And you need to know that you can make it through without relapsing. Knowing relapse signs can help you recognize your risk of relapse, and they may include a return to addictive thinking patterns and compulsive behaviors. Facing challenges that an alcohol-free life can throw Top 5 Advantages of Staying in a Sober Living House at you. Dreams, as we know, can get pretty intense when we ditch the booze. Please remember that you have already achieved great things in your life for you and those surrounding you. By choosing to be sober, you have given so much, changed so many aspects of your life.
Your memory improves.
I recharge when I’m by myself, and I deplete when I’m with others—especially big groups. 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. It’s seen as normal to drink, and quitting that drug can feel like breaking a social pact. So your bold, life-improving decision to not drink will mean changes almost everywhere you look. Here are some surprising (and not-so-surprising) occurrences that will inevitably happen to your relationships, your identity, even your free time, and how I’ve learned to deal with each one.
- Personally, I always thought drunk people were fun, and I didn’t want my own poop relationship with alcohol to stand out.
- However, I am the only person sober enough to see it.
- Head out of town with some sober friends for a few hours to get a change of scenery.
- Instead, buck up and remember what’s in your control.
FIrst-off – It is common to experience these feelings
You have to spend time acquiring your substance of choice, using it, and then recovering from its effects. You can use it to work on your hobbies, learn new skills, spend time with your loved ones, work out, or anything else you please. Even if you are 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. At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day.
You have more free time.
- They boost the mind’s ability to start working more efficiently again.
- Getting and staying sober can change the way you look at yourself.
- Knowing relapse signs can help you recognize your risk of relapse, and they may include a return to addictive thinking patterns and compulsive behaviors.
- Or maybe those crotchety old-timers like to complain about life.
Like that guy from that probably stolen Dane Cook sketch, drunk people just “gotta dance.” A couple beers and everyone is oblivious to their surroundings. After a night of drinking, one friend gleefully conversed with a woman across the bar about the virtues of soup—for an hour. Here’s how https://marylanddigest.com/top-5-advantages-of-staying-in-a-sober-living-house/ to stay sober, and sane, when life sucks. Getting support doesn’t have to mean going to rehab, although that is an option. Support can also look like joining in-person and online support groups. One 2020 study found potential benefits of combining in-person and online support methods.
Join Self-Help Support Groups
Some are structured in programs, such as the 12-step approach used by Alcoholics Anonymous and similar addiction recovery programs. There are common setbacks to getting and staying sober like withdrawal, craving, and pressure to use. Relapse rates for substance use addictions are around 40% to 60%. Setbacks don’t erase progress, though, and they don’t mean you’ve “failed” to stay sober. Remaining sober over time is about much more than willpower.
Reasons Being Sober Makes Your Life Better
