Last weekend, Austin, Texas hosted the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. Thousands of people descended upon the Texas state capital to enjoy good weather and good times. Some of them, like me, are recovered addicts.
Back when I worked in the music industry, I couldn’t imagine how I might be able to stay sober at an event like SXSW. After all, part of the lure of the event is the number of parties with open bars. Sure, there are warnings about the dangers of taking pills, especially taking pills and drinking – but how can someone not want to get completely wasted when almost everything is free for the taking?
Now, with nearly fifteen years of recovery under my belt, I had an entirely different view of SXSW. I was invited by a college friend to attend the Rachel Ray “Feedback” party at the venue, Bangers. This party was nothing like what I remembered from “back in the day.” Yes, there was a bar serving what looked to be local and artisanal beer, wine, and sangria that I was told was very good. But the focus, as you might imagine at a Rachel Ray event, was on the food. There was a long buffet of a variety of sausages, late night hot dogs with jars of interesting condiments and hand-passed corn dogs. While one had to go indoors, away from the stage, for alcoholic beverages, barrels of cold non-alcoholic beverages were well-placed around the venue. The food and beverages complimented the live performances and for those who were interested, there was a “corn hole” toss at the back of the venue. This was a well-planned, enjoyable event.
In the four hours or so I spent at the party, there was only one noticeably intoxicated person, who was immediately scooped up by her friends and, as I overheard, taken to her hotel. The rest of the party-goers danced, ate, and had a good time without becoming dangerously drunk or high.
While I would not recommend an event like SXSW for anyone a few days or weeks out of treatment, as the temptation to fall into old habits is simply too great at that juncture, I would like to give the message of hope that real recovery is possible. You can attend and enjoy all sorts of events in recovery. Not only with sound recovery will the desire to drink or use leave you, but you will also find that you want to be straight at these kinds of parties. If I had been loaded, I would not have enjoyed the company of friends or the bands on stage. As they say, “You will enjoy a new freedom and a new happiness.” That is the blessing of recovery. For those struggling, maintain hope. A bright future awaits you.