proclaimed Deadhead who is also a sobriety advocate with over 30 years of continuous sobriety, shares the following tips on how to recover from injury when you’re in sobriety without drinking and how to nurse an injury without picking up a drink.

This post was created for the sober and sober curious looking for relatable, inspiring sober-positive content. The following are Paul’s experiences, words and opinions. Enjoy :)

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I had the opportunity to go skiing with a dear friend in Utah. I hadn’t skied in a while but, being always a good athlete, I took right back to it. We had three sensational days out on the mountain, and then, at the very end of the last day of our trip, things went sideways — literally. I still can’t put it together from memory, but I fell sideways and, as the surgeon put it, “pulverized” my shin bone at the top of my tibia where it goes into the knee. The doctors asked me what allergens I have.

I told them, “Percocet, oxycontin, Vicodin, booze, and any of that other stuff.”

They said, “Well, we can’t put booze on the list.”

With a big fat smile on my face, even though I had a leg the size of a Redwood tree and was in serious pain, I replied, “As long as I don’t drink it, I’ll be okay.”

The next two months consisted of me being stuck in bed. I was able to maintain my work status by working from home, and because of the mental strength and emotional intelligence I’ve learned throughout my sobriety, I was able to manage the vicissitudes and ups and downs that the physical recovery of my leg required.

What helped me get through the day-to-day was finding gratitude in the little things. For example, I was grateful for the bird feed that sits just outside my bedroom window. It provided me with adventure and wonder during a time when I couldn’t walk.

I’m an active guy, so being inactive for an extended period created a negative feedback loop in my mind. I had to find things to be grateful for on a day-to-day basis so that I wouldn’t go mentally insane.

Another thing that helped me greatly was having a longer-term goal, a mission statement so to speak.

According to many people, I poorly timed my ski trip: I broke my knees a couple of months before my daughter’s wedding! I made it my mission to be able to walk her down the aisle without crutches or a wheelchair. This gave me a clear goal; it was something to look forward to and fight for. I was able to walk my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day with nothing more than a cane. Broken leg or not, there’s no way that would have happened if I was drunk. Then I proceeded to cane dance for most of the night; it was a blast!

My top tips for surviving a physical injury without pain meds or drinking:

1. Tell your doctors (and the people you love) that if you ever get injured, you don’t want to be given any medication.

2. Find (or create) things to be grateful for every day so that you stay sane.

3. Have a “bigger picture” goal or mission statement that motivates you to do your physical therapy and take good care of yourself in the healing process.

Just so you know how the story ends: after years of hard-won recovery, I got back on skis with my daughters. I bawled as we got on the ski lift to ride up the mountain for our first fun of the day. I am extremely grateful for my sobriety and, with it, my ability to recover from that physical injury.

The only absolute must is to be honest with yourself and not drink.

How do you do that? Figure out how you’re not going to succumb to your triggers.