Additionally, staying sober enhances mood stability and emotional well-being, resulting in an overall better quality of life. Improved physical health and reduced risk of chronic diseases are just some of the many actual benefits of staying sober. By abstaining from drugs and alcohol, individuals can experience enhanced mental clarity and cognitive function, leading to improved overall well-being.
- Because of drug-related physical and mental health problems, addicts can be rendered unable to work, relying on welfare to survive.
- Ask your doctor about nonmedical ways to manage your pain, like massage or acupuncture.
- Your experience will be your best insight, and you will be able to pass on valuable information to others in need.
- This doesn’t mean that you don’t ask for help if you need it, but the goal is to be responsible through your own efforts.
- If you or your loved one is struggling with addiction, The Recovery Village can help.
- If you have tried and failed to achieve sobriety, you can maximize your chance of recovery by engaging with evidence-based treatment at Renaissance Recovery in Huntington Beach.
- While alcohol might provide a temporary boost in confidence, it can ultimately lead to lower self-esteem and feelings of shame.
As alcohol is broken down and metabolized by your body, toxins get released. Some will eventually get broken down into less harmful compounds, but your body’s ability to process these substances is limited. I was listening to this podcast the other day about this guy named Justin Wren. (We already donated! you should too) After listening to this podcast it just hit me like damn… imagine if the only water I could drink was full of parasites and worms. Imagine having no clothes, and getting through the day with only eating a banana.
How to Enjoy Being Sober— Reasons for Staying & Living Sober
Binge drinking can lead to consuming an extra 600 calories or more in a day. Neurotransmitters can rebound beyond their usual activity levels, which can leave you feeling anxious and irritable. Volpicelli explains that this volleying can also lead to low motivation or anxiety and depression. Excessive drinking can lead to the build-up of toxic, highly cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds that contribute to inflammation in your body, especially in your liver. The anxiety and tension that comes along with being an addict or alcoholic is hard to explain. If you are sitting you want to stand, if you are standing you want to sit.
Depending on the severity of the addiction or substance, a medically-supervised detox may be necessary to safely help you through withdrawal during the first few weeks when relapse risk is highest. Detox can occur in a hospital setting or as the initiation into the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation process. If you or a loved one are considering sobriety, you may wonder what it looks like and how to get there. Sobriety can be a particularly challenging pursuit for someone with an addiction like alcohol use disorder. One of the last and most important facets of embracing being sober is that it offers you the opportunity to rebuild trust and repair past damages caused by addiction.
Identify Your Personal Triggers
Staying sober allows people to nurture and sustain positive relationships. By prioritizing sobriety, individuals can continue to build strong connections with loved ones, fostering a supportive and fulfilling social network. Your doctor can recommend medications that can help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms and cravings during your recovery.
When active in your addiction, you will be so consumed by a mental obsession with alcohol that you won’t be able to properly focus on anything else. They genuinely want to see every person that comes in succeed and live a happy life in recovery. This reasons to stay sober is a treatment that first prevents someone from using their substance of choice and then provides information about the harm of using. In social situations where people are drinking, you might feel more comfortable with a drink in your hand.
Health Risks of Alcohol Use
Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills and experience. For example, you may have developed a co-dependent relationship, or a family member, friend, or employer may have been enabling you without even knowing it. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Even if you don’t have a strong support network right away, this is something you can seek out to help support your goals.
- One big reason people feel so afraid of sobriety is because of what they see in the media, pop culture and even from people they know on social media.
- Ending an addiction will dramatically improve your physical and mental health, and the real, beautiful you will shine through.
- Call a friend or family member to talk through what you’re going through, or reach out to your doctor or therapist.
- However, once you give up drinking or drugs, your life will change for the better in a multitude of ways.
- After reading your lists of reasons to stay sober, you may also be left with the question “Will being sober make me happy?
Though it may seem overwhelming, it is possible to achieve sobriety and live a happy, alcohol-free life. There are many reasons to stay sober in difficult times, and with the right resources and support systems, you can start your path to recovery. Many “normies” have recently made the shift away from social drinking and towards intentional sobriety, and there is good reason for it. Of course, if you have struggled with alcohol abuse in the past you have even more of a reason to get and stay sober. ” But during those times of frustration and fear, it is important to take inventory of the reasons that you made the choice to change the path of your life and be sober in the first place.
What does it take to move beyond addiction—and stay there?
Alcohol became my coping mechanism, my nightly self-care, my sanity in a bottle. In choosing sobriety, you are undertaking one of the most important, and fulfilling, decisions in your life – and you will not undertake it alone. Imagine walking into a supportive, judgment-free space, and connecting with those who can understand your experience.
