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These days, unless I’m feeling generous, I simply say, “I don’t drink,” and leave it at that. There are many people living sober lives that don’t turn to drugs to numb their emotions or seek a high. While being sober doesn’t guarantee a happy life, using drugs ensures one is trapped in a downward spiral of addiction. Earlier this year we shared a post exploring the Sober Curious Movement. ‘Sober Curious’ refers to people who are choosing to either take a break from alcohol for a short period of time or even permanently. It’s a term that describes people who are curious about different levels of living a sober lifestyle.
- We’re big advocates for exploring your inner child, taking yourself or solo dates and experimenting with living a sober lifestyle.
- Once you start living a sober life, people will respect you and your ability to overcome life’s obstacles.
- When you’ve got high energy levels and lots of free time, it’s easier to stay focused on work, school, and personal projects.
- Therefore, when you stop placing such toxic substances in your body or even relieve your body of the toxic substances that it already has within it through detox, your immune system receives a boost.
- Now that you are sober, you may have discovered that some of your past relationships were not only unhealthy but downright toxic.
That being said, you might not be at a place where you want people to know you’re not drinking, and that’s OK. You can provide an excuse, like that you’re on antibiotics, or you aren’t feeling great or want to feel fresh for something you have going on the next day. It’s important to remember that you never have to give yourself up to make other people comfortable—ever.
Your physical health improves.
Many recovering addicts find that a respite from the pressures of work, family, relationships, and bills helps them start on the road to recovery with a firm foundation. By focusing on yourself and your health first, you start learning healthy habits. By surrounding yourself with others who feel https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/top-5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-house-for-living/ like you do, you establish a foundation where you learn how to ask for help, how to share your feelings, and how to deal with the urge to drink or drug. By putting one foot in front of the other one day at a time, you can slowly learn how to live your life without mind-altering substances.
- If you can calm your mind through this practice, you may have an easier time living without alcohol and drugs.
- But this time, you may have decided to do something a bit beyond the norm.
- There’s no doubt that Americans often view the New Year as a fresh start.
If you find it difficult to make new, sober friends, try joining a support group. Elizabeth Kowalik is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Missouri and Illinois) who serves the members of LIV Recovery Sober Living as the Director of Clinical Quality and Services. After earning her master’s degree in social work and she completed the necessary clinical training to become a practitioner in both the states of Missouri and Illinois. After collaborating with Cameo (Founder and CEO) and volunteering for LIV for several months, the opportunity to bring her on staff presented itself. She brings 17 years of experience working directly with people living with substance use disorders and severe and persistent mental illness.
Ways I Have Fun Living The Sober Life
Finding the purpose in your life and the meaning of a sober life enables you to establish a clear context for your day-to-day. Individuals can persevere through hardship and resiliently endure challenges if they have a sense of purpose because purpose reminds them why fighting for sobriety is worth it. Individuals in recovery can learn to ignore temptations and stay focused on living an improved, more meaningful life by pushing forward each day. Just as your definition of sobriety and idea of a sober life can differ from other people’s, your reasons for wanting to live substance-free may vary, too. Any person dealing with drug or alcohol dependency or addiction should develop a personal list of reasons why staying sober is a worthy goal.
Is it good to live a sober life?
When living a sober life after addiction, your overall health improves immensely. This is because you're no longer attacking your body by putting dangerous amounts of toxic substances in it. Due to the toxicity level of alcohol and drugs, when you chronically abuse them, your immune system lowers.
Unlike New Year’s resolutions, personal goals are not typically dropped off or left behind. In order to live a life of sobriety after living a life of addiction, a person will need to make several changes to the way they live their life. After finishing my treatment program I realized how many other people there are out there who are struggling with situations similar to mine.
You’ll Sleep Better
Once you have gone through the process and your body is clean, you never have to go through it again- so long as you stay clean. If you are withdrawing from opiates you need medical supervision. You may not even be considered for long term treatment until all traces of the substance are gone from your system. Because of the dangerous side effects of kicking the habit, sober house it is recommended that you do this in a hospital or professional facility where you can be medicated or otherwise treated if necessary. Your goals become clearer, and you start finding ways to be happy again. It has to do with alcohol’s effect on your brain chemistry and what happens to your mood and emotional well-being as your brain heals from years of drinking.
You may also need to change your route to work or home in order to avoid any triggers, or people, places, or things that make you want to use drugs or drink again. It is estimated that up to 80% of those who find long-term sobriety had at least one relapse along the way. Some people experience many setbacks before they find lasting recovery. Your intentions may be good, but it takes more than willpower to avoid having a relapse.
Your relationships improve.
Thinking back to before I was sober, I usually had to drink to be around people. I recharge when I’m by myself, and I deplete when I’m with others—especially big groups. 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.
When you can develop healthy relationships with, and get support from, your friends, family, and lovers, you will be able to keep yourself from engaging in self-destructive behavior. Without the influence of substances, you have the opportunity to enjoy sober relationships while ending toxic relationships. You can form authentic relationships built on mutual respect, interests, and understanding rather than just who is willing or available to drink or use drugs with you. Life after addiction might also mean you have more professional success and new creative outlets that you discover when drugs and alcohol aren’t occupying all of your time. You may also experience what is commonly called sobriety fatigue, which refers to the overall exhaustion that may occur as a result of the emotional and physical stress of staying sober.
