‘I don’t want to be bound by anything:’ Alumni Spotlight on Chris Cole
For Chris Cole, life has changed significantly since November of 2021, when he got sober. These days, he lives a “very structured life.”
While completing inpatient treatment at Asana Recovery’s Huntington Beach location, Chris learned valuable skills that have helped him stay sober over the year and a half since he returned home. “I give Asana a lot of props,” Chris says. “I learned a lot of things there (in addition to recovery work) - eating, meditating.”
Back home in Oklahoma City, Chris says he “gradually incorporated them and every few weeks, I slip a new one in there.”
The Ingredients of a Healthy Life
“Before, I didn’t exercise or eat right,” Chris says. “I didn’t take care of myself.”
Now, Chris has lost the 40 pounds he gained while getting sober and has quit smoking. The Information Technology professional works out with coworkers before work and during his lunch break. He also goes to five or six 12-Step meetings a week.
“I’m a go-getter,” Chris says. “I can’t really have free time when I’m sober.”
To balance out his “go-getter” personality, in recovery Chris has developed what he calls an “internal barometer” that lets him know when he is becoming emotionally off-kilter. “I can feel (emotional imbalance) coming on,” he says. “In the past, I would have thrown something at it (like a chemical). Now, I use prayer and meditation, get a good night sleep. And, when I wake up, I feel better.”
Realistic Expectations and Unbonded Goals
Learning this balance has been essential for Chris’s recovery. Chris says one of the hardest things about living a sober life is tempering his ambition. “I set crazy, unrealistic goals that I can’t live up to,” he says. “It’s overwhelming.”
At the same time, Chris recognizes that in recovery, his options are endless. To find harmony between these two seemingly contradictory pressures, Chris has limited his freedom on purpose since completing the Asana Recovery program “to make sure I’m where I need to be,” he says. Talking to his sponsor nearly every day and meeting with him once a week helps Chris make decisions that balance his ambitious nature and the limitless options of life in recovery, with realistic goals that won’t overwhelm him.
Right now, Chris is working on getting his driver’s license back and possibly buying a car. He thinks his next big goal will include relocating and finding a new job to live closer to his son. Soon to be a grandfather for the first time, Chris is excited to be sober and free to make decisions that serve his goals.
“I used to put limitations on myself but now I don’t want to be bound by anything,” Chris says.
If you’d like to be featured in an Alum Spotlight feature in the newsletter, please contact your admissions counselor. If you don’t have their contact info, check the list below:
Kimberly Brave: 405-999-0550
Amir Askari: 949-560-2945
Nick Ono: 949-763-0222
Sabrina Johnson: 562-889-1825
Krystal Smith: 949-244-6822