- Know Your Enemy / Green Day
- Anomaly / Lecrae
- A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear / Derek Webb
- Temporary / White Rabbits
- Should Have Known Better / Sufjan Stevens
- The Cave / Mumford & Sons
- Pioneers / The Lighthouse and the Whaler
- Not Today / twenty one pilots
- Eye on It f. Britt Nicole / Toby Keith
- Beautiful Day / U2
- The Boxer f. Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon / Jerry Douglas
- Happy Pills / Norah Jones
My brain is a mess.
Since I've gone sober, there is a new level emotions that I forgot how to manage. They are quick hitting and more intense than I've ever known. It's frightening sometimes. Maybe I'm having a great day, floating on the pink clouds of recovery, then everything deflates.
Suddenly, I can't breathe. There's a weight on my chest.
My addict brain starts talking trash, whispering the only remedy I've ever known. "Just have a few drinks, life's too short to feel like this." I'm backed into the corner and my sobriety is in real danger. I feel isolated, weak, and very confused.
Music is one thing that can cut through that fog.
That's why I started putting together my recovery playlist. There is a magnetic force in these songs. They repel the old lies and attract my new truth.
I know there are some powerful biological reasons for this. I've read about the limbic system - the base camp for our emotions, behaviors, motivations, and long-term memories. It's some heavy stuff.
Music always works. That's what matters to me.
Sometimes it's the lyrics that remind me what really matters. Other times it's the energy of the music that helps me fight back. Help is only a few clicks away on my smart phone. Just push play, close my eyes, and breath.
If connection is the opposite of addiction, these songs connect me with my true self. They restore my faith in tomorrow and help me forget the pain of yesterday. My story has a soundtrack and I'm happy to share that you today.
It's magic. The only kind of magic that can force my inner demons to back down.
In my recovery, music is my strongest ally.
@SoberTony
Tony's a web developer and online content editor. He blogs about his sobriety and recovery at DailyRecovery.club