The Inspiration
A personal and life-changing journey of discovery
When I came into recovery there was talk of a ‘higher power’ and it became clear that for me to obtain a sense of peace in my life I needed to believe that there is ‘something’ bigger than myself to turn to for help and to hand over to when I am struggling.
I have always felt that life was something that I had to put great energy and control into if I were to survive or achieve anything. So I climbed aboard the yacht with the same trepidation that I had met all of life’s experiences with – would I be able to do it, was I clever enough to understand, would I let myself down, would I let others down? Would the experience leave me feeling bad inside, knowing that yet again I had failed?
It was a beautiful day, with emerald sea and baby-blue sky and a wind that I was told was perfect for sailing. The first few times I had a go at actually sailing the yacht myself, I hung on to the ropes and rudder as though my very life depended on it. When it came to trying to change direction my heart pounded with fear and I used every muscle in my body to release and change the sail ropes… the result being that more times than not, I ended up doing a full circle!
However, after patient guidance from my instructor I actually decided to trust the yacht and the wind and attempt a turn. All I had to do was nudge the bow in the right direction, slacken the ropes and to my amazement the wind, sea and yacht did all the rest. It was a wonderful feeling to do this with nothing but trust and willingness and such little effort.
It was then that the penny dropped. There were forces out there that would work with me and not against me. I didn’t have to try so very hard. In fact by relaxing and trusting, I would do a far better job.
By the end of that remarkable day I realised I wanted others to experience this wonderful feeling. This is when my sister Julia came up with the idea of Sobriety Holidays, offering sailing holidays off the Mediterranean and Aegean coast of Turkey.
Sobriety Holidays give you the opportunity to learn something new and perhaps life-changing – and to understand that ‘taking it easy’ doesn’t mean that nothing happens!
So join us…. Whether you don’t drink, can’t drink or just want a week off, this is the perfect holiday!
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