If you sit and actually have an inquisitive, conversation with us and not instantly judge us, because we are not drinking. Those of us who choose to get sober see this destructive pattern and want to change it. (I am speaking from personal experience, maybe yours is different). https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Here’s how to stay sober, and sane, when life sucks. Even though breakups, job losses, and an unexpected death of a friend or family member, can be devastating, they will all happen at some point. And you need to know that you can make it through without relapsing.
Your feelings will look different in a day, a week, a month, and a year, so look to the future with optimism. You will have days when you don’t necessarily make the strongest choices to improve your well-being or strengthen your recovery. No matter what happened yesterday or even five minutes ago, you can choose to be patient with yourself, reassess, and pivot as needed.
Tips to Stay Sober
His area of interest is substance abuse and individual happiness. Join Recovery Connection in celebrating your recovery with our sobriety calculator. I share my experience because I do not want others to be blindsided like I was. Sobriety is not all roses and reggae, after all, and those who are in a position to help, will always stress the indisputable fact that being clear-headed is better than being a drunk.
I’d argue that many of us gravitated to a group of friends who have drinking habits that align with our own, and we did this because we didn’t want sober friends. The life I had before I quit drinking was a lot like Groundhog Day; I was always waiting for it to begin and always reliving the same stuff, day after day, year after year. When I finally walked away from booze at 34, my life opened up. I can honestly say sobriety is the best thing I have ever done for myself. It was my jumping-off point into a life I knew I had buried inside of me.
After a couple of cocktails, drunks get real.
Getting through recovery’s ups and downs requires you to do more than just occasionally show up and interact with people who may be able to support you. They can feel overwhelming and like they will never end. Even if you are being sober sucks making one small choice to improve how you feel each day, like working out more or eating better, track it. You can then consistently look back, see how far you’ve come, and assess what you have accomplished along the way.
Someone can be a bit standoffish, but manage to be prickly, critical, and self-aggrandizing when sober. It means continually checking in with yourself, continually reaching out to new people who may have ideas you haven’t tried before, and continually asking questions that will help you improve your life. Yes, asking for help was already listed, but it is so important that it is worth repeating.
Stay Up to Date
The difference between then and now is that I have tools to get back to true freedom–where all the nonsense I am putting myself through mentally has no validity. It is not the mere fact that I am away from mind-altering substances, but it is because of the spiritual actions that can free my mind from itself. Getting sober is when someone stops using an intoxicating substance. It can include a medically-supervised detox, various forms of treatment, including therapy and 12-step programs, and calling upon family, friends, and professionals for additional support. Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, or depression. You may also experience sobriety triggers (people, places, and things that trigger the desire to use).
Spending sober time becoming familiar with your body intimately can help you better communicate your needs to someone else when you feel ready for that step. Before I quit drinking, I never really used to care about dividing the bill down the middle with a group. At some point after college, it just didn’t matter if someone had a meal that was four dollars more than mine, or if they ate more edamame, or even if they had one more drink than I did. Not only because my portion of the check is significantly smaller than anyone else at the table, but also because I refuse to invest in Big Alcohol. Quitting drinking- the exact same process that you are going through, people all over the world are currently going through, or have been before. Our lives are very individual, but the same feelings and symptoms that you are experiencing – well, there are others out there.
You’re more productive.
Not only because not drinking is hard, but also because we live in a society where most everyone around us drinks. Why do people, who have been sober for years, behave inappropriately with alarming regularity? Recently, I was asked this question in group therapy (the exact words have been edited as they were not fit to print). The person who posed the question felt she had been misled.
No one seriously challenged him, because no one seriously cared. After a few drinks, all my best friend wants to do is give hugs and cuddle—doesn’t much matter who. Once he locks onto you (we are still trying to figure out what triggers him), he will quickly and relentlessly violate anyone’s definition of personal space.
Reasons Being Sober Makes Your Life Better
Drunk me didn’t worry if she belonged, or said the right thing, or had to have small talk because drunk me just handled that. In these moments, I have to remind myself that recovery isn’t just about not drinking; it’s about remembering that I am first and foremost responsible for advocating for my own well-being and boundaries. This is an opportunity to assert for your needs, and therefore assert your worth. It’s part of the sobriety package, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sobriety can be an incredible way to shed relationships you’ve outgrown as well as find new ones that align with your new values.