Early sobriety may come with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, or depression. You may also experience sobriety triggers (people, places, and things that trigger the desire to use). Know that it will get easier as you move through treatment and explore why you were using drugs or alcohol in the first place. Common setbacks to getting and staying sober include withdrawal, craving, and pressure to use substances. Relapse rates for substance use addictions are around 40% to 60%. Setbacks don’t erase progress; they don’t mean you’ve “failed” to stay sober.
Animal shelters, aquariums, homeless shelters or even AA meetings. There are plenty of altruistic organizations that are looking for volunteers. Put your time to good use and do something you feel passionate about. Regardless of your religious affiliation, try praying. You’re putting your struggle into words and asking for help.
What Are the Struggles of Being Sober?
Mindfulness is another important part of maintaining sobriety, especially because it can help you avoid emotions that could trigger a relapse. When you practice mindfulness, whether it’s through meditation, breathwork, or yoga, you’re able to clearly examine your thoughts and spin negative beliefs into more positive ones. Being mindful forces you to slow down and take yourself out of autopilot mode. It allows you to control your reaction to outside influences and approach situations in a more calm way. Despite the difficulty, sober living offers many benefits, including better mental and physical health. You can do many things to improve your chances of staying sober.
They shouldn’t become a crutch, but they will always be thankful you turned to them instead of to your addiction. You can also dedicate your time to online communities. Blog your progress or post in sober-friendly discussion forums (or reddit). While it’s true, people on the internet can be cut throat, if you find the right community, you’ll find nothing but support. Tell your story, address your struggles and don’t be afraid to be open with others. You can always reach out to the I Am Sober app community and receive some healthy support there as well.
How to Stay Sober
It is estimated that up to 80% of those who find long-term sobriety had at least one relapse along the way. Some people experience many setbacks before they find lasting recovery. Your intentions may be good, but it takes more than willpower to avoid having a relapse. This article discusses what sobriety means and describes strategies that can support your long-term recovery.
It’s not just your drinking buddies and drug dealers who can get you into trouble—sometimes those who are closest to you can contribute to a relapse. If you want a happy, healthy life and maintain your sobriety long-term, you have to get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep every night. While support groups and healthy living can help you maintain your sobriety, you must find a balance between these tasks. Fixating or finding other ways to be compulsive, like strict dieting, can do more harm than good. Finding balance in everything you do is and important task and can help you let go of obsessive or compulsive behaviors. Committing to bettering yourself is important in your recovery and a great way to maintain sobriety.
Stimulants: 15+ Facts to Expand Your Understanding of Stimulant Drugs
If you’re able, it’s not a bad idea to book with your general practitioner to do a full check-up to see which (if any) nutrients you are deficient in so you can make a plan to fix it. Adding healthier food to my diet has made a world of difference in my life. Boston Sober Homes Find something you like (or, at the very least, don’t hate) and do it for five minutes daily. Meditation is great for people who have just quit drinking. My ability to maintain sobriety is largely predicated on my ability to create stability in my world.
I never thought it was possible to stay sober and actually enjoy life without alcohol, but I was wrong (not the first time). We alcoholics have a choice, stay in that god awful hell and die or seek out a better way to live, ONE DAY AT A TIME. For others, they may experience urges to drink more so during the summer months when it’s warm outside. Maybe, going to the local store and walking past the cooler is a “trigger.” Acknowledging these triggers and having a plan already in place for when they do occur is a life saver. The hardest year of sobriety is the first because you’re just starting the journey and may not know what to expect. Cravings and withdrawal symptoms will also be more intense in your first year.
Start exercising.
Sobriety can be a particularly challenging pursuit for someone with an addiction like alcohol use disorder. A reputable treatment program provides these specialists. As described by the National https://en.forexpamm.info/how-to-flush-alcohol-out-of-your-system-fast/ Institute on Drug Abuse, there is not a one-size-fits-all treatment program for addiction. Therefore, it’s important to ask questions to ensure that the program you want meets all of your needs.
- But the work doesn’t stop once you’ve successfully gotten clean.
- Who wouldn’t desire a quick and easy, pain-free remedy to overcome all of the anxiety, guilt, shame, and fears that can loom after getting help for drug or alcohol addiction?
- And stay in touch with your sponsor and call them if you’re feeling anxious or uncomfortable.
- You can receive 24/7 text support right away and at your convenience.
- One business billed the state thousands, purportedly to treat a 4-year-old for alcohol addiction.
