September is National Recovery Month, led by SAMHSA—the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA operates to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment. Each year, they emphasize the strength and possibilities that lie in the arms of recovery.

In early sobriety, the questions feel endless. What do you do with all the time drinking used to take? How do you calm the constant chatter in your head? How do you get through one more day without picking up a drink? The truth is, there isn’t one perfect formula. Early sobriety looks different for everyone, but these are the practices, distractions, and routines that helped me stay on track in those fragile first weeks and months.

When I first got sober, I thought I had to become someone completely different—flawless, polished, the kind of person who meditates at sunrise and drinks green juice (okay, that part stuck). That unrealistic pressure almost kept me drunk for 34 years. I thought, “Why bother? I’m hopelessly flawed.” But sobriety didn’t make me perfect. It made me present. And presence? It’s raw, honest, and messy—but it’s also where the real healing begins. resent. And presence is messy.