Sober Superpowers this weekend, with Casey Mahoney
Just wanted to write a quick note letting you know I had a great time at the event this past weekend. I gave a speech to a crowd at the Lambs Fellowship in Lake Elsinore. After the speech was over, I had the privilege of meeting some people who, like me, had spent long periods of their life avoiding drinking or drugs.
One of them was a retired marine. He told me that when he started out in the marines, he would drink occasionally, but when he stopped drinking completely he gained a new level of focus that allowed him to climb up the ranks faster than the rest of his class. Being a marine is hard work and only the most elite soldiers are able to rise to the top in the marines. I thought about it more later, and I think it must have been difficult for this man to avoid alcohol, because I’ve heard that military macho culture tends to involved going out to bars on the weekend and trying to see who can drink the most without falling over. When you don’t drink and you choose to focus and excel, it can be quite alienating. Sometimes your friends just don’t understand why you won’t go out drinking with them.
The other man I met who had this same experience didn’t want to go into much detail. He was standing next to a very expensive car in some very expensive clothes. He said “Great speech, I also have never drank or tried drugs.” I asked him how it worked out for him. He clearly didn’t want to brag about how much money had, so he left it at “I’ve been very successful in life.”
Sober superpowers are alive and well. You can see them at large events here and there, if you know where to look. People who have sober superpowers don’t go around bragging about it (well maybe I’m the exception to that). They have climbed to the top in every pursuit they’ve tried, and maybe they have nothing to prove any more. Maybe they don’t want to deal with the stigma of being one of the few people who don’t drink alcohol.
I wonder how many of the kids in the audience will get their sober superpowers, time will tell.
Kids don’t always like to talk about this topic. They won’t come right up to you and say “Hey, I’m thinking about trying drugs” or “I’ve decided to never do drugs.” It’s an area where they really do have the final say in the decision, and all we can do as adults is try to influence them in gentle ways. The goal of my presentation is to give them a glimpse into what life can be like without drinking and drugs, and maybe plant the seed of an idea, the idea that you don’t have to start drinking when everyone else is doing it. There are a few of us out there who didn’t start drinking at age 16, and we are not a bunch of stick-in-the-mud nerds. Non-drinkers have accomplished big things and we can be role models.I also met a few parents this weekend who really got the idea of the speech, and they brought their kids over to me to chat a bit. Although kids might seem resistant or awkward when talking about this topic, the idea does sink in for them if it’s framed in a way that’s appealing to them. I’m a believer in exposing kids to a variety of different ideas about drugs and alcohol. My presentation has a feel-good vibe and is designed to be entertaining, but I am a big believer in the more typical “fear and death” type speeches that recovering addicts give. These speeches can be moving and can really stick with kids. In the future I hope to share the stage with recovering addicts and add to their unique perspective.
-Casey Mahoney
