The freedom to drink pints, do shots, and be a ‘loud-mouthed mess’ was an act of rebellion and defiance; a declaration that I wasn’t afraid to take up space. When I quit, I worried that I’d confirm every stereotype about women being too uptight, too worried about being out of control and un-ladylike. I realised I didn’t need alcohol to feel fun, confident, or relaxed. Those feelings are within us already, we just have to give ourselves the chance to tap into them.
You’ll see your bank account grow and your problems lessen. Where that metaphor breaks down is the fact that you can’t return to your dream. Once you awaken from a dream, you can’t go back – unless you’ve practiced some serious lucid dreaming. With drugs however, even though it feels like you’re coming out of a haze, you can return to the “dream” at any time. When you have an addiction, then your brain is focused on its next fix, so it’s not thinking about bills, friends or tomorrow.
Why Is It Hard To Stay Sober?
A large body of research exists examining—and proving—the efficacy of AA for sobriety. A 2011 study by Krentzman, Robinson, et al. sought to answer the question of why some people chose to continue going to meetings even after they achieved short-term sobriety. This is a treatment that first prevents someone from using their substance of choice and then provides information about the harm of using. It’s also important to celebrate your successes along the way. Whether it’s 30 days, 6 months, or a year of sobriety, take time to acknowledge how far you’ve come and reward yourself for your hard work.
Follow Through On Your Thoughts Of Relapse
For many people who struggle with addiction, substance use is a way to escape from difficult thoughts, feelings, and situations. It can also be equally challenging to stay committed to your sobriety when we live in a society that normalizes drinking, especially in social spheres. Sobriety is often a challenging journey, and having a good support system that provides emotional reassurance and encouragement during difficult times will often help you stay on track. Alcohol abuse is a common problem, with many professionals being willing and able to help you through the process towards sobriety. It is important to work with a doctor or addiction specialist to help manage withdrawal symptoms. Outpatient rehab centers are also an option for those who need a less-intensive level of treatment.
Often times, when we start to feel the pull of liquor, calling us to a relapse, it’s because we start thinking of the “good” times (which were bad times but with rose-tinted, tunnel vision). Instead, be present, look at the things around you and identify only facts. Say them out loud, what you’re wearing, where you’re sitting, what year it is, what city you live in, that the light is on, that the walls are blue, etc. Doing this can help stop rapid thought and bring you back to the present. It’s important to remember that you’re going to be craving alcohol to reward the short-term part of your brain, not the long term. Create some sober house goals for yourself to remind yourself of what you’re working towards.
Alcohol Rehab
Community helps deconstruct stigmas and barriers to sober living and treatment. It also creates new feelings of acceptance, understanding, and sympathy. Sobriety is about finding a healthy and sustainable lifestyle where you feel more like yourself, have more energy, and feel capable of reaching your goals. However, there are various goals you can set for yourself to measure your success. Healthcare professionals have found that choosing sobriety can lengthen your life, improve your relationships, and increase your energy.
Loving and encouraging family and friends can definitely help support your journey to become sober. These are only a few of the signs that may indicate a substance use disorder. A licensed clinician uses this criteria—and more—to determine the likelihood and severity of a substance use disorder and formulate a treatment plan. It can seem intimidating to look at the end goal and know the many steps it will take to get sober.
Physical Health Monitoring
We will explore how to best prepare for a sober life, some of the challenges you may face along the way, and a few of the top tips for staying sober. Many recovering people attend support group meetings in order to encourage those who are just beginning to live a drug-free life. At some meetings, a recovering person may share his or her experiences and struggles with addiction and recovery. Trigger situation avoidance and other relapse prevention skills are one of the many valuable lessons you’ll take from participation in some form of substance abuse rehab program. Deciding to overcome an addiction to alcohol or drugs could be the most important decision of your life. Once you understand that you have a problem and need help, knowing what next steps to take can be confusing.
Interestingly, as of 2019, 73 percent of addiction treatment programs in the United States used a spiritual component,6 the majority referencing God or a Higher Power. And in case it wasn’t already obvious, the only way to get to long-term sobriety is to first achieve short-term sobriety. For some, it means complete abstinence from all substances, while others may focus on quitting a specific substance, like alcohol, while still using others like nicotine or caffeine. What’s important is that sobriety represents a conscious choice to live without substances that negatively affect your physical or mental health. If you are struggling to stay sober, then start skipping events. Everyone’s feelings are important, which means your emotions and health are equal to people who may be celebrating or mourning.
So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it. Paws or Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms are physical withdrawal symptoms that continue after discontinuing the use of alcohol. Dealing with the physical withdrawal and mental hurdles can be especially difficult for those trying how to get and stay sober. Not only can avoiding alcohol or drug use improve cardiovascular, liver, and gastrointestinal health and dietary habits, but it can also help a person overcome mental health challenges. While you may experience withdrawal symptoms, you can also start to notice positive changes in your mind and body. Sobriety also helps you avoid long term health effects.
- Self-care looks different for everyone, so it is important to learn what your self-care is.
- If you’re having a hard day, they will rush to your aid to ensure you don’t slip back.
- Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRIs).
- The National Institutes Of Health breaks down triggers as external or internal triggers.
- You can also quickly and easily check your insurance coverage for free by filling out the form below.
- Start with something manageable, like one alcohol-free weekend or a dry month, and see how it feels.
Walk through your day-in-the-life scenario and imagine what it looks like to have lost your sobriety and goals. Imagine the conversations you’ll have with friends on why you did it. One of the biggest perks about sobriety is being able to think ahead, long-term. This is in stark contrast to alcohol and addiction in general which foster short-term rewards. So, use your sober brain to think about the long-term consequences to your short-term reward and recognize what it would do to your life. No matter how you define it, sober life has many benefits, including a higher overall quality of life and one includes a healthier lifestyle.
Many people want to rebuild the relationships they had with their children, spouses, or other family members. Others simply want to stop being under the influence of substances that make them behave in ways they should not. If you are committed to taking the steps necessary to quit abusing drugs or alcohol, treatment professionals and members of your support group can help you throughout the recovery process. The strategies we’ve explored offer a roadmap for maintaining sobriety in 2024 and beyond. From building support networks to focusing on personal growth, each step is crucial for long-term success. Setting small, achievable goals can https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ help you stay focused on the long term.
Take that thought and imagine it as a fish and let it float out of your vision. It begins a process of “thinking of thinking” and as strange as it may seem, it helps pull you out so you can calmly observe from afar. One of the first things you discover after getting sober is how much time you have. It’s one of the reasons we track your time saved in the app. Addiction devours your time which is a factor in many people’s relapse. They get bored and wander back to what they “think” they’d rather be doing.
Similarly, as we experience achievement, acknowledging small wins keeps us motivated. Some people journal their sobriety milestones, while others track them on their phone or a calendar. You may have celebrated milestones during your sobriety journey.
