Rob Cantrell

This blog is about my recovery from a lifetime of drug and alcohol addiction… I want to share the good, bad and ugly that comes with getting clean and sober … one day at a time. The process of rebuilding a life in middle age is anything but easy.  It’s scary and overwhelming … but it is certainly better than anything I’ve known in the past….

Sobriety has brought me a life I never believed possible. I’ve found peace. I’ve found self-acceptance and most importantly, I found the authentic Rob.  If I  base my worth on positive or negative criticisms from others, I have to remember that these are merely judgments by people who don’t have all the facts and who have no right to act as my self-appointed judges. If I determine my worth by such judgments, my life will be an up and down roller coaster ride that will make my life miserable. I’ve decided my best is good enough.

I don’t have to show the world I’m good. I don’t have to try to hide the things I’ve done that might not seem flattering. I just need to forgive and accept myself and trust that other people will, as well.

Being authentic means being vulnerable—letting people see all my different facets, trusting they won’t judge me, and knowing that if they do, that’s completely on them.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be real with people, and know the ones who accept me accept me fully, than pretend and then have to maintain the illusion that I am something I’m not.

Professionally & Personally

My new life has brought many changes. I live in Hollywood, California with my partner and two amazing pugs. I have a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Addiction Counseling degrees, a member of California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professions (CCAPP),  Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (candidate), Certified in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling (UCLA), PhD in Psychology (doctoral learner)

I hope you’ll join me on this journey…

Rob