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Addiction takes away your joy, relationships, self-esteem, finances, mental wellness, physical health, etc. Substance abuse can take a toll on your energy levels, leaving you feeling drained and exhausted. That’s because you have to deal with sleep disorders, lower immunity, diminished physical health as well as mental health issues. But when you transition to sobriety, you can rest better, feel better and improve your mental, physical, and financial health.
- I drank to have fun, I drank to deal with stress and I drank to try and forget my problems.
- This is because it allows you to see the world through new eyes after being clouded by alcohol and drugs for so long.
- When you abuse substances to the point that it rewires your brain and consumes you, you struggle sleeping through the night.
If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones. In these programs, it’s customary to receive plastic chips as you progress to the one-year mark, at which time you receive a bronze coin. A therapist can help you learn new coping skills, develop new thinking patterns, and address any co-occurring mental health conditions that may make recovery more difficult. Research shows that if you maintain these types of toxic relationships, your chances of relapsing are greater. To avoid relapse and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships. Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from.
Live fully, for life.
Substance abuse can have a profound impact on your mental clarity, affecting how you think, feel, and make decisions. It impairs your cognitive function, making it difficult to concentrate, process information, and recall memories. It can also cause mood swings and exacerbated mental issues like anxiety and depression, which can further impair your mental clarity and overall well-being. This forms a never-ending cycle that pushes you further into addiction.
What happens in first 7 days of sobriety?
The First Week of Sobriety: What to Expect. In the first several days of sobriety, it's not uncommon to experience varying degrees of acute withdrawal symptoms, alcohol cravings, and heightened anxiety. It's important to know that you will get through this, and these symptoms are nothing to be ashamed of.
Since your mood affects your energy, the rewiring of your brain can cause you to lose energy as well. Milestones can help motivate a person to remain sober to reach the next milestone. Getting support doesn’t have to mean going to rehab, although that is an option.
Manage Physical Pain
Not only because my portion of the check is significantly smaller than anyone else at the table, but also because I refuse to invest in Big Alcohol. It’s part of the sobriety package, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sobriety can be an incredible way to shed relationships you’ve outgrown as well as find new ones that align with your new values. While making the decision to be sober was the best thing I’ve ever done, it’s also one of the hardest.
There’s the misconception that if you’re sober, you aren’t fun, you won’t be able to enjoy your life to the fullest and you’ll have trouble forming relationships. Many addicts have heard that living a sober lifestyle means abstinence from alcohol and drugs. While this is true, living a sober lifestyle isn’t simply about abstaining from substance abuse.
Why Living a Sober Lifestyle Isn’t Just About Abstaining from Substance Abuse
The sober life can also give you the opportunity to think about nutrition as well. You’ll enjoy general health and wellness that you can’t necessarily achieve if you’re drinking or using drugs. Most addiction treatment centers recommend at least 90 days of sober living before returning home. Many people need more time to get the skills they need to continue sober life outside of a sober living program. Whenever you suffer from addiction, you’re willing to spend every last penny that you have on alcohol or drugs.
- Therefore, when you stop placing such toxic substances in your body or even relieve your body of the toxic substances that it already has within it through detox, your immune system receives a boost.
- You can focus on short-term sobriety, staying sober for 24 hours at a time.
- Now that you have eliminated drugs and alcohol from your life, you have so much more time to fill with meaningful activities.
They serve as the roadmap to our future – towards college, a successful career, healthier relationships, physical strength, emotional and spiritual health. Unlike New Year’s resolutions, personal goals are not typically dropped off or left behind. Here are some ideas to try that will help you learn to enjoy life sober and will help you stay active, social and entertained.
Surround Yourself with Supportive, Sober People
Many 12-step programs suggest that sobriety means total abstinence—never using the substance ever again. Being honest with yourself means asking, “Am I ready for this? ” Maybe your family drinks to celebrate the holidays, or your high school friends want to meet at a bar over winter break. Drugs and alcohol might have limited your options for fun and recreation.
Many people find that faith in a”Higher Power” helps get them through the day. By believing in something greater than themselves, they give over their problems to something stronger. Even if talking to another seems scary, you may find you are capable of being honest through writing in a journal. By getting out your feelings you can come to terms with them.
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Most addiction support groups are peer-run without the guidance of a professional. You might find that group therapy benefits you more if you need the guidance of a therapist for mental health, social, sober house emotional, or relationship issues. Think of detox as your way of getting to the treatment center. Following that, you get back in the real world, where your life of sobriety is just beginning.