“Choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family.
Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines,
cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers…”
– Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting
You may be wondering where our company name, Choose Life Sober Adventures, comes from. I get that question quite often.
If you are a drug addict in the millennial age range — or even a GenX’er — you probably recognize the above quote. Perhaps you first read the book Trainspotting in high school in between ducking classes. Or maybe you saw the movie in a dorm room. Whatever the medium, people like you and me are likely familiar with the dark Scottish comedy featuring heroin use punctuated by the rumble of a bong.
You may remember that in the movie, the “Choose life…” quote is the opening monologue, chaotically expressed by Ewan McGregor. To me, as a teen, it felt so profound: Why choose the dull banality of life when we can choose drugs? Maybe you had that attitude yourself.
I now know that this sarcastic whining of a junkie resonated with me because it aligned with the sophomoric philosophy of a 15-year-old who has spent too much time on Nietzsche’s Wikipedia page. This idea encompassed one of my worst qualities that was all too present in my addiction: I have a huge ego and incredibly low self-esteem. I’m better than you, now please validate me.
With the years, I entered recovery, and this sentiment of choosing life changed for me. What was once a big middle finger to suburban existence, now took on a new meaning, one that I believe was the intended message all along: I get to choose my life…we all do.
After years lived with no real choice — only enslavement to drugs — I chose recovery.
And in recovery, I rediscovered that travel was a love of mine. There is an incredible world out there, vast, and fascinating, and I chose to explore. I founded Choose Life Sober Adventures because we’ve made the choice to discover that world, and to do so in the community of like-minded people who share our path.
Together we have explored the rainforests of Costa Rica, discovered the Lost City of the Incas at Machu Picchu, and traversed the savannas on our Kenya Safari. All experiences that support our connection in recovery.
If you have made the choice to live life to its fullest, to use travel to expand your life, please join us. Give us a call or text us at (720) 697-4388. Share in our community of travelers who have made the same choice.
Hope to see you out there with us!
