Welcome to Tuesday Tunes With Sober Curator Lauren McLaughlin, AKA @JoyfullySober, Your New Weekly Sober Dance Party

November 23, 2021

We are starting a new weekly segment: drumroll please……Introducing Tuesday Tunes!

Let me introduce myself; I’m Lauren, a Sober Curator from the Chicago area (aka the suburbs).  I am a person in long-term recovery; I celebrated 15 years in April of 2021. Music has played a massive part in my recovery.  I got sober so long ago that iPhone, Spotify, Pandora weren’t even a thing yet! LOL, I had cases of CDs  (see picture above). This one is not mine since I left all of my CDs in my drug den apartment that I evacuated when I got sober; maybe I will tell you that story one day.

How I spent my first year in recovery…

I spent my first year of recovery in treatment, a Halfway House, and Sober Living, so music became an escape.  I got sober in Minnesota (Shout Out Hazelden), and one of the first tools I used in recovery was walking and listening to music.  I would walk from the halfway house over to the Cathedral of St Paul and sit on the steps and cry. I can still feel the wind and sun on my tear-stained face when I think back to those early days.  I had not laughed so hard or cried so hard as I did that first year.  It was a magically excruciating time of feeling emotions.

I would download some songs (which I have no idea where I downloaded songs from, maybe Napster??) onto my Sony MP3 player that I bought with my first paycheck from my sober job at Bath and Body Works at the Mall of America. I would lace up my worn-out gym shoes and head out.  The tears usually started when I got about halfway to the cathedral and came to a crescendo on the steps.  It was a relief both in mind and body. I had not “exercised” either of those things in years, and it felt good to feel soreness in my body and the accomplishment of getting to the destination in my self-esteem.

The power of a song…

The first song that had an imprint on my recovery is Goodbye My Lover, by James Blunt. It was probably written for an actual lover, but I interpreted the “lover” like alcohol and cocaine, my two lovers.  I was told early on in recovery, remember your last day and polish that story like a pearl, don’t ever forget what it was like so that you may never go back.

This song became part of my pearl.  I still tear up today when I hear it.

Music is a recovery tool that still works

So, fast forward 15 years I still use music and walking as a main tool of my recovery.  I get outside as much as possible with my fancy pants IPhone (I wish I knew what happened to my Sony MP3 Player) and walk to a playlist that varies from Country to Rock to Pop to R&B, pretty much everything. I can’t wait to share some of the songs that bring me joy, challenge me and inspire me on my road in recovery.

PS-I don’t always just use music to walk to….you can also find me dancing in my housecoat (most mornings) on Tiktok. Feel free to get yourself a housecoat and join me anytime!  You want to talk about a self esteem builder: dance like no one’s watching, for real.

What songs inspire you on road in recovery?

Want to get in touch or follow along with Lauren? You can find her on IG at @joyfullysober and dancing in her housecoat over at TikTok at @joyfullysober

Resources are available

Resources Are Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

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