Personally, I always thought drunk people were fun, and I didn’t want my own poop relationship with alcohol to stand out. 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. If you’re like most drinkers, you’ve likely surrounded yourself at some point with a group of people who also drink. I’d argue that many of us gravitated to a group of friends who have drinking habits that align with our own, and we did this because we didn’t want sober friends. 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.
She told me the worst thing I could do is sit down or stop, so I pushed on. By the time I was nearing the finish line, my feet had swollen and literally gone numb in my shoes. I ended up taking off my shoes and walking with my feet fast asleep – it feels like you’re walking on stilts. I am enjoying being a mom to a teenage girl too (surprising I know) as difficult as it is sometimes. But my sobriety has given me the ability to have many meaningful deeper conversations with her and be there for her (on her time of course, ha) when she just needs her mama to talk to her.
- I realised I didn’t need alcohol to feel fun, confident, or relaxed.
- If you want more information about it, you can find it at the same SAMHSA link below.
- We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected.
- It affects your physical health in almost every conceivable way.
The Spiritual Benefits of Sobriety
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As you try different activities to fight addiction, you’ll find that the sober lifestyle extends far beyond mere abstinence. It's a holistic commitment to health and well-being, marked by renewed energy, mental clarity, and emotional stability. Thebenefits of being soberinclude real relationships and experiences that you might otherwise miss out on, along with many other goodreasons to be sober. 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 Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term.
Writing this post is how I learned 17 is a lot of things. Maybe too many.
- I swam out into the ocean, far enough to get past the garbage that bobbed in the surf, and floated there, the world suddenly quiet.
- 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.
- This publication is for those ready to explore sobriety / alcohol-consciousness and create the life they’ve always wanted.
- This helps you settle in before any anxiety creeps up.
- Trust is built through repeated patterns of committed action over time.
Adopting a sober lifestyle comes with numerous health benefits that can significantly improve your overall well-being. By abstaining from alcohol and drugs, you can reduce the risk of developing liver disease, heart problems, and certain types of cancer. Moreover, staying sober promotes better sleep quality and higher energy levels, allowing you to wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Improved physical health and reduced risk of chronic diseases are just some of the many actual benefits of staying sober.
Encouragement and Strength from Psalms for Sobriety
When you’re sober, you’ll have more time to focus on yourself and your well-being. You can engage in physically and mentally healthy activities, such as regular exercise, eating nutritious meals, and taking care of your mental health. You’ll also be able to regulate your emotions better without drugs or alcohol. This makes it easier to manage stress and create a healthier lifestyle.
And if someone lives in a fourth story walk-up, I don’t have to bail on dinner plans because I’m unable to make it up the stairs. Sobriety has the potential to significantly enhance your overall life quality in various ways. One of the most prominent benefits is improved personal relationships and stronger bonds with loved ones. When you’re sober, you can communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts better, and build deeper connections with the people who matter to you. Sobriety becomes the cornerstone of a healthier lifestyle, promoting physical fitness and https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ overall wellness. Alcohol and drug use can negatively impact your body, leading to health issues such as high blood pressure, liver disease, and heart disease.
Sober Life Rocks Podcast – The Importance Of Community When Life Doesn’t Always Go As Planned
Establishing a strong support network, adopting healthier coping mechanisms, and cultivating self-awareness are integral to this journey. Sobriety is defined as the quality or state of being sober or not intoxicated. It is the profound commitment to abstain from the consumption of substances that can alter your mental state. Although we may often hear this from medical doctors, it is hard to internalize unless we experience it first-hand. Your mind may tell you’re worthless and that you don’t deserve a better life. Your mind may tell you it’s hopeless and that no one will ever trust you again.
And gaining a deeper connection with God as well of course because you can actually “hear” what He is trying to say to you with a sober mind. Alysse Bryson is a strong woman in recovery, an innovative media maven, marketing guru, and gal about town. “I'm just a laid-back old school Seattlite…with sober superpowers. You can take the girl out of the party, but you can't take the party out of the girl.” You can listen to Amy Liz Harrison’s Eternally Amy podcast HERE as we talk about celebrating 12 & 17 years sober. It also turns out I can tell a 45-minute story that should have been only three minutes. So, with this knowledge of myself, I’ll wrap this post with the 17 things I love about being 17 years sober.
My briar patch is not enough sleep, too much work, too many expectations, resentment, perfecting, pleasing, proving, and a few other thorny things. I haven’t had a drink or cigarette in 23 years, and I’ve only really missed drinking three or four times—mostly when I need a way to medicate overwhelming anxiety. As much as I try to work a “live and let live” vibe, I’ve watched “civilized drinking” ravage the lives of so many families and friends that I’ve developed no interest in it at all. I celebrated 23 years sober this month—May 12, to be exact. About a year ago, I was talking to a dear friend who was newly sober, and our conversation shifted something in me.
- It’s not easy to admit when we make mistakes, but it’s essential for our mental health and overall well-being.
- This clarity allows for increased progress in all areas of life.
- Chronic alcohol use can impair your cognitive functions, affecting your memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.
- As mentioned above, I have ADHD, and I take Adderall for it.
- Other people just realized they felt better and decided to stick with it.
- Why being sober is better for relationships is that it allows you to engage more authentically with others, rebuilding trust and strengthening bonds that might have been damaged by past behaviors.
The more tools you have for identifying triggers, coping with stress, and managing your new sober life, the easier you'll prevent relapse. Gone are the days where I have to piece together a night out based on snippets of memory, credit card transactions, oyster card logs and whispering to friends “What happened? ” Now I can tell you what I ate for dinner, what I drank & what we talked about. Now two years happily sober, I’ve discovered that sobriety has benefits that improve my life beyond no hangovers – which really is great – and better health. You need support, sometimes a program, and almost certainly a good counselor to help you navigate this new sober life.
Reasons to Stay Sober: Your Ultimate Guide
So, let sobriety not only be a personal triumph but a catalyst for success in future endeavors. As an addiction counselor, I offer online counseling to persons struggling with alcohol, substances, gambling, and gaming. If you would like to discuss whether counseling is right for you, contact me here.
