I know we're drifting further and further away from the subject of the original article, but when I quit drinking I threw myself into music pretty hard. I had a nightly practice routine that I did to a metronome's ever increasing tempo, until one day I realized I had just traded one obsession for another and was starting to resent playing my guitar.

Once I recognized the pattern it was easy to break, so when I find myself working longer hours or getting too emotionally involved in my work I take a step back and try to figure out why I'm behaving in this manner in hopes of preventing future burn out.

> However , I find myself not particularly wanting to get into a relationship again. Felt like a very painful experience. I'd rather make music instead .

Totally normal and healthy, I felt like that when my relationship fell apart in 2014, didn't start dating again for about a year, met the woman I'm still (and plan to spend the rest of my life with) the year after that, the societal pressure to be in a relationship is real.

Just remember to take stock occasionally and seek professional help if you feel like something is wrong, otherwise enjoy your music.

>societal pressure to be in a relationship is real.

Thanks for saying this. I had a partner who was divorced in 2019 as well, she really made it seem like she stayed in multiple crappy marriages to look good.

I'm grateful for a safe place to sleep and food, which is much more than I expected to have in my youth.