Remember completing the “Cost of Addiction” exercise in treatment? It’s definitely a favorite of recovery group leaders. Where you snatch the worksheet and scribble down all the money you wasted over the years on addiction. Oh, and poor choices, wrong moves, erratic behavior. Basically any and everything responsible for your monetary disasters.

I use to worry over it all, but I don’t fret on what I lost anymore. Funny, I stressed more when I was in active addiction. Now, it’s just a matter of fact. Simple factual history that addiction bled me emotionally, physically and financially dry.

Really, I hardly remember the $162K I squandered, in seven months, when I sold my house back in 2004.

So let’s power through that blurred memory and insert my sobriety date. February 14, 2015.  That’s when the bleeding stopped.

Well, sort of.

When I sobered up, I literally gained $100 a week — $400 dollars a month in POTENTIAL savings. This is what my addiction to alcohol, just alcohol, had cost me.

With that sort of savings, I could have replaced, albeit in 18 years, what I recklessly threw away. Bu,t like I said, I hardly ever think about it. I’m surprised I remember the $162K figure at all. I admit to holding on to bank statements until 2009 but that was just to remind myself that I was once successful.

Today I’m wondering about the recent $8,800 I let slip away. In less then two years I could have transformed my cost of addiction into realized savings.

But, I didn’t have a plan when I sobered up. What could have represented savings got sucked into the vacuum of every day living.

That’s why I’m so excited about this chart. It’s simple. Easy. Doable. Most important, it plants us firmly in the present: 2017.

One of the challenges we face in sobriety is learning to let go of our mistakes. But we must learn. Don’t focus on loss. Shift your attention to gain.

Join me in this 52-Week Money Savings Challenge.

Week 1 = $1

52-week challenge
52-week money savings challenge

One last thing – I assume your credit is shot. Mine was too. Click here for a list of banks that offer second chances.

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2 comments

Reply

Wonder full shot in the arm, thank you for the info!! I am ALL in.

Reply

So glad it was helpful. Let’s compare savings jars as 2017 progresses!

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