16 Ways Life is Better When You’re Sober
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There is nothing wrong with exploring sober curiosity for the wellness benefits and circumventing silly peer pressure. But the sober curious culture is not meant to minimize the struggles of people on the alcohol use disorder spectrum. Maybe you don’t drink as much as those around you or you avoid drinking every day. Or perhaps you’re just curious about the surprising health benefits of abstinence. Unfortunately, there is a stigma surrounding those with addiction.
- That’s why many addicts and alcoholics advise staying in the day.
- Eudaimonia offers excellent recovery programs with tailored care.
- After you’ve admitted that you have a problem, you need to seek out professional help, whether from a mental health professional or a treatment center.
- When I finally walked away from booze at 34, my life opened up.
For example, chronic abuse of substances can cause you to either lose or gain an unhealthily large amount of weight. Therefore, when you become sober, your weight will likely stabilize itself. The way you structure your sober curious journey matters less than what you get out of it. In reality, though, people recovering from alcohol use disorder can go on to drink occasionally. Similarly, people who don’t meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder can still have a challenging relationship with alcohol and benefit from taking a break.
Huntington House Sober Living Environments – Men’s & Women’s
Many people who misuse alcohol or drugs have trouble dealing with anger. If left unchecked, anger can have a negative impact on your health and your lasting sobriety. 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. So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it.
Giving up alcohol typically isn’t easy for people with alcohol use disorder. Maintaining sobriety involves a lot of hard work, and it’s a lifelong process for many. You can have concerns about your drinking habits even if you don’t meet criteria for alcohol use disorder. Relationships formed while someone is in the throes of addiction often require adjustments when that person gets clean. A family member who is used to taking care of you may seem annoying and controlling when you are sober. Loved ones may resist accepting your claims of having changed and be reluctant to trust you.
Abstinence vs. Sobriety: Two Very Different Things
Without the influence of drugs and alcohol, you’re bound to make better decisions, and as a result, you’ll make fewer apologies to the people you love. Although you’ll probably still need to make apologies here and there, they won’t be a result of drunken escapades and you can genuinely apologize and make amends with a clear and sober mind. Yes, living a sober life does require that you abstain from using drugs and/or alcohol. That’s because so much more goes into sobriety than just staining from a particular substance. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals.
Even though Golden was never a heavy drinker, she decided to make a lifestyle change and stop consuming alcohol four years ago, and the results were surprising. Golden emphasizes that even when she would have only one or two drinks, her body always felt it the next day, but not anymore. For example, if you know that you are more likely to succumb to drinking when you are stressed, you can plan ahead to avoid these situations. You can also find healthy alternatives to drinking for stress relief, such as going for a run or enjoying a warm cup of tea.
Your Appearance Will Improve
Alcohol costs money, prescription pills cost money, drugs, in general, cost money. Especially when you build up a tolerance to drugs (increasing your dosage and continuously needing more of them), all those dollars add up. When battling an addiction, you tend to focus your energy working sober house to acquire your substance of choice. In turn, you put less time and focus into your career and saving for the future. Well, these benefits of sobriety also mean you have time to be more productive. Not only that but sober life these days is becoming a lot more of a norm for many.
That way, you’re less likely to reach for a drink or head to a bar when those feelings get overwhelming. Emotional sobriety has also become a popular self-growth tool outside of just drinking habits for anyone who wants to get more in tune with what makes them tick. The https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/top-5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-house-for-living/ sober curious movement is not for everyone, especially those who struggle with alcohol use disorder. The only genuine health risk to going sober curious, even for a short time, is probably withdrawal side effects, in which case you may suffer from alcohol use disorder.
Casa Capri Recovery
Now that you have eliminated drugs and alcohol from your life, you have so much more time to fill with meaningful activities. However, some of us may find ourselves feeling down, lamenting past years and previous versions of ourselves. Maybe you’re newly sober and the pink cloud never showed up for you or you’re struggling to adjust to a sober lifestyle.
Both Golden and Opland say the best advice they can give anyone who might be sober-curious is to start by setting boundaries. In Psychology from UCLA and has served as a community advocate/mentor for men and women in recovery since 2010. If you are seeking advice on how to better your sobriety, we can help. At Ethos, we understand that there are many ways to achieve and maintain sobriety.
2022-08-10
