Beware: Don’t get too smart

Beware: Don’t get too smart

Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey when life gets messy? This LOL Sober instalment follows Nelson H. as he pokes fun at his own “smart guy” tendencies and shows how overthinking can quietly sabotage recovery.

Speaking in his usual mix of honesty and comedy, Nelson talks about self‑knowledge in recovery circles, where “thinking you know more than you do can really trip up your path to sobriety.” He recalls being told, “be as dumb as possible, and you’ll absorb more,” and admits that this actually worked for him. Nelson shares what he heard at a recent meeting: many people were completely beaten by alcohol or drugs and were willing to do anything to stop using.

Yet when it came to the rest of their lives – resentments, character defects, relationships, money – they suddenly became lone wolves again, convinced they could handle things on their own. He admits he did exactly that. Two months sober, juggling “$50,000 of credit card debt,” he made big financial and family decisions without checking in with anyone, and chaos followed.

Only after working his fifth step did he realise “this is a full service program” and that sobriety and emotional sobriety “are two sides of the same coin.” Using a vivid image, he compares focusing only on not drinking to watching one weather condition while a tornado forms all around you. If everything stays the same except the alcohol, how long before you’re sucked back into the storm? Nelson wraps things up with a caveman-style mantra: “Me try be dumb.

Me follow directions. Me be happier. Me be healthier.” It’s a funny yet sharp reminder that you don’t have to be the cleverest person in the room to stay sober – just willing. So where might “being less smart” actually save you some pain in your own recovery?