11 Surprising Benefits of Sobriety That Will Transform Your Life

For over 50 years, our compassionate team of professionals has helped individuals overcome addiction with evidence-based, personalized, and life-saving addiction treatment. For those struggling with alcohol addiction or considering returning to drinking after sobriety, seeking professional help is highly recommended. Therapy, support groups, and other resources can provide invaluable assistance in managing addiction and maintaining recovery. Receiving professional alcohol withdrawal guidance can empower individuals to take control of their recovery journey and resist the temptation of drinking alcohol after therapy. Supportive friends and family members play a crucial role in addiction recovery, offering understanding and respect for the individual’s decision to remain sober. By surrounding themselves with positive influences, recovering alcoholics can find encouragement and reinforcement in their commitment to sobriety.

How do you stay sober when drinking inspires friendships, connections, and even promotions?

It was my jumping-off point into a life I knew I had buried inside of me. I got out of debt, started a company that provides digital recovery, launched a podcast, and am in the middle of writing a book. MHA Screening is an educational program intended to help inform people about options they have in getting help for mental health issues. It may suggest tools and resources that offer information, treatment services, self-help (or “DIY”) tools, and/or ways to connect with others. For any and all suggestions, comments, or questions, please contact Mental Health America. Sometimes people feel like they are abandoning their family, friends, and loved ones when they begin their recovery journey.

FAQs in Relation to How to Stay Sober Around Drinkers

1. You’ll get to meet new people and be a part of something positive.
2. But if you’re sober curious, you can remind yourself that there are many ways to socialize that don’t involve drinking, like seeing a movie or playing a sport.
3. These could be notes on your phone, a piece of jewelry with special significance, or even a specific image set as your phone’s wallpaper.
4. Besides being an excellent opportunity to meet other sober people, participating in a support group gives you a higher chance of remaining substance-free.
5. When I stopped drinking, not only did my recovery dictate that I needed lots of time to myself, lots of self-care, and lots of nights in, I discovered that I was, in fact, someone who relishes in alone time.

If you choose being sober around drinkers and someone asks if you’d like a drink, politely decline. If you find yourself in a social setting where people drink, hold a soft drink in your hand. Sobriety is drug avoidance, abstinence from compulsive behaviors, and improved bio-psycho-social health.

Guess what? This drunk hates [insert person here].

I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. Ultimately, however, communicating directly and planning ahead will help avoid problems later. The recovering person has a responsibility to take care of themselves, but family and friends can definitely help. So with the three-fold trilogy of the holiday season upon us, as many reach for a drink, let’s also remember to reach out to each other, especially those in recovery.

But it’s comforting to know that you don’t have figure it out on your own. But I’m going to explore solutions for people who sit at various points along the “sobriety is so boring” spectrum. Getting drunk did not magically change the dynamics of that situation. We were all just sitting around and getting drunk, perfectly content to not really do anything together. Sometimes we would watch a show, but even that become untenable for me after a couple of drinks because I did not have the attention span for it.

Meanwhile, you’re at home wondering how many days it would take someone to find your body after you’ve choked on those peanut M&M’s you’ve been knocking back during your latest Netflix binge. That being said, drinking FOMO is real and must be dealt with. Sometimes admitting the truth to yourself is the first step. So many people quit drinking and end up walking around in a dopamine deficit state, struggling to find joy in anything. It’s hard to fill that time, especially when dealing with alcohol cravings and triggers. Alcohol robs you of the ability to feel naturally motivated and inspired.

We will also discuss ways of preparing for social interactions as a non-drinker and the benefits of having go-to responses ready. My biggest fears in life include being in large groups of strange people, standing at parties by myself, and really just people in general. Drunk me didn’t eco sober house review have to worry if I was alone at a party because drunk me didn’t abide such things. 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. This might seem like a terrible thing; this is not a terrible thing.

I wanted to blend in nicely with a crowd who understood that sometimes you just want to drink your face off, or one that didn’t think anything was weird about a glass of noon wine. It’s been over six years since I first started seriously questioning my relationship with alcohol and considered a life without it. That’s six hard, beautiful, glorious years during which I not only stopped drinking, but also finally moved on from all recreational drugs as well as a history of bulimia. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money.

Consequently, when everyone around a person drinks, it is challenging to being sober around drinkers and not be led by the desire to drink a glass of alcohol. The buddy system has been proven to be beneficial in addiction recovery. Having someone by your side who understands and supports your decision can strengthen your commitment towards staying sober around drinkers. They can help deflect attention away from you, provide moral support when needed, and even step in if others try to persuade you into drinking.

Unfortunately, not everyone will support you or respect your sobriety. So you might find yourself redefining your friendships, relationships, and boundaries. Accepting that putting yourself first will change who you surround yourself with is an important part of recovery. If these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery.

Look for cultural festivals, fitness classes, or hobby-based groups. Exploring new and diverse activities can provide alternative avenues for socializing, creating memories, and connecting with others. Remember that one of the things we’re attempting to do is not only get out there and experience fun activities that don’t involve alcohol but also heal the underlying damage in our brain from drinking. And if a friend or family member is struggling to control their drinking, there are new ways to access support. Ria Health offers medication for alcohol cravings, recovery coaching, support groups, and other powerful tools through a smartphone app.

Over time, addiction changes the brain and causes cravings. Long-term heavy drinkers often experience intense thoughts about alcohol. They begin to feel a strong desire or compulsion to drink.

There’s no more not caring if they see your cellulite or whatever you’re hiding under there; and you will, once and for all, discover that sex is never like in the movies. It is an awkward, vulnerable dance between two awkward, vulnerable humans. For people who are concerned about their use of alcohol or drugs. Can also be applied to other behaviors, like gambling or self-harm. But it’s better than drinking to fit in and risking your recovery.

After a night of drinking, one friend gleefully conversed with a woman across the bar about the virtues of soup—for an hour. The “Mean Baby” author, who clarified on “The Talk” at the time that she did not “drink anymore,” said the headline-making moment occurred after a glass of wine and a pill she was unfamiliar molly: uses effects risks with. The “Cruel Intentions” star noted that her 2018 multiple sclerosis diagnosis in her 40s “would not have happened” without quitting alcohol. “I was so messed up and dehydrated and hungover and didn’t know I had neurological issues,” she told Us Weekly of the “horrifying and humiliating” experience.

The symptoms involved in PAWS can be a barrier to recovery if you’re not careful. In addition to being able to recognize them, it’s important to know when to seek help. Depending on the type of dependency, PAWS can last from six months to two years after you stop using drugs or alcohol. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) involves withdrawal symptoms that persist past the detox period.

Whether your sobriety has you wallowing in boredom or self-pity, please know that it will get better. Even if you have no idea HOW things can change, trust the process and keep working on it. It’s likely your doctor will order some bloodwork, which can be the start of your path to physical recovery.