When the “game” is paused you pick back up with the same score

In a recovery program some years ago I was taught the analogy of a video game.

Sometimes you temporarily have to stop or pause it but you don’t go all the way back to zero, you turn the game back on & pick up where you left off.

That really helped me a LOT.
Sometimes when we have a setback our inclination is to say defeatedly, now I have to START ALL OVER, back to ZERO (especially if you’re counting days) & that can be, both counterproductive & discouraging, to say the least.

When I have a setback, as part of the recovery process, I don’t go back to “the starting line”, but like any other race, I get back up, & like a video game, I pick up where I left off.

Maybe this can help someone else!