What Being Sober Really Feels Like FHE Health

I graduated two weeks after the call with my mom, and I stopped drinking and smoking and went to my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on May 12, 1996. I wasn’t sure if I was an alcoholic, but during my teens and twenties my partying ranged from “she’s fun and wild” to self-destructive. And, I was and still am a believer in the adage, If you’re asking yourself if your drinking is problematic, then, at the very least, drinking is probably not serving you. And, if you’re scared shitless that your life won’t make sense if you stop drinking, find a friend to take you to a meeting and/or reach out to a mental health professional. Consider what type of behaviors are beyond your boundaries for you.

Love Letter to a Garden

In other words, success is the blissful absence of all of the devastating consequences of a previous drug or alcohol habit. When we asked our alumna to describe what being sober feels like, she gave a detailed and inviting description that captured these key points. Sobriety turns mornings from something you dread into parts of the day you can actually look forward to.

The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success. Remember to care for yourself, seek supportive relationships, and consider seeking help from a therapist. Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake. Feeling guilty or ashamed of past behavior or actions during active addiction is natural and healthy. One of the most important signs that you are a sober person is that you make paying it forward a huge part of your recovery program. Whether it is being a sponsor, being an ear to bend or a shoulder to cry on, or doing volunteer work, sobriety has shown you that sharing with others makes you feel good AND furthers your recovery.

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This https://www.welcome-magazine.com/how-to-participate-in-the-running-of-the-bulls-in-spain/ means everything from waking up clear-headed and diving into weekends full of actual fun activities, to saving some serious cash that used to disappear one sip at a time. While this approach may not be suitable for everyone, it can be a stepping stone for those who struggle with lifelong sobriety or face significant barriers to abstinence. As an addiction counselor, I offer online counseling to persons struggling with alcohol, substances, gambling, and gaming.

• Enabling means shielding them from consequences or making excuses for their behavior.
• You can indeed live a sober life once you figure out that enjoying your drink and not craving for another, then another one is also actually a possibility.
• Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to avoid repeating mistakes and build better habits.
• It is a goal many can achieve with dedication and willpower.
• Fill your schedule to the point that when Happy Hour arrives, you’re already so exhausted that scratching an itch on your head would be impossible, let alone heading to the pub in your newly forming muscle shirt.
• Today, I’m grateful for my sobriety and the sparkle it brought to my life.

Tips for Success

The romance of wine clubs, scotch tastings, and “a few beers while we watch the game” is dead for me. I know there are many healthy, moderate drinkers, but I also see drinking culture as a great cover for pain. Although these new activities are healthy and productive, they can be a stumbling block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the original addiction. Financial troubles and problems finding and keeping employment are major triggers for relapse, but it is possible to take baby steps and get your finances in order. Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery.

Reduced anxiety

Waking up without a hangover means you get to start your day feeling good, not trying to piece together the night before or chugging water to battle dehydration. The enjoyment of mornings without hangovers can be one of the first benefits enjoyed, often within the first week of sobriety. This newfound time opens doors to exploring hobbies, cultivating new skills, and investing in yourself. Also, the absence of hangovers means waking up feeling refreshed and ready to make the most of each day.

When a person is addicted to drugs, it can impact their ability to make decisions, their memory, and their behavior. And all of those factors impact the unpredictable nature of the recovery process. Michelle Lhooq coined the term “California sober” (Cali sober) in her article on abstaining from the most addicting and dangerous substances (for her), but not all substances. Lhooq’s goal was to avoid alcohol and cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine — not marijuana and psychedelics.

• Most people who make their way into recovery have left a lot of pain and suffering in their wake.
• It might be turning down an offer to use or declining to spend time with an old drinking or drug-using friend or dealer.
• We’ve seen multiple societal changes in our lifetime, from fashion trends to laws, to name just two, and as I wrote in my last post, there have been a number of changes to the thinking in the addiction field.
• The answer was more negative consequences of drinking and more positive associations with God and/or spirituality.
• All your future goals are dependent on that one important decision.

Once alcohol is out of the equation, that money can be redirected towards savings, investments, or spending on experiences and items that bring lasting joy rather than fleeting pleasure. Another one of the most celebrated benefits of sobriety is the dramatic improvement in sleep quality. Alcohol, while misleadingly used by some to hasten sleep https://www.teamsolo.net/Safety/ onset, actually disrupts the sleep cycle. This is particularly true for the REM stage, which is crucial for mental restoration. While alcohol might initially seem like a quick fix for calming nerves, it ultimately disrupts the brain’s chemical balance, worsening anxiety over time. If this is you, counseling may be a helpful way to work through difficult thoughts and painful emotions driving the urge to use substances.

They see the difference between being clean and sober as initially embracing the clean part, but learning to love and put into daily practice their commitment to staying sober. Sober people have amassed knowledge about their recovery and ways to reduce temptation and avoid relapse. They typically have support systems in place, like private therapy, support groups, outpatient treatment programs, or a mentor to whom they can turn for advice and support. If you’ve helped a friend or a loved one deal with addiction, you’re not alone. Almost 49 million people in the United States ages 12 and older struggle with substance use disorder. For many adults, their partners walk the journey beside them.

Hence, many individuals find that lifelong sobriety is essential for sustaining recovery. Substance abuse can create lasting changes in the brain, leading to heightened vulnerability to relapse even after extended periods of abstinence. By embracing sobriety as a steadfast commitment, individuals can develop the necessary skills and strategies to navigate potential triggers and temptations, reducing the risk of relapse. Sobriety can be a lifelong commitment, particularly for individuals recovering from addiction. While it may initially seem daunting, maintaining long-term sobriety offers numerous benefits and opportunities for personal growth.

What is Sobriety?

For those on Moderation Management plans, that means no more than 4 drinks in one sitting for men and 3 drinks in one sitting for women. According to this plan, men and women shouldn’t drink more than 3-4 days per week. Just like today, the olde version meant “in possession of one’s faculties.” Further back than that, the Latin word sobrius meant “without drunkenness.” But the word has come to mean a little bit more. We’ve consulted Merriam-Webster, and the word of the day is sober.

However, those differences in personality might not be as major as you might think. For many people, harm reduction and the moderate use of less-volatile substances are an important aspect of their own long-term sobriety following an initial period of refraining from substance use. Sobriety is often defined as abstinence from drugs and alcohol, but there is more to it than merely avoiding substance use.

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They may be fresh out of a treatment program, have several weeks of recovery under their belt, or be years into a sober life. As a sober person sometimes you have to step back and realize the wonderful resources you have at your disposal. Many people, many stories, much wisdom and you drink tons of coffee (more on that later). If you’re a heavy drinker, it’s important that you stop drinking under the care of your doctor or an addiction specialist. It’s likely that you’ll experience https://ennotas.com/getting-to-the-point-23/ some withdrawal symptoms, especially if you’ve developed a dependency on alcohol. Also be aware of old habits surfacing, including visiting friends who also deal with substance abuse issues, or unexplained deviations from responsible behavior.

Here you’ll find a collection of useful resources to help you better understand your personality archetypes. Sober personality types are also usually good at problem-solving and making decisions quickly. Sober personality types tend to be calm, collected, and level-headed. Sober personality types are often gentle and patient, but they can also be inflexible and stubborn.