The term ‘sobering up’ suggests that it is an all or none phenomenon, which is inaccurate,” says Tetrault. This is most easily achieved if your treatment team is managed by a single caseworker, who can track all treatments and therapies, make sure everything is compatible, and advocate for you when changes are necessary. A reputable treatment program provides these specialists. Loving and encouraging family and friends can definitely help support your journey to become sober. Once you’ve admitted that you have a problem with substance misuse, getting help is the next step.
I Know Who My Friends Are
To avoid relapse and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships. Staying sober requires a person to analyze the reasons why they were using the substance, identify their personal triggers for relapse, and avoid falling into a pattern of use again. Sobriety can be a fixed-term goal like staying sober for a set period (such as Dry January), or a lifelong goal of staying sober from all substances. Ask any sober person whether they want to go to a cocktail party or stay in with a pack of La Croix, The Crown, and a bathrobe.
Alcohol and Dopamine: Why We Crave and Struggle to Quit
That’s six hard, beautiful, glorious years during which I not only stopped drinking, but also finally moved on from all recreational drugs as well as a history of bulimia. As you get going, keep a simple chart or use an app that tracks your progress. The saying goes that your worst day in sobriety is better than your best day in addiction. I haven’t lost a pound, my sex life is worse because my drive has tanked, and now I don’t have a way to get away and switch off. I don’t feel like I’m more balanced, or better at work, or sleeping better. Hanging out with people isn’t fun anymore because I don’t know what to do sober.
- If you are hungry, even if that is not your main issue, get something healthy to eat.
- As previously mentioned, no one treatment is effective for all people.
- Yes, this was a great honor, one that is entirely deserving for Weber as one of the top all-around defensemen of his generation.
- Aftercare programs make it easier to remain in recovery and avoid returning to substance use.
I’ve Got Way More Time
One 2020 study found potential benefits of combining in-person and online support methods. Three months ago I hit the benchmark called “Advanced Recovery” and suddenly things began to fall into place like they did not do in the early days of my sobriety. I do not mean to say it takes that long for everyone (I have always been a late bloomer), but for me the two year point marked the end of my resistance and the beginning of my overwhelming gratefulness. As with most problems, the solution is as difficult or as simple as we make it. Sometimes, consider how your behavior has affected others. Or maybe those crotchety old-timers like to complain about life.
thoughts on “14 Reasons Being Sober Makes Your Life Better”
“I think there are really beautiful things about my mother and really sad things too. It makes the whole situation complex,” she added, her mother had her own addiction battle and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “When I was younger I talked about it freely because I didn’t really understand it. But it affected me, so I felt like it was my right to talk about it. I feel bad about that.” By Sanjana GuptaSanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. Tetrault outlines some short- and long-term treatment and therapy options that can help you achieve abstinence. “Overall, if an individual’s goal is to stop using substances, it is important to recognize that harmful substance use and abstinence exist on a continuum.
“If you experience stigma or shame in one setting, don’t be afraid to seek help in a different medical setting,” says Tetrault. There are many more interventions that may be used to help you recover being sober sucks from substance misuse. What this list doesn’t explore are all the things you have to do to get these benefits. Sobriety takes work, and much of it is not easy or pleasant to go through.
I’m not special. These benefits of sobriety are for everyone.
The Downside of Sobriety
- After all, you can’t hang around your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long.
- Before you know it, a lousy day in sobriety can quickly turn into your last day in sobriety if you turn to drugs and alcohol to ease your emotional discomfort.
- A study from Substance Abuse indicates that having support from others can improve a person’s chances of engaging in and completing detox and treatment for addiction.
Discover more from Real Deal Sober Living
- According to Jeanette Tetrault, MD, an addiction medicine specialist at Yale Medicine, the terms “sobering up” or “getting sober” are stigmatizing.
- My friend, if you can go months and months without drinking, you can do anything!